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This paper explores the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative, a pioneering approach initiated by India to propel sustainable urban development through targeted behavioural change. Positioned at the nexus of individual action and urban sustainability, LiFE underscores the potential of integrating lifestyle adjustments into the broader urban planning and policy-making framework. By examining the initiative's evolution from a grassroots movement to a key element of government policy, this paper highlights its innovative strategies aimed at promoting eco-friendly living and its significant impact on urban environments. Through case studies and an analysis of the initiative's alignment with global sustainability goals, we reveal how LiFE complements existing urban agendas by focusing on the micro-level actions of individuals and communities. This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable urbanization by showcasing the critical role of behavioural change in achieving urban sustainability goals, thereby offering insights into the formulation of more holistic and effective urban policies. Significantly the paper articulates how LiFE's principles, through enhancing global policies and harnessing the power of technological advancements within the Smart Cities agenda, herald a new paradigm in urban sustainability efforts. • The LiFE initiative emphasizes individual behavioral changes over infrastructural reforms to promote urban sustainability. • The concept originated as a grassroots movement in India and has evolved into a significant element of governmental policy on environmental sustainability. • Case studies, such as the eco-village of Piplantri, demonstrate how individual and community actions can significantly contribute to sustainability goals. • LiFE strategically complements Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) and the New Urban Agenda by focusing on micro-level actions that bridge the gap between policy intentions and tangible outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are the physical embodiment of power, capital and state control. Yet urban centres are heterogeneous and multiple counter-cities are created within the bounds of the city – contesting the mainstream logic of capital accumulation and hierarchical relationships of power. While one may first envision counter-cities as large sites of protest and consciously alternative communities, everyday counter-cities are also possible. This article combines three theories to develop a framework of everyday counter-cities, drawing together subaltern urbanism, prefiguration and reciprocal relations of care. This paper uses this framework to analyse qualitative research conducted with communities in two informal settlements of migrant communities in Kolkata to explain how these seemingly ordinary places form counter-cities. This paper draws on these examples to argue that a counter-city founded on an ethos of care and anticipatory action for the future is possible, even within situations of high income disparity and inequality. • Everyday subaltern communities create counter-cities based on hope and care. • A counter-city illustrates reciprocal care, prefiguration and subaltern urbanism. • A counter-city represents the intersection of social relations, space and temporality. • Migrant communities in Kolkata are ostracised but resist the label of 'slums' of despair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that sustainable Smart Cities cannot be delivered by profit-driven visions, but through a process that integrates the diverse aptitudes and needs of the city stakeholders. The study uses mixed methods to examine democratic participation in governance and the emerging notion of Smart City Citizenship in the context of India. Benchmarking and assessment of 21 smart cities reveals the existing participatory processes being "tokenistic" and a substantial deficit in democratic stakeholder participation mechanisms. A deeper assessment in Kochi and Nagpur exposes the existing barriers to citizen participation and reveals that the capacities of capable stakeholders and citizen groups can be channelised more effectively. This study promotes advancing the notion of 'citizenship' beyond the market to the commons. It suggests transforming urban governance into a more accountable and collaborative governance model with a stronger role and power to local government, residents, and democratic stakeholders. • Benchmarking and assessment of 21 smart cities and case studies of Kochi and Nagpur reveal that the existing participatory processes being "tokenistic" and a substantial deficit in democratic stakeholder participation mechanisms • The cities need to break the barriers of bureaucracy, corruption, marketisation, and capacity limitations. • This study promotes advancing the notion of 'citizenship' beyond the market to the commons. • The study suggests transforming urban governance into a more accountable and collaborative governance model with a stronger role and power to local government, residents, and democratic stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present contribution analyses the Smart City Mission launched in the year 2015 in India from an institutional perspective and examines how it is mobilized for coordinated action. Relying on theoretical guidance provided by Ostrom's (2005) 'Institutional Analysis and Development' (IAD) framework and González-Arellano's (2022) and Scott's (2008) formulation of 'Institutional Construction of Futures of Cities', we analyse a corpus of empirical data to suggest that SC has historical precedents in the way it is institutionalized. Further, to substantiate our findings, a structured literature review of empirical contributions (34 nos.) within the SCOPUS database is undertaken. In conceptual terms, the anticipatory praxis of Smart City Mission leverages the institutional structure of doing flagship programmes and a cultural-cognitive affirmation of neutrality in data-driven governance. The initiative blurs the political city as the action arenas of structuring SC initiatives at the local levels lack operational rules to construct desired outcomes. The paper argues for a need to make the action-to-outcome linkage legible and endow agency to participants to act and control the outcomes by framing collective choice rules. Strengthening action arenas at the city level emboldens the capacity to envision collaborative futures and bridge the gap between anticipation and experience. • The flagship architecture inscribes longstanding socio-spatial inequalities and constrains the collective agency • Smart City Mission blurs the political city at the local levels due to lack of action-outcome linkages • Disproportionate power is vested with the process holders (bureaucrats/consultants) to delineate Smart City outcomes • Smart City Mission valorizes neoliberal ethos and a strong centralized state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We focus on two questions in this paper. First, are Indian cities suburbanizing or is their growth compact? Second, what explains the differences in suburbanization or compact growth across cities and regions? We answer these questions using granular, grid-level data from the Global Human Settlements Layer. We take three approaches to understanding the evolution of urban form. First, we explain changes in population density based on concentric rings around the city centre for 100 cities in India. Second, we use these same data to estimate population density gradients in 1975 and 2015. Finally, we use regressions to test hypotheses about relationships between city characteristics and the density gradient. We find that although cities in India densified within their 1975 city limits, they also expanded outward. We find the negative exponential density function is useful for studying urban form in India. South Indian cities and those in urbanized states sprawled more than their northern and less urbanized counterparts. Both the social conditions of central cities such as the literacy rate and the historical pattern of population suburbanization are statistically significantly associated with suburbanization. This suggests the need for greater investment in public infrastructure in central cities to support compact urban growth. • We use satellite data from the Global Human Settlements Layer for 100 Indian cities. • It is pioneering research on the spatial distribution of population in Indian cities. • The negative exponential density function is useful for studying urban form in India. • Cities in south India and the urbanized states sprawl more. • Literacy rates and the historical pattern of cities are associated with sprawl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the age of globalization, urban centers, including those in India, are competing with each other to attract business. Arguably, some cities are endowed with a high quality of infrastructure compared to others. In this context, the paper explores the role played by infrastructural development in ensuring attractiveness of cities in India from the standpoint of conducting business. It examines the various aspects of development of infrastructure within a city, including the importance of socioeconomic and environmental issues. The paper presents a strategic model to tackle the problems associated with urban development in India, concluding with a few policy implications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Performance of cities is fundamental in growing the local economy by exploiting the opportunities for development and enhancing competitiveness. Cities engage in regeneration and business strategies linked to the property sector to advance their competitiveness. In this paper, a hierarchical model for city competitiveness linked to regeneration and business strategies is applied to five cities with different economic profile in India. The capacity of the model to evaluate the competitive performance of cities in emerging economies is assessed across three levels – cities, six operational components and 32 identified factors. The paper draws inferences concerning the linkages across regeneration strategies and property-led business strategies to advance the competitiveness of cities in India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract The increasing dependence on street vending as a source of livelihood for people across urban spaces in countries like Cambodia and India continues to promote exciting areas of research in social sciences. Our study captures the narratives of street vendors (seen as the 'invisible' entrepreneurs), working in markets across Delhi (India) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and analyzes the inventory logistics of products sold by them, thereby, reflecting the complex nature of an inter-twined, existential relationship between what's classified as 'informal' and 'formal' in urban economies. The mutual interdependence seen in the governing dynamics of economic exchange (for example, in selling commodities and services across identified markets in Phnom Penh and Delhi), argues for a need to inclusively study urban ecosystems while addressing the needs of street vendors. This paper does so by incorporating ethnographic methods with a specific reference to street vending (as a commercial urban activity). Further, we emphasize on an epistemic need to cross-fertilize thought(s) and method(s) across social science disciplines to produce more of such urban narratives, exploring the inter-twined relationship between the 'informal' and 'formal' aspects of urban ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract From 2007 onwards, Indian policy planning follows the broad vision of achieving inclusive growth. All sectors of national development align their policy objectives towards this overall vision. Urban policy is one such crucial policy sector oversees by the Ministry of urban development. This paper analyses the urban policy and investigates its impact in achieving inclusive urban growth in India. The traditional methodology of analysing urban policy by utility or output has its own limitations. It only considers summary variables of policy (utility or benefits) but not the situational variation on ground. Further, it cannot quantify the precise time of the change in opportunities or ability occurred over time. So it cannot inform the moment when a policy achieves its objectives. The research employs human capability instead of utility to overcome the present limitations. The analysis methodology is adapted from Professor Amartya Sen's capability approach. Capability approach emphasises a shift in policy analysis from direct assistance to expansion of opportunities and eliminate circumstantial imperfection in governance. The approach aims towards empowering urban citizen, and advancement towards the direction of more self-reliance society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The concept of “healthy city” promotes the physical, mental, social, and environmental well-being of people who live and work in urban areas. Fostering sustainably healthy cities is the prime objective of the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) in India. However, attaining this goal requires establishing priorities, key concerns, strategies and guidelines for action. This paper aims to assist policymakers by providing critical insights into the health and living conditions in selected major cities in India, with special emphasis on slums. This paper presents evidence that many of India’s major cities face significant deficits in the provision of basic amenities, including shelter, safe drinking water, improved sanitation and electricity. Demographic and health conditions in these cities lag far behind the goals set forth in national policies almost a decade ago. Despite the apparent proximity of city dwellers to urban health facilities, less than one third of the urbanites in India utilize government health facilities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article addresses issues of the development of transport systems taking its examples from Delhi and Stockholm. The introduction of the first bus rapid transport corridor in Delhi and the congestion tax in Stockholm is presented and discussed in terms of modernisation and sustainable transport. This paper explores the perceptions of politicians and examines some transport plans in the search for the driving forces for transport policies. The continuing presence of a high proportion of non-motorised modes of transport and use of public transport in Delhi over the past 50years gives it a greater political opportunity for creating a more inclusive city than Stockholm. Whereas, in Stockholm, awareness of the influence of emissions on climate change makes the inhabitants more inclined to accept fees for the use of city streets where sustainable transport and modernisation of transport systems are seen as key activities, but are perceived and operationalised differently in Delhi and Stockholm. Despite all the differences, some similarities in the development of their urban transport projects have been found. This paper inquires into the planning and operationalisation of transport modernisation and the politics of sustainable transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Lefebvre's analysis, urbanisation is not only an expansion of urban footprint but, in a broader sense, the radical socio-spatial transformation of society. The cultural setting and its physical manifestation creating distinctive identities within a city are transformed by rapid urbanisation and gentrification. The effects will be analysed in three terms of simultaneous sociocultural-spatial changes; cultural displacement, physical transformation of neighbourhoods, and change in cultural identities. The paper intends to hypothesise whether cultural displacement and altering cultural identities by gentrification and rapid urbanisation will signify gentrified homogenised cities in the future. The paper investigates aspects of multiculturalism and inter-culturalism to mitigate the challenges in sustaining multicultural places in cities. It tries to find the complementary approach of both to generate harmonious multicultural diversities and socio-economic sustainability, keeping the cultural identities intact. One of the examples of rapid urbanisation and gentrification challenging multicultural aspects and altering cultural identities lies in the core of the cultural capital of India, Kolkata in Tangra, Chinatown. The cultural identity of India's only existing Chinatown is changing from 2 to 3 storey live-work based multicultural communities to 30 floors high-rise homogenous gentrified enclaves displacing the diverse cultural communities from the core of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the economic determinants of female-owned proprietorships for 52 metro cities in India. The National Sample Survey (NSS) unit-level data are used for the analysis. The descriptive results show that women's proprietorship is much lower than its counterpart. The Probit regression results at the individual level show that women entrepreneurs do not have a bank account or computer but use the internet, are not registered under any act or authority, and do not expand considerably. They operate within household premises with a limited number of months and duration of a day, undertaking mainly contract basis. They also face several problems that hinder their activities. City-level factors such as work participation rate, consumption expenditure, higher levels of general and technical degrees, and vocational training are essential. The likelihood of becoming a female entrepreneur is negatively impacted by the two agglomeration variables of population size and participation in mixed activity. City-level poverty and inequality also adversely affect it. State-level Human Development Index, Gender Development Index, and Gender Inequality Index are also significant. Finally, we propose important policies to enable the city environment to improve women's entrepreneurship activities for higher and sustainable economic development. • Female-owned entrepreneurship (FOE) is essential for sustainable and inclusive economic growth in developing countries. • The agglomeration size, unequal economic distribution, and less female-friendly society discourage becoming FOE. • Knowledge spillovers, labour pooling, availability of public services, and infrastructure encourage FOE. • Cities need to increase investment, employment, level of education, and delivery of public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the assumption that redevelopment of slum settlements results in improved housing quality, by conducting a longitudinal study of an in-situ redevelopment policy in Ahmedabad, India. Under an in-situ redevelopment policy, apartment-style housing is built on the same site of original slum settlements. This paper examines housing quality in the same settlement, pre- and post-redevelopment, in comparison to a wait-listed slum that did not undergo redevelopment, to ascertain redevelopment impact on housing quality. It further compares housing quality of a resettled community at two time periods, 2.5- and 8.5-years post-redevelopment to determine durability of housing quality changes over medium-term. I use a mixed-methods protocol employing a standardized observer-based housing quality assessment tool with subscales, to identify specific aspects of housing quality that improved/deteriorated and gathered qualitative data from interviews and focus groups. The analyses reveal an improvement in overall housing conditions post-redevelopment, in the short term, though this improvement is not uniform across subscales. However, this improvement does not sustain as redeveloped settlement shows severe levels of deterioration over mid-term. The qualitative findings suggest that in redeveloped settlements, residents feel a diminished sense of control and ownership that precludes them from investing in structural improvements and maintenance of settlements. • In-situ slum redevelopment improves overall housing quality but basic services and crowding need further improvement. • Housing issues of structural quality, cleanliness and maintenance increase over medium-term in redeveloped settlements. • Mid- and long-term impact assessments of redevelopment policies are critical to identify sustainable housing solutions. • Comprehensive housing quality appraisals need to include quantitative and qualitative accounts to evaluate efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of slums or informal settlements is common to most cities of developing countries. In India, slums contain a wealth of diversity that is masked by a high level of poverty and rather insufficient access to resources. Recent studies have identified that the conventional perception of slums as distinctive homogeneous settlements is incorrect, rather slums are diverse and complex systems that cannot be addressed through one-size fits all approaches. In this paper we investigate Tilly's theory on group segregation and how it reproduces or reinforces inequality within the slums of Bengaluru. We apply statistical techniques (correspondence analysis and regression) to novel field data from 37 slums in Bengaluru. First, we find high levels of spatial and group segregation by religion across the slums of Bengaluru. Second, we find that segregation leads to opportunity bias among slum dwellers, which inhibits equitable access to jobs in the labour market. Finally, the results show that insufficient access to resources constrain the income generation and leads to emerging coping strategies. The results indicate that group identity is key to addressing disparity and how solving inequality can drastically impact group identity. Our results show that targeting horizontal inequality (as compared to vertical inequality ) may increase the rate of successful interventions for each of the segregated groups of slum dwellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the growth of census towns in India's Capital Region because the unregulated growth of census towns has been the key feature of recent urbanization in India. The article first examines the population and municipal status dynamics, location and economic characteristics of census towns as well as their migratory and commuting patterns. The status and costs of providing basic amenities and social infrastructure are then analyzed. The paper emphasizes the contribution of contemporary theories that explain the growth of census towns and the role of secondary and primary data in capturing their characteristics. Taking advantage of the economic potential of India's urbanization as census towns will require the following: (i) the enforcement of reforms to empower Gram Panchayat for spatial planning and growth regulation; (ii) the discontinuation of subsidized infrastructure provision and charging development tax; and (iii) investment in decentralized infrastructure for more accountable and more efficient delivery of basic amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on housing provision in the context of Indian New Town policy (with special emphasis on new towns such as Rajarhat and Navi Mumbai) and the upsurge of the middle-income group (MIG) and its access to housing. It argues that alternative schemes for housing the growing middle income population should be promoted and—if planned inclusively—new towns can contribute to solving the housing crisis. New policies for housing the middle income groups (such as “Pradhan Mantry Awas Yojna”) are unlikely to affect MIG housing, as in spite of the subsidies offered, the market price of housing stock continues to be beyond the reach of the MIG. Unless policy measures to boost the housing stock for MIG is formulated while controlling the pricing and incentivising the developers, it is unlikely that gaps in terms of demand would reduce substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An urban shelter is designed to offer refuge to homeless people and access to basic services like drinking water, sanitation and safety. This research paper aims to critically appraise condition of such shelters, vis-à-vis common services mandated to be provided at each shelter by the Supreme Court of India. A survey of shelters was conducted in four cities of Uttar Pradesh (viz., Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Agra) spanning a sample of 426 shelter-inmates. Analysis has been done in two stages: evaluation of common services on the basis of their significance as perceived by inhabitants, and assessment of significant services to check their availability and functionality. Factor analysis has clubbed nineteen such services under five factors (named as: entitlement to schemes, hygiene & recreation, cooking support system, ambience, and drinking water & conservancy). Findings reveal large scale unavailability of services and bring to light the appalling condition of shelters in the cities surveyed. This study may be useful in framing a focused policy for providing shelters to homeless people in urban areas by identifying services considered significant by inmates and ensuring availability of such services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration is often presented as a threat to national sovereignty and state security. It is time to formulate an alternative discourse - Urbanisation leading to migration (internal) and security threats in the state. 'Hyper-Urbanisation' in the form of 'Smart Cities' which involves rapid infrastructural development, and advanced capital investments occasionally becomes drivers for a threat to security. It is essential to look at the relation between Urbanisation and Migration from a security point of view. Urbanisation often leads to the exclusion of the village communities from the national mainstream development program. The exclusion and politicisation of migrants on the religious and political grounds causes resentment, making them anti-establishment. This paper aims to look at the relationship between urbanisation and internal migration and the challenges of health, education, employment, lack of natural resources and security threat. The paper discusses the two theories of Culture of Poverty theory and Social Disorganization theory and elaborates about the challenges that migrants face in the urban spaces causing denial of integration. • It is a commentary on the Smart City project of India. • Highlights the consequences of Hyper Urbanisation • Points out at problems like internal migration, quality of life, security threats • The certain recommendation in the context of the Indian case • Move from Smart city to Smart Villages [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jaipur is the tenth largest metropolitan region in India, grown to be a popular tourist destination and a centre of business, commerce, and education. It has been the central focus of the state governments' visioning strategies by virtue of it being an urban heritage and the capital of state of Rajasthan, hence the efforts have been made to develop it into the ‘world-class’ city. After the inclusion of Jaipur City in the Smart City Program, the city is expected to undergo massive urban restructuring. This paper presents an outline of the history and planning of Jaipur, followed by an exploration of emerging urban and infrastructural challenges with a focus on management and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper revisits the City Profile for Delhi, the first article ever published in Cities in 1983 (Datta, 1983). Thirty years later and following the centennial anniversary year of Delhi’s establishment as the capital of India in 2012, this article makes a wide-ranging survey of Delhi in the administrative, socio-economic and environmental arenas. By tracing the history of urban planning in the city to the present and examining the issues facing Delhi, we then critically examine its institutional arrangements with respect to the outcomes of recent developments that have occurred in the city. These aspects are then evaluated in the context of the future development of the city; a city which still faces numerous local challenges but also houses the government of an emerging superpower that will play an increasing role both regionally and globally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In urban India, slum policies have become increasingly reliant on the market and on local ‘self-help’ agencies, a trend in step with the neoliberal turn across the developing world. The emphasis on local solutions is particularly interesting because the challenge of urban slums is now widely acknowledged to be one of global proportions. This paper examines the impact of this changing institutional environment on slum rehabilitation efforts in Mumbai. It provides an overview of Mumbai’s slums and slum policies and it presents a case study of a rehabilitation project in Ganesh Nagar D, a small community in the southern part of the city. While the case of Ganesh Nagar D appears a striking success, it is shown that it was only in part based in new policy schemes and that it in fact violated some of the main tenets of neoliberal policies. It is concluded that some new opportunities for rehabilitation strategies have arisen but that the fundamental conditions of neoliberalism in urban India are unlikely to be conducive to large-scale successes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in India and is branded as ‘Silicon Valley of India’ for heralding and spearheading the growth of Information Technology (IT) based industries in the country. With the advent and growth of IT industry, as well as numerous industries in other sectors and the onset of economic liberalisation since the early 1990s, Bangalore has taken lead in service-based industries fuelling substantial growth of the city both economically and spatially. Bangalore has become a cosmopolitan city attracting people and business alike, within and across nations. This profile notes the urban setting and provides an overview of the urban fabric, while discussing various prospects related to infrastructure and governance. This paper also outlines the challenges in planning to ensure better delivery of basic services across the city. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines the process of restructuring taking place in metropolitan cities in India. The opening up of the Indian economy since 1991 has brought much change in large cities. Both local and global agencies have played a role but with considerable variation in different states of the country. Taking the case of Bangalore (Karnataka) and Kolkata (West Bengal), the objective of this paper is to examine these agencies and their impacts on the cities’ growth policies. As an early leader of the reform process, Karnataka state and Bangalore, its capital, provide a contrast to West Bengal and its capital, Kolkata. The sub-national comparative study undertaken here could have wider applicability to other large developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mumbai, the sixth largest metropolitan region in the world and largest city in India, is a complex poly-nuclear agglomeration that exhibits a socio-spatial fabric characterised by a (con)fusion of First and Third World urban environments. Metropolitan complexity has developed over the past two centuries as the city has engaged with processes of transition from colonial to post-colonial, industrial to post-industrial, and from local–regional to national–international status. This paper identifies the key forces and processes underlying Mumbai’s development from a colonial port-city to a present-day mega-urban region, and assesses the economic, social and environmental challenges that confront the city as it strives to attain its goal of joining the roster of globally important cities in the early 21st century. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Government of India launched the Good Urban Governance Campaign in September 2001. It is now being launched in the States and at local levels, with discussions envisaged among the local bodies, civil society, service providers and other stakeholders. The campaign proposes that good urban governance is characterized by principles of sustainability, subsidiarity of authority, equity of access to decision-making processes, efficiency in the delivery of public services, transparency and accountability of decision-making, civic engagement and citizenship, and individual security. The paper reports on the challenges facing the development of the partnerships necessary to the accomplishment of these goals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

What constructs are used to characterize public space? This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions of public space, using data from Visakhapatnam (usually referred to as “Vizag”), India—a city of 1.3 million people on the Bay of Bengal. Extensive interviews, 37 in number, were conducted, using composite group sampling. The sample was drawn from all socioeconomic levels of employees, managers, and associates, at a large industrial plant. The interview schedules contained open-ended questions eliciting residents’ perceptions of public space, and their demographics. Qualitative analyses and quantitative tabulations were carried out. Conceptualizing sense of place in terms of the distinguishing features of the urban environment, a comparison was made between the perception of public space in Vizag and in Western developed countries. The research indicates that lower socioeconomic status people have as complex a conception of public space as do those of high socioeconomic status, provided that the interview schedule is designed to elicit these data. Residents differentiated areas by socioeconomic status, and by land use, i.e., industrial, commercial, and residential. Preeminent concerns—with pollution, crowding, health, and religion—represent much of what is psychologically salient about public space in Vizag. These findings are in contrast with the salient characteristics of public space in Western cities, as found by prior research. We believe that these findings have policy implications for urban planners and leaders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper focuses on the transitional peripheral zone of a large Indian metropolis, and the inability of the public sector (i.e. urban local governments) there to provide the array of services necessary for the maintenance of a satisfactory quality of life due to the rapidity of population growth. This is explored in the specific context of waste management. Using a series of photographs, the problems in the peri-urban setting are revealed. The response of civil society organizations is illustrated in efforts to take control of this problem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Delhi is experiencing the highest population growth rate among mega cities in India. By 2021 its population is projected to be around 27 million. The consequence of rapid increase in population and the changing socio-economic pattern in Delhi has resulted in an acute shortage of housing and related infrastructure especially for the poor and low-income households. Nearly half the population however lives in conditions of miserable poverty, crammed into overcrowded slums and hutment. Delhi’s informal housing is a reflection of a poor and inappropriate urban planning system, with a lack of public investment and restriction in the formal land and housing market. This paper reviews the housing delivery system and the problems associated with the housing delivery system in Delhi and presents a broad guideline for policy makers to improve the housing delivery system in Delhi. It was found that to improve the housing delivery system of Delhi multiple sectoral approaches are required. The study demonstrates that the informal housing sector and its quality can be improved and transformed into formal housing by improving the essential infrastructure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Non-motorized transport is an integral element of urban transport in Indian cities. More than 50% of the city residents cannot afford any other mode of transport unless heavily subsidized. Therefore, non-motorized transport has to be given equal priority in designing the urban infrastructure. This paper uses Delhi, India as a case study to indicate that the existing urban transport infrastructure in cities does not meet the needs of a large number of city residents who remain outside the formal planning process. This leads to sub-optimal conditions for all modes of transport. An efficient bus system cannot be designed without taking care of the slow vehicles (non-motorized vehicles, NMVs) on the road. Since sustainable transport systems in Indian cities demand the movement of large number of people by bus transport and NMVs, planning for the latter is indispensable. Planning for non-motorized transport and integrating it with the other modes of city transport is a prerequisite for creating sustainable transport systems, thus leading to sustainable cities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper revisits the potential of urban cycle models to investigate the current challenges of urbanisation in India. It contributes not only by empirically examining the past, current and future trend of urban development, but also by predicting the demand for social infrastructure for sustainably accommodating the predicted growth. Using a non-spatial model, rapid growth is predicted in small cities in developed regions and in intermediate cities in developing regions. The adopted spatial model suggests a decline of megacity cores, but the growth of million-plus city cores and respective peripheries should be anticipated. Socio-economic factors are helpful for understanding the growth of million-plus city cores and megacity suburbs. In those cities predicted to grow, the provision of health and education infrastructure will be below the government norms. Given the data constraints, rapid growth and institutional constraints, this research develops and implements an analytical approach, thereby enhancing understanding of spatial development and elucidating the policy reforms needed to reduce the spatial disparities in India. This approach is transferable to the regions of the Global South facing similar constraints. • Urban cycle models are revisited to establish urbanisation stages in India. • Growth of small and intermediate-size cities is predicted. • Megacities core will decline and million-plus cities core will grow. • Provision of health and educational infrastructure is inadequate in cities. • Policy reforms for reducing spatial disparities in the Global South are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urbanisation process in the Global South is characterised by the blurring of the boundaries between urban and rural areas and the lack of institutional capacity, which have made the process highly unsustainable. In India, an example of such development is the rapid growth of "census towns". These settlements are not acknowledged as urban by the state, but they play an important role in accommodating population growth. This paper aims to elucidate and understand the process and characteristics of Indian urbanisation better in light of relevant theoretical discourses by using a mix of statistical analysis and field survey. It argues for moving from traditional master planning, which originated from the Global North to a more participatory and strategic approach in order to achieve infrastructure integrated development. • Contemporary theories are validated on census towns growth in India. • Mixed-methods approach helps uncover important characteristics of urbanisation. • Census towns are unplanned developments, but are crucial for Indian urbanisation. • A move from master planning to participatory strategic planning is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a need for a closer understanding of transitions in periurban contexts. • There is a difference in North-South experience of Periurbanization. • Periubanization is better understood as concept and process rather than spatially. • Policy prescription for periurban spaces must pay heed to the implication of the periurban nature of the context. This paper reviews efforts at defining, conceptualizing and demarcating the periurban. We draw on different perspectives in conceptualizing and defining the periurban, employing a combination of primary data and a review of the global literature on periurban processes. The primary data is a result of longitudinal research following an empirically – inductive approach to arrive at this understanding of a periurban space and dynamics. The literature on the experience of periurbanization in India and other cities around the globe has been drawn upon; we look at different approaches and methods used to delineate, define and characterize periurban spaces as well as to address the governance and natural resource management challenges confronted by them. The limitations of these approaches are described. We conclude by making a case for a deeper understanding of the processes of transition underway in periurban contexts. These should inform approaches to policy and interventions, as well as shape efforts at theorizing about the periurban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]