Divided in 12 chapters Re-visioning Indian Cities take you through the journey of infrastructure building of Indian cities. The flyovers that Delhi boasts of, slum rehabilitation that has been central to Mumbai’s planning, new structures in Kolkata and comfort zones of Chennai – this book tells you why it all came about and how policy measures of successive governments decide how and where you live and work.

The first chapter Policy Background is crucial in understanding all this. In this the author outlines focus of India’s five year Plans (FYP) vis-à-vis urban development. It is important to note that it was only in 1974 that a chapter with ‘urban development’ in its heading appears in the Fifth FYP; till then development of cities was only mentioned in a passé without allocating reasonable amount of budget for development. The author notes that providing money for urban renewal has always met with hesitation from the central government though there are cases where from time to time a one-time fund was disposed of for certain cities.

With the launch of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2005, the issue of urban development was seen in totality. So far development of urban spaces was limited to schemes and programmes with specific focus instead of an integrated approach. The emphasis by the government has led the media too to talk about urban issues in greater detail.

The setting up of Metropolitan Planning Committees in early 1990s marked the beginning of a new era in urban development. On the one hand, it gave recognition to large urban conglomerates to deal with their specific issues, especially that of maintaining large and diverse pollution. On the other hand, the smaller urban spaces were separated so that their issues were not mixed up with large cities.

The book also analyses the deficits in planning. The author ruefully notes that ‘whenever there is planning, there is no money, and when money is allocated, proper planning lacks.’ Examples are given to substantiate the claim.

Apart from tracing planning, the book enumerates various schemes and programmes and analyses pros and cons. The current approach has evolved out of that experience. The State Housing Boards and various plans for cities found culmination in JNNURM.

The last chapter analyses the integrated policy measure itself. It points out where is it lacking and how to mitigate their effects.

There are, however, issues that the book does not discuss. Today’s approach is determined by reforms, riding on the achievements of economic reforms. However, none of these policies are being able to successfully meet the needs of urban poor. With every subsequent plan, the space available for housing has reduced substantially. In 1975, each rehabilitated slum house was entitled to 25 sq. ft. of space. Today that stands at 18 and 12 sq. ft. Also, the planning has thrown out the urban poor to the periphery of the cities, making it tough for the dwellers to find sustainable livelihood. Commuting has become a major challenge where, in certain cases, people spend huge amount of money and time in travelling. Even though planning looks pro-people on paper, its implementation is in favour of the rich, at the cost of basic amenities for the poor. These are the aspects that the book fails to account for. No planning can be divorced from it social and political context.