The document discusses the need for a systematic, city-system approach to address urbanization challenges in India. It argues that treating problems with "band-aids" is insufficient and that a holistic framework is required that considers spatial planning, municipal capacities, political leadership, transparency, and citizen participation. It advocates for strengthening institutions, increasing qualified staff and sustainable financing for cities. It also proposes directly electing mayors for longer terms and implementing annual surveys to assess cities' health and guide reforms. The document concludes that state governments need time-bound plans incorporating these ideas to better manage urban growth.

1. Think Beyond
Band Aids
A Economic Development, Urbanisation
and Systematic Planning Scheme…
Vikram Vijayant Rana
Development Management Institute, Patna

2. Content Layout
• Introduction
• City System
• Spatial Planning
• Municipal Capacities
• The Political Ownership Of A City
• Transparency, Accountability And Citizen Participation
• ASICS (-Annual Survey of India’s City System)
• Conclusions
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3. Introduction
• We live in a world where economic development and urbanisation
are like Siamese twines.
• Rapid Urbanisation does not guarantee sustained economic
growth.
• The good news is that policy makers and opinion leaders have
finally begun to focus on urban problem.
• The band news is that we still placing band-aids when the patient
has a deep disease.
• Solving the Challenges of our cities will require a ‘city-system’
framework.
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4. City System
• Understanding and solving
the challenges of our cities
will require a ‘city system’
framework.
• The urban phenomenon is
the result of a complex
system to play.
1. Spatial
Planning
2. Municipal
Capacities
3. The Political Ownership Of A
City
4. Transparency, Accountability
And Citizen Participation
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5. Spatial Planning
• It is crucial to fulfil objectives of a city across economy,
equity and the environment.
• India’s cities need modern spatial planning laws, planning
institutions, and adequate number of qualified town planner.
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6. Municipal Capacities
• Scenarios:-
• Bengaluru and New York both have approx. 9 million residents.
• New York employs over 4,00,000 city worker where Bengaluru has
less than 30,000.
• Problems:-
• 5% of New York human recourses are qualified senior management-
in urban planning, infrastructure and so on.
• But Bengaluru barely has 0.5% of its headcount as senior
management.
• 1% of the total fiscal wallet available in India and global avg. 7.5% .
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7. Comparison between two city with same
population.
New York Bengaluru
Senior Management 20000 150
Employee 400000 30000
20000 150
400000
30000
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
City
Employee
New York Vs Bengaluru
Senior Management Employee
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8. • Solutions:-
• We need massive injection of sustainable financing.
• We need to strengthen the institution in our city on both human and
financial capacities.
• Beginning with the municipality but also other civic institution such
as-
• Development authority.
• Water authority.
• Transport authority.
• Metro rail.
• Police.
• Fire services.
• Housing authority.
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9. The Political Ownership Of A City
• Fragmented leadership across the state govt., MLAs, the
Mayor and the city council.
• We need to work towards having directly elected
metropolitan mayors as leasers of our cities.
• Minimum tenure of five years for a Mayor will enable
medium term planning and execution.
• In its 25th Year, the 74th Constitution Amendment needs to
be respected.
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10. Transparency, Accountability And Citizen
Participation.
• Besides public discloser and data-driven accountability for
performance and service levels
• Formal platforms for citizen participation are urgently
needed.
• Citizen participation has both intrinsic as well as
instrumental benefits.
• Most importantly, it builds trust between citizens and
goverments.
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11. ASICS (-Annual Survey of India’s City
System)
4.2
9.1 9.2
10 10 10
Indian cities London New York
Substantially Superior Quality of Life On the scale of
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12. Conclusions
• ASICS provides a comprehensive diagnostic of the health of
our cities and also a reform agenda that accompanies the
same.
• State government can create time-bound, measurable
blueprints for our cities that incorporates these reform
agendas.
• And we have to set accountability to the employee, specially
to govt. employee.
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13. आयें सब को साथ ले
कर चलें और आगे
बढें|
Thank You
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