Heritage Intelligence and the Limits of Smart Urbanism: Society, Heritage Landscapes, and Sustainable Urban Futures in the City of Srinagar, India

This works looks at the challenges of smart urbanism in Srinagar, India, a heritage city shaped by the Jhelum River and its lakes flanked by mountain ranges. It presents heritage intelligence, the adaptable wisdom found in local architecture, rituals, and community governance, as a key alternative for sustainable urban development. Using critical heritage theory, the study argues that current smart city models focus on data efficiency instead of the social, sacred, ecological knowledge and heritage landscapes that are vital for the city's resilience. Through qualitative methods and a thorough review of the Srinagar Master Plan 2035, the research examines sites like Shehr-e-Khaas, Mughal gardens, Craft centers, markets, historic bridges, etc. It introduces a new framework of relational metrics, including apprenticeship retention and ritual continuity, to assess “slow variables” that are often missed by computational dashboards. The analysis shows that while smart initiatives emphasize visual infrastructure, they frequently overlook the “heritage justice” needed to protect the living practices of locals, craftsmen and lake dwellers. Ultimately, the study supports a heritage-smart approach that integrates memory and social trust into urban governance, redefining intelligence as the ability to remember, adapt, and care.