Another research project examined the governance footprint of large-scale national programmes of urban transformation conducted in India such as the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). There are numerous critiques that have been leveled at the JNNURM, especially about its potential for exacerbating inter-city and intra-city differences, promoting increased centralization of decision-making, and promoting greater municipal dependence. Building upon these critiques, I make the point that what makes JNNURM unique is the exceptional intrusivity of the programme that allows national-level programmes to reach down to the municipal level. In this the programmes architecture has embedded numerous ‘technologies of governance’ that have enhanced the programmes intrusivity. In addition, the research documented the presence of particular socio-spatial signatures that exerted a major influence on programme’s operationalization. Specifically, the research demonstrated that three signatures of first, flexible social networks that spanned local, national, international, public and private domains; second, the amalgamation of reform efforts from diverse sources; and finally, private consultants at multiple levels in the operational and planning domains were crucial to the success of the programme. The presence of these signatures we have argued does not bode well for the creation of inclusive and just cities in India.
Related Publications
- David Sadoway*, Govind Gopakumar, Vinay Baindur, and Madhav G. Badami. JNNURM as a window on urban governance – Its Institutional Footprint, Antecedents and Legacy. Economic & Political Weekly, 53, 2: 71-81, 2018.
- David Sadoway*, Govind Gopakumar. (Un)bundling Bangalore: Infrastructure bundling best practices and assembling novel scapes. Geoforum, 79: 46-57, 2017.
- Intrusiveness of Urban Renewal in India. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 36, 1: 89-106, 2015.
- Christopher Gore and Govind Gopakumar, Infrastructure and Metropolitanization: Understanding and comparing the relationship in cities of Africa and India. Journal of Urban Affairs 37, 5: 548-67, 2015.
Associates
Dr. David Sadoway, as postdoctoral research fellow was closely involved in the conduct of this project.
This research has also benefited from close association with research on urban decision-making in India conducted by Dr. Madhav G. Badami in the School of Urban Planning, at McGill University.
Another partnership in this research was with Christopher Gore from Ryerson University.
Funding
