Smart City Regulation and Environmental Sustainability in the Context of Land Use Planning in Mauritius: A Critical Review

Abstract

A "smart city" involves planned urbanisation, a system which has been adopted in many countries involving tailor-made solutions to suit local challenges while making the most of local opportunities. Smart city initiatives started in Mauritius in 2015 after the "Smart City Scheme" (SCS) Regulations were issued the same year under the Investment Promotion Act (IPA). By 2021 there were twelve approved smart cities in the main island of Mauritius in different phases of completion, while other such projects are seeking approval. While the smart city concept encourages the development of land into coordinated urban planning, it is mostly agricultural land in Mauritius which is being targeted for such real estate investment. The conversion of some lands belonging to large sugar companies for development into hotels and leisure facilities was part of the Mauritian government strategy to diversify the sugar industry after the dismantling of the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Sugar Protocol. Since 2002 the IPA has enabled the development of luxury residential property in the Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS). As from 2007 the Real Estate Development Scheme (REDS) included not only the IRS but also the Real Estate Scheme (RES) and the Invest Hotel Scheme (IHS), which are smaller in size and more affordable. In 2015 Mauritian decision-makers came up with the "smart city" concept as a blueprint for coordinated urban planning with large-scale mixed-use developments involving smart technology and pioneering innovation. Regulatory approval for a "smart city" project includes a SCS certificate, a Land Conversion Permit where necessary, an environment impact assessment (EIA), a licence and a Building and Land Use Permit, all of which are issued via a fast-track procedure. As a small island developing State (SIDS) Mauritius has limited land resources and it is important that the setting up of smart cities should be limited and environmentally sustainable. Setting up a smart city involves more than mere urbanisation and property development, and the plan must be carefully evaluated. This paper critically reviews the regulation of smart cities and smart city initiatives in the context of land use planning in Mauritius to consider the extent to which they are environmentally sustainable, and makes recommendations to improve their environmental sustainability.