How urban is contemporary India?

March 26, 2021 | 9:30AM - 11:30AM
Asian Institute, Centre for South Asian Studies, South Asia

This event is over

This event took place online.
Since independence in 1947, India's urban story has been a major highlight of the country's path to economic and social progress. The State of the Cities Report: India, “to be released in March 2021” will bring together empirical findings on the complex and historic nature of the country's urban transition. In this comprehensive contribution, the report focuses on the demographic, economic and infrastructural characteristics of India's urbanization and aggregates data at the state level, with a view to addressing a key question: how urban is contemporary India?   
 
This report also makes an attempt to study the process and phenomenon of urbanization at different spatial levels and probes such questions as: is Indian's urbanisation spatially more balanced today than in the past?; is it more productive? ; is it better equipped with infrastructural services? ; is it moving closer to the goals of inclusion and environmental security? During this online webinar, the lead author of this report on Indian cities will answer questions from a panel of experts drawn from India, the United States, Canada and Europe. The report also aims to contribute to our understanding of how urbanization in India contributes to urban theory and applies concepts such as planetary urbanization, subaltern urbanism to an empirical framework. Academics, students of urban planning and activists will benefit and are particularly welcome to attend this event.  
 
 
*** A digital copy of the State of the Cities: India report is available for reading on the Institute of Social Sciences website here: http://www.issin.org/pdf/State-the-Cities-Report.pdf  
 
*** A printed version will be available on the Amazon India website starting March 26, 2021.    
 
*** More information on the Institute of Social Sciences (New Delhi): http://www.issin.org/   
 
Organizer:  Centre for South Asian Studies at the Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto  
Co-hosts:  Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, India Guelph Institute of Development Studies, University of Guelph Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement, University of Guelph
Asian Institute, Centre for South Asian Studies, South Asia

Speakers

Partha Mukhopadhyay

Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi

Jan Nijman

Professor of Urban Studies and Geography, University of Amsterdam

Richard Bird

Professor Emeritus, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and Senior Fellow, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG), Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Shahana Chattaraj

Director, Research Data & Innovation, World Resources Institute (WRI) India

Yue Zhang

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Illinois, Chicago

Om Prakash Mathur

Senior Fellow and Head, Urban Studies at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi

Bharat Punjabi (moderator)

Research Fellow, Global Cities Institute; Lecturer, Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto