Integrating informal, improving prosperity: strategies towards the inclusive development of a JJ cluster of Delhi

Student name: Mr Shashank Shekhar
Guide: Dr Papiya Guha Mazumdar
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Ajith Kaliyath

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Abstract: In 2013, UN-Habitat had published “State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013: Prosperity of Cities” report and ranks the world’s top 95 cities in terms of its prosperity. It offers a new expanded definition of prosperity; recognizes the human development instead of economic development on which every city should strive and work for.

World is currently going through major transitions at present. On the one hand, cities are perceived as the driving force of economic growth and prosperity. On the other hand, most of these cities are increasingly becoming the centre of inequality, urban poverty and exclusion. Over emphasis on the economic growth and benefits of this growth to smaller sections left a large group within societies behind and created a wide divide within the cities, commonly referred to as “formal and informal city”. The recent widespread agitation against the ubiquitous growing menace of inequality and urban poverty challenged the city administrators worldwide to rethink the way they managed urban development. These challenges compelled them to revisit the existing notions of urban prosperity which is largely linked with the economic growth instead of the definition proposed by UN-Habitat .

Delhi is not an exemption to this situation. Apart from its significant heritage, the large concentration of urban poor and existence of informal settlements (Jhuggi-Jhopri in this case) everywhere, becomes the identity of the Indian capital. The city’s inability to provide better living condition to its large sections of population compelled them to live in ghettoized conditions. Despite bringing a number of policies and interventions, the top down approach failed the city government all these years to successfully address the issues of informality and poverty. The multiplier effect of the governance deficit and underserved policies of urban development clearly reflects on its ranking in the UN-Habitat’s city prosperity index. Delhi ranks, which ranks 58 overall in the ranking, ranks even below Dhaka on the index of equity and Jakarta on the index of quality of life. In spite of doing well in productivity and infrastructure development index, the much below ranking of Delhi reflected that idea of inclusive prosperity cannot be achieved without achieving equity and social inclusion within the society.

In this background of revised definition of a prosperous city, this report tries to analyse the idea of inclusive prosperity within a poor settlement in East Delhi.

Key Words: UN-Habitat, Prosperity, Inequality, Informal Settlements, Jhuggi-Jhopri Clusters