If cities are to made more livable, humane and productive, it is time that intent, contents and scope of globalization must be revisited and reviewed, both critically and objectively. Globalisation would need redefinition for promoting universality and inclusiveness among people and nations to have basic amenities and quality of life for all its residents , including poorest of the poor to lead a dignified life. Failure to redefine globalization, rationalise urbanisation, restore localization empowering poor and promoting universalisation and inclusivity; will invariably lead to making SDGs merely a paper exercise. In addition, making the world, cities and communities sustainable, livable, safe and inclusive, would remain merely a dream and a mirage, for future generations and communities, making planet earth as their preferred place of residence.

1. Redefining Globalization, Urbanisation and Localisation
*Jit Kumar Gupta
Globalization and urabanisation are known to have high degree of positive
and negative connectivity. By attracting large number of people in urban fold,
Globalization has increased the role, relevance and importance of urban
areas in general and that of larger cities in particular. Globalisation, despite
its universal intent, has led to promoting dualities, large scale disparities,
widening the gap between haves and have-nots both among communities
and nations. Globalisation, is known to have positively favoured few selected
large cities of the world, by promoting large scale concentration of people,
institutions, trade and commerce and commercial activities in such areas.
Instead of promoting equality and equity, Globalisation has created large
scale disparity among nations and communities. It has caused numerous
social, economic, physical and environmental problems across the planet.
Globalisation has helped rich nations and rich communities to rise, prosper
and grow at the cost of underdeveloped or developing nations and
communities. Globalisation has also empowered rich nations to misuse and
abuse the valuable resources of the developing communities for promoting
their economic interests, by shifting majority of the production processes to
the developing nations . Making use of technology and skill available,
developed countries have impoverished the developing nations not only by
making use of precious resources, but also left such nations to grapple with
problems of handling enormous waste generated by the manufacturing
processes.
Rapid growth of economic activities in few selected areas has invariably led
to accelerated large scale migration from rural hinterland to urban setting.
Considering the limited availability of resources and capacity of the local
institutions of governance at the local level, majority of cities impacted by
globalization continue to grow in most unplanned and haphazard manner.
In these cities, poverty, slums and non-availability of basic amenities and
services has become the norm for human living for majority of urban

2. residents. In the process globalization has created large scale dualities and
contradictions in human living and growth and development of urban areas.
If Globalisation has promoted economy, prosperity and employment in few
selected urban centres, it has also led to making the urban world more
unsustainable for human living and working . Majority of global urban ills
related to climate change , global warming and rising temperature can be
attributed to the manner in which globalization has been practiced, promoted
and impacted humanity and communities across nations.
In addition, globalization has also adversely impacted localization. In fact,
globalization and localization have emerged anti-thesis to each other for the
reason, localization has become the major causality of forces unleashed by
globalization. In the process, local fabric, culture, tradition and values have
been largely marginalized, muted and diluted under the impact of
globalization. In fact, majority of sustainable principles and practices used at
local level for centuries for human living, have been unceremoniously
replaced by the unsustainable use of resources. From a culture of caring,
society has moved to a culture of consumerism and wastage. In the process
numerous non-renewable resources have been lost in the haze of
globalization. Even approach to planning, designing, construction and
management of built environment, has undergone change in typologies of
building. along with material used for construction. Locally available natural
materials have been replaced by factory made glass, steel and concrete.
Buildings look universal, irrespective of the place and the climate in which
they are constructed. All cities appear same in their building vocabulary. In
fact, Globalisation has promoted unsustainability in human living,
impoverishing the planet earth of its valuable resources. Instead of
empowering communities and cities , globalization has impoverished and
diluted the local virtues and values.
If cities are to made more livable, humane and productive, it is time that
intent, contents and scope of globalization must be revisited and reviewed,
both critically and objectively. Globalisation would need redefinition for
promoting universality and inclusiveness among people and nations to
have basic amenities and quality of life for all its residents , including poorest

3. of the poor to lead a dignified life. Failure to redefine globalization, rationalise
urbanisation, restore localization empowering poor and promoting
universalisation and inclusivity; will invariably lead to making SDGs merely
a paper exercise. In addition, making the world, cities and communities
sustainable, livable, safe and inclusive, would remain merely a dream and
a mirage, for future generations and communities, making planet earth as
their preferred place of residence.