Partha Mukhopadhyay
Centre for Policy Research
Organised by
Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH)
Abstract:
Recently, India’s urbanisation has been characterised as “messy”. At various times, it has been described as unplanned and chaotic. In this context, this talk will primarily engage with two questions. First, it asks if Indian cities are urban — are they urban in all dimensions, economic, social, political, and spatial? Second — and without prejudice to the answer to the first question and stipulating that an urbanisation process is underway — it asks what does it mean to say that Indian urbanisation is messy, that it is a thoughtless, unplanned sprawl? Is there another way of looking at the urbanisation process? Drawing upon multiple qualitative, quantitative, and spatial data sources, this talk will argue first, that in many respects, Indian cities may not yet be urban. Further, the apparent messiness is the result of shortcomings in the public response to relatively normal and predictable individual actions. Consequently, we need to discuss how the public response can be improved rather than adopt punitive measures that penalise rational individual behaviour.
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 03:45 P.M.
Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)
Location:
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Centre for Policy Research
Organised by
Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH)
Abstract:
Recently, India’s urbanisation has been characterised as “messy”. At various times, it has been described as unplanned and chaotic. In this context, this talk will primarily engage with two questions. First, it asks if Indian cities are urban — are they urban in all dimensions, economic, social, political, and spatial? Second — and without prejudice to the answer to the first question and stipulating that an urbanisation process is underway — it asks what does it mean to say that Indian urbanisation is messy, that it is a thoughtless, unplanned sprawl? Is there another way of looking at the urbanisation process? Drawing upon multiple qualitative, quantitative, and spatial data sources, this talk will argue first, that in many respects, Indian cities may not yet be urban. Further, the apparent messiness is the result of shortcomings in the public response to relatively normal and predictable individual actions. Consequently, we need to discuss how the public response can be improved rather than adopt punitive measures that penalise rational individual behaviour.
Date: December 31, 2019
Time: 03:45 P.M.
Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)
Location:
View Larger Map