Challenges in Urban Management in India in New Millennium

India is on track to witness an unprecedented pace and scale of urbanization. Census data show that the country’s urban population has grown tremendously.  However, even at the current pace and scale, India is struggling. The delivery of urban infrastructure and basic services is insufficient to provide citizens with a decent quality of life. Urban India is underserved by utilities, suffers from inadequate housing stock, and is highly congested and polluted. The addition of millions of people to urban India every year puts enormous stress on the urban system. Across all major quality of life indicators, India’s cities fall well short of not only the levels of service to which international cities aspire but also even basic standard of living. 

Rapid urbanization has resulted in poor quality of life in its cities but worse is ahead if India continues with current unplanned approach. Thus it is important to realize that urbanization is not an option but a necessity which is crucial for growth. The situation may deteriorate if urbanization is not managed. Left unattended, the risk from the ongoing deterioration in the quality of life will compromise productivity, deter investors and eventually curtail economic growth. Given the increasing importance of cities, urban India must dramatically step up its performance on delivering basic urban services, bolster its governance systems, planning and funding policies, institutions, and capacity and capability.

It is under this backdrop, this volume makes attempt to underline a galaxy of few and not only challenges and opportunities in regard to changing urban society, land, housing, poverty, services, slums, street vending, governance etc. emerging in managing urban India in new millennium.