Self interests to Synergy:

Tapping citizen markets for transforming cities

Gopalakrishna Bhat

12%
 Anthropocene: Emerging Age of Scarcities

• No Indian city
 has 24X7 water supply
 treats sewage fully
Urbanisation  recycles water
• “Self service” systems flourish

Scarcities &
conflicts
• It is expensive to be poor in the age of scarcities
Aspiration Resource • Multiple water conflicts > Million mini water wars
growth shrinkage State> district> city levels (Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Delhi)
• Citizens role invisible and not empowered to take
responsibilities
 Impacts of Anthropocene on Earth Systems
Future
1900 Future
Low High Future High
Resource Remaining

Consumpton
High Polluton Low Low

• We waste more than we consume (Delhi’s sewage polluton plume reaching beyond Agra)
• It is citzen’s behaviour that can ensure quality life while consuming less
• Disruptons are bringing control back in the hands of citzens (miniaturisaton, IOT etc.)
 India: Urban water Crisis? 2030

Source: Mckinsey, 2014

• In many cites, water many be limitng resource unless we transform beyond engineering solutons
• Ahmedabad before Narmada supply
• Most high urbanised and transiton districts are located in water scarce regions.
30 MAR2017 Urban citizen markets 4
38%
Water Balance in a typical Indian city

Source: ASCI,2010, HPEC,2011

Incentves to save resources are missing

 We built our cities, but now we have no say
Cit
ze
n le
eco d circ
nom ula
y r

Mu
nic
ip al s
yste
ms

Can
 emerging disruptions change the urban resource scenarios (water, energy, mobility)?
 we synergize bottom-up and top -down interventions?
 Transformation by Coordination
• Local solutions • Policy
• Resource conservation • Rules
• Monitoring • Governance
• Circular economy • Nudge
Communities Government

Synergy

Private sector Civil society

• Innovation • Monitoring
• Products • Analysis
• CSR investments • Knowledge sharing
• Nudge

75%
 Leveraging citizen investments

• Private “Self service” investments often higher than municipal

investments, especially for water.
• Self interests and hoarding behaviour are amplifying scarcities.

• Can the citizen’s investments be nudged towards resource conservation?

• Public monitoring can offer win-win opportunities
 Google Traffic ++ for environmental monitoring?
 COPD/Asthma patients contributing to city air quality monitoring?
 Building Win-Win solutions by citizen markets
• Domestc water filters: Solving the water quality crisis,
one fix for all?
Market size > ` 7,000 Crore , CAGR 15%

• Taxi aggregators: Reducing number of “sleeping” cars

• Rooftop Solar: Opportunity of Consumers > Prosumers
• Urban borewells : Can we maintain aquifers?
• Air polluton: Can we use crowd sourced data to enable
behaviour change?
• Are we ready for “Hybrid solutons to city’s challenges”
transformaton?
Source: Bridge to India 2014
“Compost Banao, Compost Apnao” campaign

• Economies of scale > Resource economy

• City Grids> Hybrid systems
 Nudging citizen markets for 21st century Earth
Are we
• empowering people to evolve local solutions?
Decentralised water, energy, food systems to increase autonomy?
• looking for local solutions to water-energy- food-environment challenges?
It is each plant that ultimately adapts to drought
• creating ecosystems to promote public transport/NMT?
Safe, comfortable, time saving Origin> Destination solutions
Can we nudge people to walk more?
• providing options for local waste management?

 Can we
 influence 400 million+ people to live better? (> US population)
 communicate the challenges and options effectively?
 find “Acupuncture points” to influence citizen markets?
 build citizen led open data systems to nudge citizen behaviour?
 Less Sticks and more Carrots?

SC ban: Auto industry stuck with

inventory worth ` 12,000 crore

Source: Coaching-journey website

Source: TOI 30th March 2017
We thank you