India’s Urban Future: How can we make our cities more democratic, productive, and sustainable

Indian School of Public Policy or ISPP organized a workshop by Dr. Shahana Chattaraj on India’s Urban Future: How to make our cities inclusive, productive and sustainable, on the 02 March 2019, at the PHD Chambers of Commerce, New Delhi.

Prof. Yugank Goyal, Member, Governing Council, IPSS, commenced the workshop with a brief on the peripheral objective: “An urban transformation is underway in India, with deep social, economic and environmental implications. It is taking place in a time of environmental crisis, technological change and political flux. How should policy-makers, researchers, practitioners and citizens understand this transformation, and respond to its challenges and opportunities? This is important to comprehend, which is only possible when citizens are aware of what needs to be done, and how they can be a part of the same.” The workshop that saw an overwhelming participation of approximately 40 people was conducted by Dr. Shahana Chattaraj, whose research focuses on urban political economy, governance and policy in Asian megacities, the informal economy and emerging patterns of socio-spatial inequality within cities. Dr. Chattaraj talked about urban policy problems not only being complex, but also interconnected, including important elements such as jobs and industrialization; migration, infrastructure and housing; social policy and planning; land and urban development; climate change adaptation and mitigation. “Urban policy works at the scale of cities, neighbourhoods and regions – it is an emerging andincreasingly important policy arena that will play a central role in shaping India’s future.Hence, a question such as: what sort of governance institutions, policy approaches, skills and information do we need to make and implement effective urban policies for India is important to understand and address at various levels for a strengthened and combined effort to be made”, added Dr. Chattaraj.

Date: 02nd March, 2019
Time: 10.30 Am – 1.00 PM
Venue: PHD Chambers of Commerce, New Delhi

About Dr. Shahana Chattaraj :
Dr. Shahana’s research focuses on urban political economy, governance and policy in Asian megacities, the informal economy and emerging patterns of socio-spatial inequality within cities. Shahana holds a Ph.D. in public affairs from Princeton University, a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and bachelor’s degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi. Before coming to the Blavatnik School, Shahana taught at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a post-doctoral scholar at the Lauder Institute. Shahana has worked for several years with the United Nations Population Fund, consulted with the World Bank and worked in a community development organization in Delhi.