Indian cities

City structure is a complex system and comprises sets of entities-eobiects, activities, infrastructure and land -which are simulta-
neously interdependent and Interactive among themselves and with their environment. The spatial patterning of the entities of this system is determined by a dynamic and probabilistic combination of historical, social, economic and administrative factors. Sociologists, geographers, economists and others have examined the social and economic characteristics of urban neighbourhoods in search for generalizations about this spatial patterning. These studies, commonly known as 'ecologies' seek to understand the relationships among human groups and between them and their socio-economic and physical environments, first describing how and, then, trying to explain why areas differ in the composition and characteristics of their population and activities.

This collection of papers bring together all
such studies conducted to date on large
Indian Cities. The cities covered are,
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta,
Delhi, Kanpur, Madras, Poona and Sholapur.
As social scientists, planners and others face
the challenge of comprehending, anticipa-
ting and controlling metropolitan urban
growth in India, the concepts, assertions and
findings of these studies will surely prove
to be valuable resources.