Polyinclusive strategies for the development of cities

The defining characteristic of the modern global city today is its excluding character. The city today consists to a large extent of poor people who have been excluded in the process of urban planning and whose right to be a part of the urban process has been largely ignored. Urban development that is geared to the needs of global capital displaces or excludes poor segments of the population and leads to the social and spatial segmentation of the mega-city into citadels and ghettos. This has created a growing disparity between “haves” and “have-nots”, both between and within nations. Globalisation proceeds selectively, including and excluding segments of economies and societies in and out of the networks of information, wealth and power that characterise the new dominant system. In the given perspective this paper attempts: · To analyse the effects of globalisation on urban growth and development in India. · To examine the policy and strategy of urban development during the past two and a half decades, including the organisational structure for managing urban sector schemes and the supporting financing system. · To suggest an integrated strategy for the development of inclusive cities. · To develop a framework of an inclusive, modern and environment friendly city.