India metropolis : urbanization planning and management

By the turn of the century we are told by the experts, there will be several cities in developing countries whose population will exceed ten million. The largest cities in the world in future are likely to be. Mexico City, Bombay and Calcutta, not London, Paris, New York or Tokyo. Several cities in develop ing countries have a population exceeding two million already and are expected to reach five million in a few years time. In India, the breakdown of city services like transportation and water supply has become a cause of widespread concern. Rights of pavement dwellers have been taken up to the Supreme Court of India. Their eviction has been halted, after a fast by the actress Shabana Azmi in mid 1986.

Why is there a breakdown of city servi ces? Can the pressure on cities be reduced by diverting development to other parts of the country? Such ques tions can best be answered by someone with direct experience of city manage ment,

The book combines an academic under standing with a pragmatic approach to the problems of the indian metropolis. It is written for policy-makers and analysts of urban affairs, for those concerned with the academic study of the city, in fields like Geography, Economics, Public Administration, Engineering, Town Planning, Sociology and Politics, as well as for the general reader.