KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF

MANAGEMENT (KUSOM)

Dubuque Uses Cloud Computing and Sensor to Build a Smarter

City

Date of Submission: 21st November , 2017

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Mr. Sanjay Pudasaini Shreya Basnet
Faculty of MIS Roll no: 157010
Section: C
BBA 3rd Year
Is it possible to create a smart city in Nepal? Why? Why not?
Answer: Smart city does not have any specific and definite definition, however, the major
concept of a smart city is to simply the everyday activities and infrastructures to provide real
time data that allows the users of the city to plan accordingly. Smart cities can only be made
with huge investment and wise management of the investment. As seen in the case, Dubuque
used sensors and cloud computing as a way to make their city smarter.

Now, looking at the scenario of Nepal for creating a smart city here is quite a struggle and
difficult task. Hence, it is not possible to create a smart city in Nepal as of now. Building
smart cities from scratch requires a huge investment and affordability is the key aspect of
creating such cities. In a developing country like Nepal highly technical tools and choices
does not seem to be very feasible. Although many approaches has been made to make smart
cities in Nepal around Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur areas but no development has
been able to give result.

Looking towards less technical initiatives to build smart cities like sanitation, safe drinking
water, wastage management, regular power supply, green environment and appropriate
infrastructures, Nepal has been trying to overcome these initiatives through decades. An
initiation like banishing vehicles older than 20 years is an example.

Smart cities can only be successful if there are strong and responsible leaders to overlook the
development procedures. One of the grave problems of Nepal is the political instability and
hence, due to abrupt government change the influential leaders are not able to create smart
cities. There is influence of unions and political parties that do not give ground to change
policies.

The people in Nepal are not technologically educated or advanced to responsibly use the
ICTs and wisely manage it. They are not aware about how the smart city operates and impact
the daily lives. The people living in the cities also do not have access to the digital
infrastructures. The use of mobile technologies by all age dimensions is helping in
developing information city however, smart and digital technologies still lack in the current
scenario of Nepal.

With the lack of proper infrastructures and electricity, smart cities cannot be made. There is
no wise management of infrastructures and settlement problems in the cities. With the
growing population in city areas, road management, waste management, living conditions
have taken a toll in these areas. This problem cannot be solved in a couple of days or even
years.

Nepal lacks most of the dimensions and factors that are required to create a smart city like
human infrastructure, regulations, governance, physical infrastructures, digital and network
technologies etc. Hence, it is not possible to create a smart city in Nepal in the current
scenario.