Globalising at any cost
Indian mega-cities are rushing to provide world-class infrastructure to welcome capital investment. But a close look at the budgets of Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bangalore reveals that the investment in roads, flyovers and telecommunications for the few is at the cost of essential services like water, sanitation and public health for the many
Inclusive mega-cities in globalising Asia
Urban development that is geared to the needs of global capital displaces or excludes poorer segments of the population and leads to the social and spatial segmentation of the mega-city into citadels and ghettos. How can globalising mega-cities be made pro-poor and inclusive?
Consumption and urban India: The poor are only Peeping Toms
The urban vision invoked by the media is of a consumption utopia. What impact does this portrayal of a shining urban India have on city-dwellers who live in slums or on the streets? Surely, by stimulating desires that cannot be fulfilled, marketers are contributing to a revolution of rising expectations?
First cousins: The ties between rural and urban India
At 27.8% of the total population, India's level of urbanisation remains quite low. But that's still 285 million urban citizens, a number that would constitute the fourth-largest nation in the world. To feed these ever-consuming cities electricity, water and natural resources, the habitats of rural India are becoming more and more depleted, forcing further migration into the cities
Growing up: Levels of urbanisation
States with the highest levels of urbanisation are also the states with the highest levels of water and food insecurity
Middle India: Towns versus cities
The big city has been glorified, the small town neglected. But with more than half the urban population of India living in small urban agglomerations, we would do well to shift the focus to smaller townships for a more balanced economic growth
The informal sector and urban poverty
The informal sector accounts for 66.7% of total employment in Delhi and 68% in Mumbai. Workers engaged in this urban informal sector form the bulk of the urban poor
Cities as habitats: Survey of homes in urban India
Only 15% of dwellings in urban slums have drinking water, toilet and electricity within their premises. A quick view of urban habitats
Planning the past: History of India's urban Plans
Despite several government policies, contemporary Indian cities remain civic nightmares
