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Development Planning, Services and housing
Development Planning, Services and housing
Indian and Global Southern urbanization has traditionally struggled with balancing economic growth, poverty reduction, and equitable access to services. The work in this section reflects decades of field work and writing by Meera Mehta and colleagues on how urban development planning has responded in addressing these challenges.
This collection of work examines the evolution of urban policy and governance after the 1990s as well as the role of water and sanitation in national poverty reduction strategies in Africa, with a context in India and at the international contexts. The articles highlight the significance of informal labour, participatory governance, and service convergence as essential pillars towards inclusive planning. Collectively, they argue for an approach to development that is rooted in the everyday experience of the urban poor, responsive to the institutional capacities of local government, and informed by empirical assessment.
Indian and Global Southern urbanization has traditionally struggled with balancing economic growth, poverty reduction, and equitable access to services. The work in this section reflects decades of field work and writing by Meera Mehta and colleagues on how urban development planning has responded in addressing these challenges.
This collection of work examines the evolution of urban policy and governance after the 1990s as well as the role of water and sanitation in national poverty reduction strategies in Africa, with a context in India and at the international contexts. The articles highlight the significance of informal labour, participatory governance, and service convergence as essential pillars towards inclusive planning. Collectively, they argue for an approach to development that is rooted in the everyday experience of the urban poor, responsive to the institutional capacities of local government, and informed by empirical assessment.
Water Supply and Sanitation in PRSP Initiatives: A Desk Review of Emerging Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa
Debt relief and poverty strategies have yet to fully deliver clean water and sanitation.
Participation and Urban Governance
To be written
Convergence in Urban Basic Services for the Poor – A Study of Nasik and Aligarh
Missing
Employment, Income and the Urban Poor: A Case of Ahmedabad
Informalisation and inequality shape the lives—and limits—of Ahmedabad’s urban poor.
Urban Informal Sector – Concepts, Indian Evidence and Policy Implications
The informal sector absorbs surplus labour—but offers mixed prospects for the poor.
India’s Finance Commissions have played an increasingly critical role in shaping the fiscal landscape of urban local governance. This subsection brings together contributions by Meera Mehta and Dinesh Mehta across the 14th, 15th, and 16th Finance Commissions, capturing the evolving discourse around intergovernmental transfers, fiscal decentralization, and performance-linked grants. The authors argue for greater financial autonomy of urban local governments (ULGs), highlighting the mismatch between their economic importance and the resources they command. These pieces call attention to the shifting balances of tied versus untied grants, the implications of GST on municipal revenues, and the need for climate-resilient urban infrastructure financing. Together, they reflect a persistent effort to ensure that fiscal federalism is both cooperative and empowering at the local level.
Sixteenth Finance Commission and Urban Local Governments
India’s next Finance Commission must boost funds, cut conditions, and back climate-ready cities.
15th Finance Commission: Covid-19 warrants rethink of local government allocations
Pandemic lessons point to the need for more untied funds and stronger urban health defences.
14th Finance Commission: A trust-based approach towards local governments
Bigger, freer grants mark a shift towards trusting cities with their own development.
India’s Finance Commissions have played an increasingly critical role in shaping the fiscal landscape of urban local governance. This subsection brings together contributions by Meera Mehta and Dinesh Mehta across the 14th, 15th, and 16th Finance Commissions, capturing the evolving discourse around intergovernmental transfers, fiscal decentralization, and performance-linked grants. The authors argue for greater financial autonomy of urban local governments (ULGs), highlighting the mismatch between their economic importance and the resources they command. These pieces call attention to the shifting balances of tied versus untied grants, the implications of GST on municipal revenues, and the need for climate-resilient urban infrastructure financing. Together, they reflect a persistent effort to ensure that fiscal federalism is both cooperative and empowering at the local level.
Impact of scheduled desludging on quality of water and wastewater in Wai city, India
Regular septic tank cleaning in Wai is improving river, groundwater, and drain water quality.
Urban drinking water security in Gujarat
Gujarat’s water grid boosted access—but service quality still lags behind.
Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Through Scheduled Desludging Services: Emerging Experience from India
Planned desludging and smart financing are helping cities move toward safe, inclusive sanitation.
Open defecation in India: A faltering India story
Ending open defecation needs more toilets, smarter subsidies, and stronger local leadership.
Text to be added
City sanitation ladder: moving from household to citywide sanitation assessment
Sanitation metrics must move beyond toilets to track the whole service chain.
Capturing Spatial Analysis of Slums in Global Monitoring
Global monitoring misses the mark without data on urban slums.
Urban Drinking Water Security and Sustainability in Gujarat
Gujarat’s water access gains mask persistent service quality gaps.
Financing and monitoring urban water supply and sanitation in Gujarat
Bigger budgets need better cost recovery and stronger monitoring.
Benchmarking in Emerging Economies: The Performance Assessment System in India
India’s PAS project adapts service benchmarking to messy urban realities.
Accountability and Incentives for Improving Performance in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation in India
Performance will lag until utilities get both autonomy and accountability.
Text to be added
Spatial Information System for Housing Market: Housing Price Index and Supplies for Metropolitan Areas
To be written
Land for Shelter: Delivery of Serviced Land in Metropolitan Areas
India’s PAS project adapts service benchmarking to messy urban realities.
Metropolitan Housing Market: A Case of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad’s housing market shows how policy and demand shape urban growth.
Faith in Invisible Hand: National Housing Policy
India’s draft housing policy bets on markets—at the poor’s expense.
Metropolitan Housing Markets: A case study of Ahmedabad
State intervention and market forces combine to commodify Ahmedabad’s housing.
Home Upgradation and Income Generation from Housing
To be written
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