Urbanizing India
Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space
(April 26 – 27, 2015, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Delhi)
My government is conscious of the fact that our urban infrastructure is under severe stress. Soon, 50 per cent of our population would be residing in urban areas. Taking urbanization as an opportunity rather than a challenge, the government will build 100 Cities focussed on specialized domains and equipped with world class amenities. Integrated infrastructure will be rolled out in model towns to focus on cleanliness and sanitation. By the time the nation completes 75 years of its Independence, every family will have a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities, 24x7 electricity supply and access.
Pranab Mukherjee, address to Parliament on June 9, 2014
(Hindi Programme is attached)
Dear Friends,
Urbanisation has been declared as the future of India. India is no more a country of villages. Our villages are dying and rotting. But are our cities flourishing, alive and kicking ? Cities are seen as the hope and harbinger of success and the glitz and glamour keeps attracting millions every year.Cities continue to promise future, alternatives to rural drudgery, multiple livelihood opportunities and so on. However, the process of urbanisation has not received the necessary attention as villages did post-independence. As a result, many of our cities had unintended and unplanned growth, barring few exceptions.
The idea of self-reliant villages and village republics gave a model for people and planners to work with in the early years of independence. This to some extent marked neglect of focus and emphasis on the city development. Today, though the situation is different. The imagination and perception of cities amongst those migrating to them is different. The distinction between the urban and rural is not that stark and with the enhanced means of transport and communication, the mobility of people have increased.
Cities are no more the final stages in development of a society but one of the stages, as rapid urbanisation takes roots. Thisnecessitates a greater engagement from its denizens, policy planners, and government. There is acceptance and greater emphasis on the urbanisation process but does that lead to a paradigm shift in the approach to the unplanned and unintended growth of the cities. UPA government launched JawaharLal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and now NarendraModi government is aiming at building nearly 500 smart cities. These cities, some new and some upgrade of the older ones envision a city where the citizens will have access to services and will have abundance too, unlike the current cities which are under severe resource crunch in all dimensions. It's too many people fighting to access the limited resources and services available. On the face of it the smart city seems like an idea whose idea has come and there is a greater demand of it, but what happens to an idea that cities are open, welcoming and free for anyone, irrespective of class, creed and caste is welcome to come, settle down and living.
Institute for Democracy and Sustainability (IDS) and National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM) have been researching and organising around the issue of democratic and equitable space keeping in mind the interest of the poor, working classes and also of the urban development. IDS through its work on democratic transport has raised the question of democracy on the road and urban planning and NAPM on its part has intervened in the way urban development is taking place and fought to protect the housing rights of slum dwellers and their betterment.
IDS just concluded publication of a series of books on the question of "Urbanization Urban Mobility and its Challenges and Prospects". These books emerge out of an engagement over two decades and throw up many questions for the urban mobility in the country.
We write to invite you to joins us for this two day People's Dialogue on the 26th and 27th of April 2015 in Delhi on the theme "Urbanizing India: Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space". The discussion aims to share ideas, knowledge and abilities to proactively engage on the issues of urbanization. The various topics of discussion will be;
a) City as a journey of Development: Challenges of Self-reliance and question of urban agriculture and cleanliness
b) The Unintended City
c) Smart Cities : Community Rights & Governance; Global experience and the Challenges
d) Politics of Industrial Corridors : Industrialisation and Urbanisation
The dialogue is being organised by Institute for Democracy and Sustainability (IDS)together withNational Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM). The dialoguewill be held atAuditorium,Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221-223, DeenDayalUpadhyayMarg, Delhi
We do hope that you will participate and contribute with your experiences to elucidate the issue.
We will be sending you a detail of the programme and the speakers as soon as it gets finalised. This invitation is so that you pre-book the dates and attend our programme.
Yours faithfully
Rajendra Ravi Madhuresh Kumar
IDS NAPM
09868200316 09818905316
Urbanizing India: Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space
Gandhi Peace Foundation, April 26, 27, 2015
Day One | SUNDAY | April 26.
10.00 am Registration | Tea
10.00 – 11.00 am An Exhibit on Access & Mobility in the City.
Glimpses from non-motorised means of transport
Inauguration and Inaugural Address : City of Everyone's Dreams | Yogendra Yadav
11.00 – 01.00 pm The Unintended City
(This session discusses the unintended growth of the city, which planners overlook and how citizens then negotiate their waythrough, giving insight in to city planning.)
Work, Labour and Mobility in Indore | Ashok Dubey
Gender, Dignity and Cities of Jharkhand | Binny Azad
Living on and off the street in Delhi | Lalit Batra
Chair : Jai Sen, Director, CACIM
Moderator : Anumita Roy Chaudhary
1.00 – 2.00 pm Lunch
Release of Series of Books | Discussions on Emerging Themes
2.00 – 4.00 pm City as a Journey of Development
(City is generally identified as the symbol of modernity, or an advanced stage in development or a place of dreams. Depends where one is located. This session will look at the city from different social, political and developmental lenses)
Anand Pradhan, Om Thanvi, D L Seth, Purnima Gupta, Madhulika Banerjee, Vishnu Nagar, Sanskriti Menon
Chair | Kumar Prashant
Moderator | Kishan Kaljayee
4.00 – 4.30 pm Tea Break
4.30 – 6.00 pm Reclaiming Cities : Experiences
Housing Rights Campaign
Struggle for a Roof in Metropolis : Rajendra Bhise
Domestic Workers
Struggle for Dignity of Work : Vilas Bhongade
Equitable Space on Roads
Struggle for Dignity on the Road :Kartik Rao Kavle
Day Two | Monday | April 27.
10.00 – 10.30 Tea
10.30 – 1.00 Smart Cities : Community Rights & Governance; Global experience and the Challenges
Planning and Vision | Ranjeet Gadgil
Deconstructing Dholera Smart City : Rishit Neogi
Smart City and Democracy : Usha Ramanathan
Chair : Sujit Patwardhan
Moderator : Anvita Arora
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch
2.00 – 3.15 Politics of Industrial Corridors : Industrialisation and Urbanisation
Gujarat | Krishnakant
Rajasthan | Virendra Vidorhi
Andhra Pradesh | Ramakrishna Raju
Chair : Geetam Tiwary
Moderator : Preeti Sampat
3.15 – 3.30 Tea Break
3.30 – 5.00 Towards an Agenda for Self Reliant City
(Indian cities need to be self reliant. It can only happen if we don't copy the smart city model of the West. Challenge is how do we make space for agriculture, animal hustbandry and other supposedly non-urban activities, but an integral part of life and livelihood. These cities can't be governed only by law)
Chair : Sudhir Badami
Moderator : Madhuresh
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