Urban Development and Environment

Course Type	Course Code	No. Of Credits
Foundation Elective	SHE2ED320	4

COURSE DESCRIPTION

We recently witnessed a unique moment of world historical importance—for the first time in human history, the number of people living in cities passed those in villages globally. The implications of this shift are many: urban areas present different forms and challenges related to living, production, and social organization than do rural spaces. Urbanization also has significant eco- logical imbrications. Among others, residential buildings, industries, offices, and transportation networks predominate urban space and each in turn, impacts the environment. This course will approach cities with a perspective that considers the intertwined social and ecological processes that constitute urban development.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To understand key moments in the history of urbanization
To examine urban environmental issues, particularly in the Global South.
To critically analyze programmes, policies and politics related to urban service provision.
To sharpen field research, writing and presentation skills.

COURSE CONTENT

S. No.	Module
	Cities in History: Public Health, Suburbanization, Colonial urbanism
	Urban Land Use and Resources: Land cover change, peri-urban developments, urban agriculture
	Urban Informality: informal economy, politics of ‘unauthorized’ settlements, street vending and space
	Urban Ecology: creation of patches; disturbance; urban fauna
	Planning Instruments and Debates: Land use planning, zoning and byelaws, infrastructure
	Urban Poverty (Slums) and State Policy: Relocation/renovation; legal views; gentrification

INDICATIVE READING LIST

Peter Hall (1988), Cities of Tomorrow, ch 2,4,6,7.
Matthew Gandy (2003), Concrete and Clay, Part I
S. Kaviraj (1997), ‘Filth and the Public Sphere: Concepts and Practices about Space in Calcutta’, Public Culture, 10(1): 83-113.
V. Narain (2009), ‘Growing city, shrinking hinterland: land acquisition, transition and conflict in peri-urban Gurgaon, India’, Environment and Urbanization 21(2): 501-512.
Allen et al (2006), ‘The peri-urban water poor: citizens or consumers?’ Environment and Urbanization, 18: 333-351.
R. Negi (2010) ‘Neoliberalism, Environmentalism and Urban Politics in Delhi’, in New Economic Policy in India: A Critical Analysis, New York: Routledge.
Sharan (2006), ‘In the city, out of place: environment and modernity, Delhi 1860s to 1960s’, EPW.
K. Gill (2009), Of Poverty and Plastic: Scavenging and Scrap-trading Entrepreneurs in India’s Urban Informal Economy, OUP.
S. Dickey (2008), ‘Permeable Homes: Domestic Service, Household Space, and the Vulnerability of Class Boundaries in Urban India’, American Ethnologist 27(2): 462-489.
Kevin Gaston (ed), Urban Ecology, Cambridge University Press. (ch1, 3, 6, 11)
Franz Rebele (1994), ‘Urban Ecology and Special Features of Urban Ecosystems’, Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters, Vol 4(6): 173-187.
E. Preteceille (1976), ‘Urban Planning: The Contradictions of Capitalist Urbanization’, Antipode 8(1)