India's Reluctant Urbanization

"Given the expected scale of the urban transformation in India over the next few years and the time span within which this will occur, this study presents a crucial analysis of the challenges facing 'urban' India. Through a close examination of India's policies, economic system, social systems and politics, it explores the numerous perspectives and debates on India's urbanization.The book attempts to disaggregate the overall macro 'picture' of increased urbanization painted in recent policy discourses to understand where it is happening, what the drivers/forces are - local, regional, national and international, the dividends and perils of urbanization, actors/stakeholders and their engagement with 'urban' at various levels - from grass root level to overall city level, and the future of urbanization. The authors link contemporary urban issues with emerging challenges associated with policies and city management, matters which are yet to attract sufficient attention in public discourse. They present the alternative paradigms and 'innovative' responses that have emerged to deal with challenges of 'reluctant' urbanization, which often work on the boundaries of 'formal' systems. The findings identify overlapping and intertwined areas for possible action, although the objective of the book is not to be prescriptive of any particular strategy of paradigm, but rather survey the potential options for the future development.India's Reluctant Urbanization is essential reading for scholars and researchers of urban economics and those interested in development economics and in particular India's economy"—