There are over 4000 cities in India according to a census of towns. 48 cities house more than a million people while over 400 cities have a population between 100,000 and 1 million. Everything from infrastructural developments, self-sustainability, water or air quality, and sanitary aspects are necessary for the cities. To rank one of them as the most developed city in India is a crucial aspect. It requires an overall eye for even the smallest of details. We have curated some of the factors that can help us visualize the order of these cities more.
To answer the question ‘which is the most developed city in India’, we need to look into some of the factors that contribute to the same.
Mumbai is undoubtedly the economic capital of India. Being the most developed metropolis that houses prominent structures. This includes the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Mint, the National Stock Exchange, RBI, etc. The city alone generated a whopping $209 billion in GDP. Mumbai also ranks 29th in the whole world in terms of urban settlements.
Health infrastructure refers to the availability of medical facilities and immediate access to healthcare as required. Pune ranks on top in this respect. The overall considerations here revolve around the availability of hospital beds, air quality, access to fresh water sources, etc. Pune holds 3.5 hospital beds per 1000 people. Ahmedabad following a close second offers 3.2 hospital beds per 1000 people.
Banglore, the Silicon Valley of India is the city that contributes the largest to the IT sector. There are accelerated opportunities for small businesses and the city also houses a lot of major tech companies. There are headquarters of many organizations here including ISRO, Infosys, Wipro, etc. They generate a total GDP of over 400,000 crores and it is even the 84th most developed city in the world.
A quantitative study back in 2020 was conducted among the top 16 cities in India. The respondents of the majority found to be the happiest in Chandigarh among the others as the most developed city in India in this regard. Passion, pursuit, pleasure, and purpose were the foundational aspects behind the ranking of the happiness index that determine city development.
Passion reflects the connection between people, quality of relationships, and general engagement of the community. Pursuit refers to the ambitions that people set for themselves and their relentless strife towards it which gives them a sense of belonging. Pleasure refers to a temporary sense of high which can happen in terms of socializing or having a neat work-life balance. Purpose reflects someone’s progress in life. This can be in terms of lifestyle, financial status, and materialistic possessions.
Employability refers to not just landing a job but the diversity of the opportunities available. Bangalore tops the list here as well since they open doors to a plethora of job positions. The city is also great in terms of work-life balance since they house a lot of structures that offer more room for socializing. It thus remains the best city to work and live in.
Ease of Living is an assessment that comprehensively understands the quality of life and living. Factors like urban development contribute to this index. Economic ability, employment opportunities, sustainability, and available services. A 15-minute city has been the premise of urban development these days where every citizen finds all the necessary things of life sustenance within a 15-minute walking distance.
The city’s administration, political perception, and liberal viewpoints also contribute to this. Consequently, only cities that are inclusive in nature find a place here. In the Million plus population category, Bangalore tops the list. In the less than million categories, Shimla remains the top city when it comes to the ease of living index.
Chennai remains the safest city in India according to the reduced crime rates, safety for women, ease of living without fear, etc. The city also remains a growing hub of technology housing a lot of artisans who all feel safe in their shoes.
There is no one box or category where you can name the city as the best in the country. But these driving factors make it a little more to understand the hierarchy of the most developed city list.
In hindsight, the top ten developed cities in India would be as follows:
Urban planning and development are happening almost everywhere in the country. This is driven towards making our cities more sustainable, growth-focused, community building and self-sufficient. At YCSPL, we have been closely working with the government and organizations belonging to the public sector to accelerate the construction of smart cities. Building a developed city in India is only possible with structural growth assistance.
Technological progression is happening beyond our comprehension and we need to stay on track if we want to truly develop as a nation. Companies like ours are getting their hands on the best innovations around to design infrastructures that are technologically accelerated.