From Planned to Transformative Urbanization: Analyzing India’s Policies of Urban Rejuvenation

Abstract

This paper examines India’s urban challenges, successive policies of urban development and their impact on the much needed urban transformation. It examines successive policies, plans, and approaches to meet the ever rising urban challenges from the first Five Year Plan till the end of planning era and also underscores the highlights of urban planning through the entire five-year plan period. In the process, it investigates whether the ubiquitous urban deficit in India is actually due to the so-called 'reluctant urbanization' and whether the current policy of creating hundred smart cities can lead to urban transformation in India. This paper is based on the analysis of the available secondary data from various sources. By critically examining the available secondary data this paper explores whether India’s urban deficit is a result of poor planning or lack of long term vision and strategy to meet the emerging urban challenges. This paper also critically looks into the emerging ICT-driven paradigms and design of the ‘smart cities’ as models of urban transformation and juxtaposes them to India's own vision of creating hundred smart cities to ensure urban transformation. The paper concludes that any urban transformation should be socially inclusive, economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Technology should not be the end rather the means for bringing urban transformation and building smart cities.