India is witnessing a phenomenal increase in urbanisation and it is essential that this process is studied and analysed thoroughly to provide for a better quality of life, said Mr. Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution, while formally releasing ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal, published by Observer Research Foundation in ORF Mumbai on September 20.
India is witnessing a phenomenal increase in urbanisation and it is essential that this process is studied and analysed thoroughly to provide for a better quality of life, said Mr. Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution, on Wednesday in ORF Mumbai.
Mr. Talbott was in ORF Mumbai to formally release ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal, which has been published by Macmillan in association with Observer Research Foundation.
He released the book along with Dr. Parvinder Singh Pasricha, Director General of Police, Maharashtra, Dr. S. Narayan, Senior Adviser, Observer Research Foundation, Prof. S. D. Muni, Director (Research), ORF, Prof. Abhay Pethe, Academic Adviser, ORF Mumbai Vision 2015 and Ms. Annu Tandon, Trustee and Honorary Treasurer, ORF.
"India is central to our research concerns and that is why we have a long-standing and fruitful partnership with the Observer Research Foundation. ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal can be the first step forward to jointly study the issues of urban governance and system," said Mr. Talbott.
He added there is synergy between the Urban Studies Programme of ORF and the Metropolitan Policy Programme at Brookings. "We are interested in ORF's efforts to study Bangalore and Kolkata from the point of Information Technology as a primary growth engine," he said.
Earlier, Prof. S. D Muni, Director (Research), said he was happy that ORF was making rapid strides in the field of policy research. "ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal is ORF Mumbai chapter's biggest project till date and I am happy that they brought out an excellent compilation of papers," he said.
Prof. Abhay Pethe, Academic Adviser of the project, explained how ORF made every effort not to 'reinvent the wheel'. "ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal deliberately did not touch upon several issues and themes. We did a lot of background research, which is in the form of a chapter in the book, that gave us a detailed understanding of what plans are available for the city and which ones are being implemented. We have only gone into areas, where attention has not been paid or where a change in paradigm was needed," he said.
Dr. Pasricha explained how the Steering Committee for the project went about the task of selecting experts, short-listing them and evolving themes and topics. He also brought forth the challenges that were facing ORF Mumbai and how this book seeks to resolve them by involving all stakeholders in the city.
Dr. S Narayan explained the philosophy and the concept behind the National Initiatives of ORF, especially the Urban Studies Programme. "India is urbanising fast. Today 40 per cent of Tamil Nadu's population is living in urban areas. By 2010 it is expected to increase to 65 per cent," he said.
"We have taken up the task of studying Bangalore and Kolkata as both are looking at Information Technology as transformative agents. It is for the first time that two cities, being powered by one primary growth engine, are being studied together from the point of view of urbanisation and governance," he added.
Ms. Tandon, the project's mentor and ORF's Trustee and Honorary Treasurer, said the project was a collaborative effort involving all the stakeholders of the city and ORF as a non-partisan think tank provided the ideal platform for diverse interests and points of view to come together, debate issues and evolve solutions. "I urge the Government of Maharashtra and the Government of India to constitute a task force to study the report and implement its recommendations, which are comprehensive and at the same time doable," she said
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
