Formulating an effective urban planning on account of urbanization is a major issue facing India, today. Rising population coupled with growing migration from rural areas is putting an enormous burden on the country’s cities, already faced with poor and deteriorating infrastructure; according to the latest census data, the urban population at 286 million constitutes about 28% of the country’s total population of 1028 millions. The problem is further worsened by rising growing income levels in the country that have also pushed the demand for housing, transportation, water, sanitation and other basic amenities. The unprecedented urbanization is thus posing a challenge to build and augment cities’ infrastructures that include mass of affordable housing, water, transportation, power, and sanitation among other basic amenities. With several reports forecasting growing significance of cities as the engines of growth and emergence of several what UN Habitat Report 2006-07 calls mega-cities in the future, it poses a significant challenge to the cities which are ill-equipped and lack funds to tackle the issue effectively. All this calls for a huge effort on the part of the government, the policymakers and the private sector. Against this backdrop, the book aims to explore the concepts and trends in urbanization, related issues, and possible solutions such as increased thrust on public-private partnerships to effectively deal with the challenges of urbanization. The book also offers important lessons drawn from some success stories within the country as well as abroad.
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