Urbanizing India : Challenges and Response

Contents: Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgement. 1. Introduction. 2. Understanding urbanization. 3. Urban growth. 4. Migration and urbanization. 5. Growing slums. 6. Street children. 7. Urban poverty. 8. Urbanization, economy and globalization. 9. Urban infrastructure. 10. Urban housing. 11. Urban traffic and transportation. 12. Urbanization and environment. 13. Water and sanitation. 14. Urbanization and health. 15. Policies and programmes. 16. Forging ahead. Bibliography.

"Urbanization has been by far the most important social change in India since early 90\'s. India\'s urban sector is commonly described as demographically large, economically important, but socially deficient. Urbanization in India is accompanied by a number of challenges arising from population concentration in metropolitan cities; rapid growth of slums and overcrowding has been causing shortage of basic needs. Urban poverty is unquestionably an important and growing problem in many developing countries. A typical classification, stratification and lifestyles are also among the evident impacts of urbanization.

It is debatable whether this urbanization is an index of development or it is something undesirable. Shall we welcome this trend of rapid urbanization in India? There is clear evidence that urbanization can play a positive role in social and economic development. The statistical association between urbanization and economic growth has been historically strong. On the other hand, in many cities in both the developed and the developing world, economic growth has not resulted in prosperity, rather posed several challenges before the nations. Intra-city inequalities have led to widening the gap between rich and poor. Considering the rapidly changing demographic situation in terms of urbanization, a sense of urgency has to permeate efforts to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the urban transition. It is also being realized that no single set of policies can meet all the challenges of an urban future. This book presents a comprehensive examination of the trends and consequences of urbanization in India. Apart from delineating various critical issues about rapid urbanization, it also discusses the response, particularly in terms of development programmes and policies to address those issues." (jacket)