Let the People Plan Their Cities

Traditionally, Indians have had a love-hate relationship with the city. Even they who seek its benefits valorise the rural idyll.

- A.G. Krishna Menon

THE INDIAN METROPOLIS 

Deconstructing India's Urban Spaces

By Feroze Varun Gandhi

RUPA

₹1,500, 840 pages

This ambivalence is reflected in contemporary urban policies and practices of the government, and, not surprisingly, the state of Indian cities is defined by their apparently intractable problems, which seem to defy the imagination of professionals or the resources of the government.

Feroze Varun Gandhi, a young politician with the rare passion to seriously engage with the complex problems of both rural and urban habitats has, however, bravely endeavoured to confront the problems of cities and present alternative approaches to mainstream ideas of urban development in this massive tome, The Indian Metropolis: Deconstructing India's Urban Spaces. It deserves serious consideration.

In nine chapters, he covers a wide range of urban issues, from examining the characteristics of urbanisation to water availability, urban crime, healthcare, transport, affordable housing, urban unemployment and business, and urban finance. Finally, he focuses on the practice of urban planning, where he suggests that the management of cities could be reformed by engaging with the stakeholders in a holistic dialogue.