Critique of the post colonial Indian capital City-State
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Download: ShelterApril14_Nipesh.pdf (7392.38 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: Final published version
State: Public
Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_BC5B93AC6E5D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Critique of the post colonial Indian capital City-State
Journal
Shelter
ISSN
2347-4912
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/04/2014
Volume
15
Number
1
Pages
1-8
Language
english
Abstract
Aspiration is one of the key factors that have been driving India’s urbanism since Independence. The whole idea of defining a new nation on modern cities, which was based on aspirations that swayed towards the skewed image of the developed world still holds true. Starting with the construction of an image for a city by the British to the post-independence predilection for modernity, Delhi today has reached a stage where almost every project by the authorities is geared towards an image makeover including the master plan. Such aspirations have more physical manifestations in Indian context, as state and central government have more power in cities than the city government itself (even though 20 years have passed after 74th Constitutional Amendment ). Delhi presents a special case as land is under control of the central government and Indian politics at the Centre has been for more than a decade now governed by mixed ideologies of the multi-party coalition system. Delhi’s urbanism is formulated in a system that completely circumvents democratic means and thus resulting in the civil society activism. Such activism combined with the media images constantly reinforces the aspiration of what a city should be. All these aspirations are mere images which some have enough faith to call a vision, but have no concrete grounding on what needs to be done resulting in urban blunders. This paper investigates different aspects of urban development resulting from popular aspirational image. A complex scenario of urbanism is not comprehendible by common analytical tools; thus this is an attempt to interpret it through constructed aspirations, projected or perceived.
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01/05/2018 11:45
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:30