JUGAAD SMARTNESS Developing frugal, sustainable and inclusive solutions for cities Saiba Gupta Graduation thesis report MSc Thesis Report December 2018 Jugaad Smartness Developing frugal, sustainable and inclusive solutions for cities Keywords Frugal Innovation | Jugaad| Smart City| Transition| Sustainable Supervisor Grazia Concilio Politecnico di Milano|AUIC MSc Urban Planning and Policy Design Author Saiba Gupta 870352 [email protected] [email protected] 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this thesis was a well-rounded and fascinating experience for me and I would like to thank everyone who was part of this process. This journey was made possible with the constant support and guidance of my thesis supervisor, Grazia Concilio. I would like to express my gratitude towards her for constantly bettering my work throughout this period of almost one academic year. She is not only extremely knowledgeable, but also has a wonderful attitude. I look forward to continuing working with her. I would also like to thank my family and friends for just being there for me at all times. The product of this research would not have been possible without them. I am not just happy to complete this thesis successfully but also to have gained knowledge in this field. I hope to do good research and practical work in the future with these learnings. Overall this master’s thesis journey was a challenging one, but it sparked my interest in research and so I once again thank everyone for their support and contribution towards its completion. Please feel free to contact me for any interest in this graduation project. Saiba Gupta Politecnico di Milano December 2018 3 ABSTRACT Innovation is proven to be an absolute requirement for growth and development, but the type and motivation of innovations may differ depending on the context (socio-economic and cultural characteristics, geography, infrastructure, mindset and income levels of customers). At a time when the entire world seems to be merely paying lip service to the term ‘smart city’, it is important to understand that for a city to be considered smart, the urban system needs to be adaptable and innovative. This research talks about a specific approach to innovation - Jugaad. ‘Jugaad Smartness’ refers to a way of developing flexible, frugal, sustainable and inclusive solutions for cities. I believe this dimension is essential for cities in the face of the various contemporary challenges. ‘Jugaad’ (/dʒuːˈɡɑːd/, Hindi: जुगा蔼) is a Hindi word that in everyday language refers to an innovative hack or a quick fix that fulfils the immediate need by making things work (finding solutions) from whatever resources are at hand. This ‘good enough’ or ‘will do’ attitude can lead people to view jugaad as only a temporary solution. India, which is also a focus of this thesis, has become a breeding ground for frugal and social global innovations. This research aims to illustrate that jugaad innovation can be a driver of transitional change and lead to long-term, durable impact. The thesis analyzes various cases of jugaad solutions, especially those of Indian origin; discussing the various approaches adopted by local firms and multi- national companies and the diffusion of social innovations. Furthermore, the research also looks at the dynamics between the existing regime and niches, in reference to jugaad innovation. Jugaad is a frugal, simple, sustainable and inclusive approach to innovation. It aims to create solutions (products/services/processes) that are accessible to those who are generally un(der)served or excluded and does so with minimum possible wastage. It takes advantage of existing material resources and human capital to deliver context-appropriate alternatives. Hence, the question arises: Are jugaad solutions more than ‘just good enough’? Could they in fact be better? 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1. Introduction 9 2. Understanding ‘Smartness’ of Cities 12 2.1 Relation between Smartness & Innovation 12 2.2 Relation between Smartness & Frugality 14 2.2.1 BoP - Bottom of Pyramid 15 2.2.2 Constraints 18 2.2.3 Technology 20 3. India’s Indigenous Genius: Jugaad 25 3.1 The Jugaad Mindset 25 3.2 Main conceptual components of Jugaad 27 3.2.1 Frugality 27 3.2.2 Context: Place and People 30 3.2.3 Simplicity 36 3.2.4 Low environmental impact: Green 40 3.3 Transitional change and its relation to Jugaad 43 3.3.1 Theory of transitional change 43 3.3.2 Relation to Jugaad 46 4. Jugaad solutions for Sustainable Transition 48 4.1 Regime - Niches Dynamics 48 4.2 Mapping Jugaad Solutions 51 4.3 Examples of Transition Dynamics 72 4.3.1 The Water Market 72 4.3.2 The Energy Market 76 5. Conclusion 79 List of References 84 5 LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 1 Figure 1: Six dimensions of a smart city & related aspects 10 Figure 2: Research Objectives of thesis 11 Figure 3: Structure of thesis 11 Chapter 2 Figure 4: Innovation - Smartness – Frugality 14 Figure 5: The World Economic Pyramid 15 Figure 6: Strategies for Innovation for BoP 16 Figure 7: Fundamental dimensions of constraint-based innovations 19 Figure 8: Inverse-U shaped relationship between slack resources and innovation 20 Chapter 3 Figure 9: Jugaad vehicle powered by an agricultural water pump engine 25 Figure 10: Jugaad vehicle powered by an agricultural water pump engine 25 Figure 11: Jugaad Philosophy 26 Figure 12: Aravind Eye Care System 28 Figure 13: Public Service Innovation: Co-creation 32 Figure 14: Evolution of the Customer 35 Figure 15: Nokia 1100 was advertised as a phone ‘Made for India’ 37 Figure 16: One of the many popular jokes about how sturdy the phone was 37 Figure 17: Dr. Jeganathan’s Baby Incubator 38 Figure 18: Motorcycle ambulance, India 39 Figure 19: E-Ranger, Malawi 39 Figure 20: Green Constraint-based Innovation 40 Figure 21: Grassroots Innovation: intersection of three dimensions 41 Chapter 4 Figure 22: Regime|Niche 48 Figure 23: Possible diffusion of Jugaad Innovation 51 Figure 24: Cases: Jugaad Innovation 51 Figure 25: Water market in India 72 Figure 26: Energy market in India 76 Chapter 5 Figure 27: Innovation ‘sandbox’ for healthcare in India (Prahalad) 79 6 LIST OF TABLES Chapter 4 Table 1: Case Jaipur Foot, India 52 Table 2: Case Aravind eye care system, India 53 Table 3: Case Low cost incubator, India 54 Table 4: Case Mobile diabetes clinic, India 55 Table 5: Case GE’s Mac 400 ECG machine, India 56 Table 6: Case Isang Litrong Liwanag (a liter of light), Philippines 57 Table 7: Case Vortex Gramateller, India 58 Table 8: Case SELCO (Solar Electrical Light Company), India 59 Table 9: Case Husk Power Systems, India 60 Table 10: Case C-Dot, Department of Telecommunications, India 61 Table 11: Case Sakshat tablet, India 62 Table 12: Case Banking on phones, Philippines 63 Table 13: Case Sarvajal, India 64 Table 14: Case Tata Swach water filter, India 65 Table 15: Case Cooking chulhas and cooking fuels, India 66 Table 16: Case Lifesaving dot, India 67 Table 17: Case Motorcycle ambulances, India /e-rangers, Africa 68 Table 18: Case Revolo, India 69 Table 19: Case Low cost hygienic sanitary pads, India 70 Table 20: Case MittiCool - clay refrigerator, India 71 7 Chapter 1 Introduction The Indian Government has proposed to set up 100 ‘smart cities’ across the country. ‘The smart cities should be able to provide good infrastructure such as water, sanitation, reliable utility services, health care; attract investments; transparent processes that make it easy to run commercial activities; simple and online processes for obtaining approvals, and various citizen centric services to make citizens feel safe and happy’- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India [1]. An amount of INR 7060 crore (approximately 1 billion USD) was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in September 2014 to fund the Smart City Mission. “Let us consider urbanization as an opportunity. Gone are the days when it was seen as a challenge or obstacle.” - Prime Minister Narendra Modi The objective of this mission is to promote cities that not only provide core infrastructure, but also a decent quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment to its citizens, along with introducing ‘smart’ solutions. Yet the project proposals for the individual cities are not entirely following these objectives. There is more emphasis on pan city development, instead of focusing first on small scale interventions. The engagement of citizens is limited to feedback. Instead citizens can have deeper involvement in the process as innovators and co-creators. Also, the project requires a diverse group of stakeholders who can co-produce. The 6 dimensions of a smart city (Fig.1) as per the ranking of European medium- sized cities [2], have been widely discussed and researched. The basis of this thesis was to go beyond the confines of these six characteristics and ask the below mentioned questions. 9 [1] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Available online: http://smartcities.gov.in/content/innerpage/what-is-smart-city.php (accessed on 18 June 2018). [2] smart-cities.eu. Report: Smart cities Ranking of European medium-sized cities (Final Report, October 2007). Available online: http://www.smart cities.eu/download/smart_cities_final_report.pdf (accessed on 18 June 2018). What does ‘smartness’ really mean? How can this concept be implemented, especially in the context of an emerging economy like India? What is the existing strength of this context and how can its potential be harnessed? Dimension of smart city Related aspect of urban life Smart People Education Smart Governance E-democracy Smart Mobility Logistics & Infrastructure Smart Environment Efficiency & Sustainability Smart Living Security & Quality Smart Economy Industry Fig.1 Six dimensions of a smart city & related aspects Source: drawn by author Adapted from Ranking of European medium-sized cities ‘Jugaad Smartness’: The concept of Jugaad is indigenous to India.