The pace and scope of urban transformation in India is impressive. The cities of India are bustling portraits of the complex interplay of historical, cultural, social, and economic layers. According to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects, two of the ten fastest-growing cities in the world are in India. The ranking, based on the number of new people per hour, illustrates the steady rate of urbanization in our country. As glamorous and enchanting as our cities are, they conceal the stark realities of socioeconomic inequality and hardships. An apt example would be how any first-time traveler to Mumbai, the glamorous hometown of Bollywood, or even Bengaluru– the software hub of India- would describe the inequality in each of these cities as evident day and night or like two sides of a coin.
Studies have found that there is high residential segregation in Indian cities by caste and even higher segregation in terms of access to basic goods and amenities. Why is it important to address this extreme inequality? Because where and how people live affects the way and progression of social structures. When residential segregation is maintained, it has far-reaching consequences- it ensures that the system of social stratification is passed on to and continues in the next generation. This article tries to shed some light on the socio-economic disparities embedded in the urban landscape of India- on the challenges and potential solutions towards a more equitable future for all.
Probing into the Inequality
An Oxfam report released in 2018 comments on the wealth inequality in India, stating that in 2017 alone, the richest 1 percent of the population owned 73 percent of the addition to wealth that occurred. Extreme inequality in India is not just because of unfair wage allocation, but also from the persistence of social disparities and hierarchies, which are revealed as we dive deeper into the complex fabric of our cities.
A few of the reasons that have contributed to the growing inequality in our cities are as follows, which are supported by research.
- The century-long colonization of India has deeply impacted the country, more in a negative way. Though India has been reborn with many policies and reforms, the scar that colonialism has left on the country endures. The British rule that prioritized certain regions over others, can be pointed out as a major contributing factor to the current urban scenario.
- The traditional social stratification based on the caste system is deeply embedded, still affecting access to resources, opportunities, and social mobility. We tend to think that caste is irrelevant in cities, but recent research shows that most of the populous cities in India display a high level of residential segregation with SCs and STs concentrated in certain areas of the city; and access to basic public goods- clean drinking water, sanitation facilities etc.- are much lower in these areas.
- Religion is also another factor that determines residential segregation. In cities where communal conflicts persist, especially in the Northern parts of India, the socio-religious characteristics of the neighborhoods often determine the municipal services available to them.
An example is Juhapura, a region in the city of Ahmedabad, where a 20-foot-high wall separates the Hindu settlement and the Muslim slums. The striking contrast is visually evident, with tall buildings in the Hindu area; and crumbling, small houses, and poor economic conditions of residents in the Muslim settlement.
- The rapid urbanization and migration from rural areas have led to overcrowding in cities. This combined with inadequate housing and infrastructure has resulted in the expansion of slums and informal settlements abundantly.
- Most of the people who migrate from rural areas are illiterate and hence engage in the informal economy lacking job security and access to financial services, sustaining the economic disparities
- Some economists state that the growing wealth inequality is an inherent feature of neo-liberal capitalism (Patnaik, 2018). The neo-liberal policies undertaken by our government aggravate wealth inequality in several ways, leaving the poor always poor, and increasing the benefits of the rich.
- The privatization of many essential services like education and healthcare makes them more expensive to the lower-income group. This leads to them spending what they could’ve saved from their meagre incomes on these services.
Much social attention was shed on this matter of extreme inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, which also exposed the pathetic state of India’s public healthcare system. With the majority of its population working in the informal sector with no healthcare benefits, private hospitals are way too expensive. The overburdened scenario of public hospitals during COVID shed light on the lack of adequate infrastructure and insufficient spending of the government on public healthcare.
This unequal access to resources induces social tension and conflicts, and it is very common. Examples are that of ‘water theft’ in Mumbai- where some communities are being chased for illegally tapping into the municipal water supply, something they are bound to do since, while wealthy communities enjoy uninterrupted water supply, they lack it altogether. Similar conflicts can be found to erupt over access to solid waste in Delhi- between formal enterprises and informal-sector recyclers.
Indian cities, thus, demonstrate the fact that economic growth doesn’t automatically lead to a reduction in inequality. Instead, if the benefits are unevenly acquired by a small portion of the population, growth can further deepen inequality.
Recent Scenarios
A recent film that springs to mind is the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Jawaan’. Though a mass-action movie, the story of the movie touches the surface of the social inequalities in India. The backstories of some characters in the movie are drawn from real-life instances, shedding light on the challenges faced by different segments of society. Another image that crosses one’s mind is given below, showing our government ‘covering up’ slums ahead of G20 meetings. Such measures have been taken several times before, including once in 2020 during the visit of the then President of the USA, Donald Trump in Ahmedabad. Officials were criticized for ‘building walls’ to hide slums in the region.
A Way Through
Recent conditions like the pandemic and economic downturn have exposed and worsened the vulnerability of India’s system contributing to inequality. The need for a fundamental shift in approach, one that prioritizes redistribution as a central focus, is now stronger than ever.
The government should address structural issues preventing the poor from making legal claims to land and other resources along with creating fair regulatory frameworks for informal sector workers. A more forward-looking strategy involves ensuring equitable urban space and reliable services, and improving public spaces– also the answer to how architects can help. Renewing informal settlements by providing basic amenity spaces and introducing affordable housing design, community engagement in design, and advocating for urban design policies are also some ways in which architects can contribute to the urban disparities in India. With responsible and inclusive urban planning and adaptive reuse, architects can give new life to spaces, definitely bringing about changes in society’s behavior.
References:
Anand, H. R. (2022, November 16). Gujarat’s Disturbed Areas Act: Largest Muslim Ghetto Glaring Contrast to Hindu Settlement. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from NewsClick: https://www.newsclick.in/gujarat-dsturbed-areas-act-largest-muslim-ghetto-glaring-contrast-hindu-settlement
Anand, I., & Thampi, A. (2021, August 10). The Crisis of Extreme Inequality in India. Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 64(3), pages 663–683. Retrieved December 12, 2023, from National Centre for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8353929/
Patnaik, P. (2018, January 26). Why is India’s wealth inequality growing so rapidly? Al Jazeera. Retrieved December 12, 2023, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/1/26/why-is-indias-wealth-inequality-growing-so-rapidly
Schindler, S. (2015). Urban Transformation, Inequality, and the Future of Indian Cities. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 16(1), pages 7-15. Retrieved December 13, 2023, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/43773662
Sidhwani, P. (2015, May 30). Spatial Inequalities in Big Indian Cities. Economic and Political Weekly, 50(22), pp 55-62. Retrieved December 13, 2023, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/24482493
Vakulabharanam, V., & Motiram, S. (2012, December 01). Understanding Poverty and Inequality in Urban India since Reforms: Bringing Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches Together. Economic and Political Weekly, 47, pp 44-52. Retrieved December 14, 2023, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/41720409
Images
- High-rise residential towers under construction are pictured behind an old residential building in central Mumbai_ © Vivek Prakash/ Reuters
- A drone image of Mumbai showing extreme poverty meeting extreme wealth_© Johnny Miller/ unequalscenes.com
- Waterlogged streets in the slums of Juhapura, Ahmedabad_© Hrishi Raj Anand/ newsclick.in
- A report in India Today commenting on the extreme inequalities in India that the Covid revealed_© India Today
- Mumbai slums ‘covered up’ in preparation to host G20 meetings in December 2022_© Emmanual Yogini/ The Hindu
