The project was funded by Shakti Foundation. 

India's urban population stands at 377 million. In the next 30 years, another 350 million more people are projected to move to urban areas. From 1951 -2011, India´s urban population increased from 62.4 million to 377.1 million (source: census of India).  This is more than five times the increase in urban population and in fact the majority of the urban population growth happened in the period of 2001-2011, where the urban population increased by 97 million. This is alone more than 30% of the overall urban population increase since 1951. This increase has had a massive influence on the country´s cityscape. This is reflective of the increase of million-plus population cities in the country. The number of million-plus cities has gone up from 35 to 53 over the last decade and it is projected to reach 87 by 2037 (source: Report on Indian Urban Infrastructure and Services: The High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) for estimating the Investment Requirements for Urban Infrastructure Services). A study covering 53, one million-plus population cities have been studied and the same has been published in ISBInsights. The study was conducted in collaboration with Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation.

As a result, Smart Cities Index comprises the following six characteristics, with each of them having their own set of unique factors which is measured by a set of indicators:
 
Characteristics

1. Living: Represents the quality of life and availability of basics services.
2. Governance: Represents the responsiveness of the urban local body and its service quality.
3. People: Represents the level of education and inclusiveness of the residents of a city.
4. Economy: Represents the extent of economic opportunities that a city offers.
5. Mobility:  Represents the ease with which people can move around within the city and can access jobs, and education, etc.
6. Environment: Represents the air quality and the use of sustainable practices.