Urban Development and Governance: Issues, Concerns and Challenges

At the onset of the 21st century, 47% of the world's population was urban. According to UN HABITAT 2006, Asia and Africa will host the largest population in the 21st century with cities being sites of extreme inequality. Asian cities may not be able to cope with the pace of urbanization. Keeping with the trends in the world, there is also a spurt in urbanization in India, which poses serious challenges for both urban development and urban governance. In 2005, it was taken as a serious agenda by India's government when the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission was launched. Divided into three sections, this collection focuses on the challenges of urbanization and urban development for ongoing and future governance. Due to unprecedented urbanization and urban growth, urban development has received a serious setback with a depletion in the quality of urban life. The challenges are manifold and urban governance needs to be looked at from a fresh perspective and be given serious consideration to avoid further urban chaos and crisis. The present volume is an effort to bring together diverse perspectives on urban governance and urban development in India.