The Rabin Square ecological pool in Tel Aviv. Photo: Ron Henzel via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The city of Tel Aviv on Monday announced a collaboration with India to create “smart cities” that will use innovative digital resources and systems to improve urban areas.

The Delivering Change Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, will be mentored and trained by Israeli representatives from the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo to employ Israeli ingenuity in the Indian cities of Pune, Nagpur, and Nashik in the northwestern state of Maharashtra, an Indian municipal spokeswoman told The Jerusalem Post.

Indian cities will be set up to use Tel Aviv’s DigiTel pass, through which citizens can pay water and municipal tax bills, order parking permits, and send photos of potholes or broken park benches to the municipal complaint line; citywide WiFi; digital city services; and GPS-based smartphone apps.

“In recent years, Tel Aviv has managed to become one of the world’s leading smart cities, thanks to innovation, resident engagement, and ‘out of the box’ thinking,” said Hila Oren, CEO and founder of Tel Aviv Global.