Urban development and urban research in India

The basic concerns in the book are the preferences and prejudices in urban planning and urban research in India. It examines the pattern of urban growth since independence and identifies its determinants using state, district and town level data from various cen suses, including that of 1991. It discusses the distortions in urban hierarchy, spatial distribu tion of urban centres and their growth rates in different size classes and regions. Absence or weaknesses in rural urban interdependencies and the need and possibility of public inter vention for strengthening this relationship have been examined for the various agro climatic zones in the country. The organisa tional structure and functioning of the public agencies, engaged in the production of basic amenities viz. housing, drinking water, sewerage and sanitation, have been analysed in an attempt to assess their sensitivity towards the needs and paying capacity of urban poor. Finally, a survey of socio economic research on urban development has been attempted for identifying the dominant thinking, changes in the focus and perspec tives of research etc. and the biases therein.