Monday, April 20, 2015

Urbanizing India Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space

Urbanizing India

Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space

(April 26 – 27, 2015, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Delhi)

 My government is conscious of the fact that our urban infrastructure is under severe stress. Soon, 50 per cent of our population would be residing in urban areas. Taking urbanization as an opportunity rather than a challenge, the government will build 100 Cities focussed on specialized domains and equipped with world class amenities. Integrated infrastructure will be rolled out in model towns to focus on cleanliness and sanitation. By the time the nation completes 75 years of its Independence, every family will have a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities, 24x7 electricity supply and access.

Pranab Mukherjee, address to Parliament on June 9, 2014

 

(Hindi Programme is attached)

Dear Friends,

 

Urbanisation has been declared as the future of India. India is no more a country of villages. Our villages are dying and rotting. But are our cities flourishing, alive and kicking ? Cities are seen as the hope and harbinger of success and the glitz and glamour keeps attracting millions every year.Cities continue to promise future, alternatives to rural drudgery, multiple livelihood opportunities and so on. However, the process of urbanisation has not received the necessary attention as villages did post-independence. As a result, many of our cities had unintended and unplanned growth, barring few exceptions.

 

The idea of self-reliant villages and village republics gave a model for people and planners to work with in the early years of independence. This to some extent marked neglect of focus and emphasis on the city development. Today, though the situation is different. The imagination and perception of cities amongst those migrating to them is different. The distinction between the urban and rural is not that stark and with the enhanced means of transport and communication, the mobility of people have increased.

 

Cities are no more the final stages in development of a society but one of the stages, as rapid urbanisation takes roots. Thisnecessitates a greater engagement from its denizens, policy planners, and government. There is acceptance and greater emphasis on the urbanisation process but does that lead to a paradigm shift in the approach to the unplanned and unintended growth of the cities. UPA government launched JawaharLal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and now NarendraModi government is aiming at building nearly 500 smart cities. These cities, some new and some upgrade of the older ones envision a city where the citizens will have access to services and will have abundance too, unlike the current cities which are under severe resource crunch in all dimensions. It's too many people fighting to access the limited resources and services available. On the face of it the smart city seems like an idea whose idea has come and there is a greater demand of it, but what happens to an idea that cities are open, welcoming and free for anyone, irrespective of class, creed and caste is welcome to come, settle down and living.

 

Institute for Democracy and Sustainability (IDS) and National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM) have been researching and organising around the issue of democratic and equitable space keeping in mind the interest of the poor, working classes and also of the urban development. IDS through its work on democratic transport has raised the question of democracy on the road and urban planning and NAPM on its part has intervened in the way urban development is taking place and fought to protect the housing rights of slum dwellers and their betterment.

 

IDS just concluded publication of a series of books on the question of "Urbanization Urban Mobility and its Challenges and Prospects". These books emerge out of an engagement over two decades and throw up many questions for the urban mobility in the country.

 

We write to invite you to joins us for this two day People's Dialogue on the 26th and 27th of April 2015 in Delhi on the theme "Urbanizing India: Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space". The discussion aims to share ideas, knowledge and abilities to proactively engage on the issues of urbanization. The various topics of discussion will be;

 

a)   City as a journey of Development: Challenges of Self-reliance and question of urban agriculture and cleanliness

b)   The Unintended City

c)   Smart Cities : Community Rights & Governance; Global experience and the Challenges

d)   Politics of Industrial Corridors : Industrialisation and Urbanisation

e)   Towards an Agenda for Self Reliant City

 The dialogue is being organised by Institute for Democracy and Sustainability (IDS)together withNational Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM). The dialoguewill be held atAuditorium,Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221-223, DeenDayalUpadhyayMarg, Delhi

 

We do hope that you will participate and contribute with your experiences to elucidate the issue.

 

We will be sending you a detail of the programme and the speakers as soon as it gets finalised. This invitation is so that you pre-book the dates and attend our programme.

 

 

Yours faithfully

Rajendra Ravi                           Madhuresh Kumar

IDS                                       NAPM             

09868200316                          09818905316                                  

                                                         

 

Urbanizing India: Challenges of Democratic and Equitable Space

 

Gandhi Peace Foundation, April 26, 27, 2015

 

Day One | SUNDAY | April 26.

 

10.00 am                          Registration | Tea

 

10.00 – 11.00 am               An Exhibit on Access & Mobility in the City.

Glimpses from  non-motorised means of transport

 

Inauguration and Inaugural Address : City of Everyone's Dreams | Yogendra Yadav

 

11.00 – 01.00 pm               The Unintended City

(This session discusses the unintended growth of the city, which planners overlook and how citizens then negotiate their waythrough, giving insight in to city planning.)

                                      Work, Labour and Mobility in Indore | Ashok Dubey

                                      Gender, Dignity and Cities of Jharkhand | Binny Azad

                                      Living on and off the street in Delhi | Lalit Batra     

Chair : Jai Sen, Director, CACIM                  

                                      Moderator : Anumita Roy Chaudhary

1.00 – 2.00 pm                  Lunch

 

Release of Series of Books | Discussions on Emerging Themes

 

2.00 – 4.00 pm                City as a Journey of Development

(City is generally identified as the symbol of modernity, or an advanced stage in development or a place of dreams. Depends where one is located. This session will look at the city from different social, political and developmental lenses)

Anand Pradhan, Om ThanviD L Seth, Purnima Gupta, Madhulika Banerjee, Vishnu Nagar, Sanskriti Menon

Chair | Kumar Prashant                                   

Moderator | Kishan Kaljayee

 

4.00 – 4.30 pm                  Tea Break

 

4.30 – 6.00 pm                  Reclaiming Cities : Experiences

Housing Rights Campaign

Struggle for a Roof in Metropolis : Rajendra Bhise

Domestic Workers

Struggle for Dignity of Work :  Vilas Bhongade

Equitable Space on Roads

Struggle for Dignity on the Road :Kartik Rao Kavle

 

Day Two Monday | April 27.

 

10.00 – 10.30 Tea

 

10.30 – 1.00          Smart Cities : Community Rights & Governance; Global experience and the Challenges

Planning and Vision | Ranjeet Gadgil        

Deconstructing Dholera Smart City : Rishit Neogi

Smart City and Democracy : Usha Ramanathan

                             Chair : Sujit Patwardhan

                             Moderator : Anvita Arora

 

1.00 – 2.00              Lunch

                  

2.00 – 3.15            Politics of Industrial Corridors : Industrialisation and Urbanisation

 

                             Gujarat | Krishnakant

                             Rajasthan Virendra Vidorhi

                             Andhra Pradesh | Ramakrishna Raju

 

Chair Geetam Tiwary

Moderator : Preeti Sampat

 

3.15 – 3.30              Tea Break

 

3.30 – 5.00            Towards an Agenda for Self Reliant City

(Indian cities need to be self reliant. It can only happen if we don't copy the smart city model of the West. Challenge is how do we make space for agriculture, animal hustbandry and other supposedly non-urban activities, but an integral part of life and livelihood. These cities can't be governed only by law)

                            

Chair : Sudhir Badami

                             Moderator : Madhuresh

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