Poverty, Inequality and Violence in Urban India: Towards More Inclusive Urban Planning

Aims & Objectives: In the context of rapid urbanisation, the study sought to examine forms of violence and their links to structure of poverty and inequality, and urban policy and governance in the cities of Patna and Delhi.

Findings: Comprising of four main phases, the study indicated that:

• The overlapping of multiple deprivations marked by class and urban geographical location.
• Class bias and state apathy in infrastructural planning and public provisioning is clearly discernible through the differentiated levels and quality in access.
• Slum clearings and demolitions in Indian cities have reduced in the recent years owing to active interventions of the judiciary, civil society organizations and political parties.
• The other apparent reason for diminished demolition drives in cities is that there is no scope for the poor to freshly encroach and squatter on public lands in the core areas of the cities.
• Inadequate infrastructure (both general and safety), cultural bias and rooted fear result in curtailing women’s rights to, and claims over, urban spaces.
• Conflicts and/or direct violence around poverty and inequality are primarily infrastructural by nature. They manifest in the form of everyday violence around scarce basic amenities which have to be accessed collectively.
• Most of the infrastructure disputes are normally settled by way of informal talks and elderly interventions.

Recommendations: The study recommends that infrastructure is the key. Creation of adequate infrastructure in poor localities will aid in equal access to state facilities and provisions will be realized; as well as help contain a major source of conflicts and violence in poor localities. Similarly, proper safety infrastructure can help women. It will help curb crimes against women in cities. It will also in still confidence among women, and thus, will help them avail city spaces to a greater extent.