Facets Of Urbanisation

This book is the result of an international conference organized by the Commission on Urban Anthropology, the Commission on Human Rights of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) and the Department of Anthropology of West Bengal State University, in collaboration with the Anthropological Survey of India, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, the Indian Council of Social Science Research, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Indian Museum, ...

Papers presented at the 11th Asian Urbanization Conference, held at Osmania University during 10-13 December 2011.

First published in 1985, this book reconsiders the whole question of urbanisation and planning in the Third World. It argues that public involvement, which is now an accepted part of Western planning, should be used more in Third World cities. It shows that many inhabitants of Third World cities are migrants from rural areas and have very definite ideas about what the function of the city should be and what it ought to offer; and it goes on to argue that therefore a planning process which involves more public participation would better serve local needs and would do much more to solve problems than the contemporary approach.

Urban areas are integral to India's growth and development, accounting for around two-thirds of the country's GDP. Analysing India's rapidly expanding process of urbanisation, the book identifies the key challenges and opportunities and proposes suitable managerial and policy reforms. It addresses critical issues and puts forth suggestions for better planning financing alternatives and, most importantly, better governance for improved service delivery and affordable housing. Divided thematically into three sections, the volume takes into account the important facets of urbanisation, including the state of urban infrastructure and planning in India with due attention to sustainability, the role of finance in urban development and its dependence on governance, and methods to generate good governance in public institutions, and the impact on housing and climate change.The 11 essays included in this book have been written by leading analysts and practitioners, who propose critical reforms and policy interventions. The volume will be indispensable to students and scholars of urban economics, development studies, urban planning, business practitioners, policymakers as well as the informed general reader.

India’s urban transition has, of late, acquired multiple narratives. It is said to be rapid, moderate, slow, messy, and hidden. What underpins such multiple narratives is the central theme of the study, State of the Cities: India. Making use of an analytical framework that permits an examination of the shifts in the pace and pattern of India’s urbanisation over a period of time, this study takes an in-depth look at the evidence on three of its key dimensions: the demographics, the economy, and the status of infrastructure and the environment. Some of the key questions that this study seeks responses to are: Is India’s in the post-libarlisation period any different? Does it show the effect of the changes in the macroeconomic parameters of the post-1991 period? Is it more or less productive and inclusive and environmentally secure? Is it spatially more equal or unequal? Does it in any way signal an inflection point in India's urban transition? Drawing from the analysis of the evidence comparable over time, the study spotlights several interesting questions: what would, for example, explain the acceleration in the pace of urbanisation under conditions of low economic growth and its moderation under conditions of high economic growth? What factors would explain a fall in the rate of growth in the urban share of gross domestic product (GDP) at such a low level of urbanisation, especially the GDP accruing from the manufacturing sector? This study makes a strong case for evidence-based assessment of India’s urban transition, rather than to continue to commit, as many of us do, to the long-held, but specious narrative that India is in the midst of rapid urbanisation.

The social and economic systems of any country are influenced by a range of factors. As the global population grows in developing nations, it has become essential to examine the effects of urbanization. Urbanization and Its Impact on Socio-Economic Growth in Developing Regions is a pivotal reference source for the latest research findings on the role of urban growth on the socio-economic infrastructures in developing regions. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant areas such as job creation, sustainability, and transportation planning, this publication is an ideal resource for city development planners, decision-makers, researchers, academics, and students interested in emerging perspectives on socio-economic development.