smart is not a word that even the denizens of the capital usually associate with their favourite city that still retains that quaint laidback victorian look in many ways it presents a quieter alternative to the busy and buzzling kochiall the same with its green initiatives urban governance policies and planning thiruvananthapuram has been making big strides yet offering better quality of life to its residents its then no wonder that keralas capital has topped the list of 30 cities that have been chosen by the central government under its smart cities missionthe selection comes with its set of development proposals that has got the folks in the city excited we caught up with a few prominent individuals to know about the concerns and expectations that come with the upgradethe people should look trendy too neeraja raman kutty fashion designerkeralas capital has a low profile when it comes to fashion compared with kochi the residents are still not trendy with the metro city tag let this project also usher in a change in that regard and make swift steps in amping up our fashion quotient of late theres been some change in the dressing styles of people with many ditching the usual churidars and sarees for western wear such as maxi tops if the smart city project plans to redefine our city then the fashion concepts will also changewe need a smart city without sacrificing the heritagemg sasibhooshan historianthiruvananthapuram is among the select cities in south india that are over a century old and hence the city has a rich cultural heritage the 1000yearold kanthalloor shala in valiyasala is one of the oldest educational institutions in the country and the city has so many other places such as the sri padmanabhaswamy temple that holds great cultural significance so i would like the smart proposals to be framed for the betterment of the city by not sacrificing the heritage and beauty it should not end up like bengaluru which lost its rich heritage en route to developmenta transgenderfriendly city is a smarter city shyama s first recipient of kerala governments transgender scholarshipwhile drafting the smart city proposal the city corporation had also taken into account our communitys requirements and steps for our welfare we also wish the authorities take necessary steps to eliminate the social stigma of trans community and make the public more accepting we also want to be in the mainstream to earn our livelihood with dignity as part of this if they enrol us in contractbased vacancies in the smart city projects it would be a laudable initiativea safe and secure city for women should be the aim amrita ramachandran school teacherlet this project also envisage policies to ensure safety of women including her freedom of movement during day and night being smart also means making employment opportunities available to the youth of the city we also look forward to good transportation facilities like the kochi metro and the roads too should be wellmaintainedgarbage disposal is the need