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Delhi: A World Class Smart City or An Inclusive And Equitable Capital?

By Shalu Nigam

14 February, 2015
Countercurrents.org

Delhi, a city of historic significance has created one more record in the recent elections when it witnessed a landslide and a decisive mandate in an electoral democracy where a newly emerged party won the elections by the sweeping margins against the stalwarts who are in the field for decades. Delhi observed a radical shift in national politics where the electorate moved beyond the caste or class based divide or community specific grouping probably because this election is about the rising hope, realizing dreams and increasing aspirations of people who want change – a change that can bring in real progress and development that is beneficial to all rather than benefitting a few. This election mirrors the inherent social contradictions in the existing society and political transformation in the new age that unleashes the power of democracy. The poll results are reflective of the assertion of masses to transform the society.  The verdict also raised the pertinent question about developing the India's capital as a world class smart city or an inclusive and equitable metropolis. In this essay, the author attempts to find solutions to this query as a resident and a native of the city from the gender perspective.

Delhi: As a Capital and a Growing Urban Landscape

Like any other city around the world, Delhi is a dynamic metropolitan. It is growing, changing and adapting itself in response to social, economic and political shifts within the society. Delhi has a long history of destruction, reconstruction and resilience. The historic and symbolic processes have constructed and transformed the place on the basis of subjectivities and today the city in reality is a material expression of ideas on how the society was, the way it is and how it should be. Different rulers came and implemented their own agenda, architect, city's planning and designing the reminiscence of which is evident in terms of old forts, royal palaces created by the Pandavas of Mahabharat, Maurya Empire, Lodhi Dynasty, Mughal rulers among others which is also evident in the form of darbars, havelis and conventional kind of architect in the lanes of old Delhi in comparison to modernity and new architect reflected by the Lutyens' Delhi constructed during the British rule.

Known today in general parlance as `Dilwalon ka shehar' Delhi is a second most populated city in the world with 25 million population after Tokyo with 38 million inhabitants [1] . The density of population has enormously increased over a period of years, currently, it is alarmingly high and stands at 11000 persons per sq.km [2] . This is due to the fact that the city has welcomed people in spite of its limitations in terms of resources. It is being predicted that the population of Delhi will rise to 36 million by 2030. The territorial or built up area of the city is also expanding enormously in accordance with the demands. Besides expanding spatially, gradually along with urbanization, Delhi is emerging as a jungle of concrete with fancy flyovers, malls, plush offices, growing horizontally and vertically. Muddy roads are being replaced themselves with coal tar ones, though potholes still appear and reappears everywhere. The number of vehicles plying on the roads is increasing day by day with shrinking spaces to park the same.

Being a capital, Delhi also has a dynamic political and administrative hub with key controls of governance like Ministries, Supreme Court, the central government offices and other authorities located here. Delhi is also a place where people express their dissent against governance in the form of protests, marches and mobilizations on various issues. The mechanism of power operates as suggested by Foucault and is visible through the set of rigid binary rules in official versus everyday practices, authority vis-à-vis ordinary people and compliance as oppose to resistance.

Further, the city is not just a material conglomeration rather it is a socio-political and economic structure shaped by the body politic and its spatial narratives are determined by power relations and social organization of those who rule. In terms of spatiality, economics, quality of life, infrastructure growth, provisions of basic amenities or facilities or even issues like safety, the capital could not sustain itself and lag behind in many aspects. What it could manage to create is an environment which intensifies inequalities in terms of income and opportunities to its inhabitants.

The power relations determined the allocation of space and resources. City determines citizenship based on the principle of exclusion while taking into account factors such as class, religion, sex, property ownership among others. Corruption, muscle, money, power all work together while violating laws and overlooking regulations. Forests area, farms, open land area, agricultural land all are being taken in the name of urban landscape without guaranteeing livelihoods, amenities and facilities to those from whom the land has been usurped. In the zeal of creating a smart world class city, urban poor are being alienated from their land, livelihood, housing and basic services across the city.

As an affirmation of urban space, the city possesses both constraints and opportunities for its inhabitants. It is a harbinger of economic development, employment and opportunities on one hand, yet on the other side it is polluted, congested, overcrowded, crime ridden and reproduces violence and marginalization. The capital thus makes a significant impact in varying ways on the lives of its diverse populace. The discriminatory urban space presents both constraints and opportunities, and has made a varying impact in different ways on the lives of different inhabitants of a city.

The growth and expansion of this urban space is not planned well therefore one can notice spaces where slums and plush buildings exist together. Private colonies emerged haphazardly while provisions of basic amenities like public toilets, schools, clinics, health facilities, parking or open spaces all are overlooked. Fragmented and sectoral approach to urban growth is leading to chaos and flawed development. Unplanned development resulted in uneven growth thus the fast moving metros, high flyovers, lavish malls and expanding SEZs that are considered as icons of progress are created neglecting basic requirements like increased land use, water usage, electricity supply or provisions for waste management. The city currently is jostling in terms of space – space not only for parking cars or construction of basic services network like schools, dispensaries etc but also a space to breathe in a free unpolluted air, to relax in an open environment or to simply walk, sit or live freely. The crisis of urbanization is evident in widening inequalities, lack of infrastructure development and resources and unmanageable disarrayed multilayered system.

The architects of urban space are discriminatory and cater to the needs and requirement of handful of rich people while neglecting and often displacing the masses. Therefore, on one hand, there are a few rich families who occupy a large space, number of houses, parking spaces, huge offices, roads are built in so as they could drive their fancy cars, and on the other hand, millions of people who construct those houses or build the roads, sweat in the factory to make cars and other luxury items for the consumption of rich are struggling to find a small space for themselves.

The city while following a top down approach exclude those on margins and are in majority who somehow become invisible to those who planned it. This biased urban embodiment produced an ephemeral transient culture which alienates those who are significant in quantity within the city. The Brookings Institutions' Global Metro Monitor Map that measures and compares growth patterns on the basis of two key economic indicators – annual growth rate of GDP per capita and annual growth of employment in the world's 300 largest metro economies puts Delhi at 18^th place [3] . 

About People of Delhi who Exercise their Right to Franchise

Delhi is a microcosm of India with its cosmopolitan nature and population of over 1.7 crores as per 2011 census of which male and female are 8,987,326 and 7,800,615 respectively [4] . The number of people eligible to vote in the year 2014 is 1.3 crores. Around 59.2 lakh women voters and 73.89 lakh men voters exercised their option to choose change, and transform the situation in the city. Delhi is also seen as a `mini India' perhaps because of influx of migrants from every nook and corner of the country.  The complex structure of the city comprises of people who are its native habitants, population which migrated several decades back and those who entered recently. In this urban conglomeration within Delhi, distinct social identities earmarked by different caste, community, gender or social background collide with each other, conspire against others and accommodate together depending on the location, requirement and situation.

People from all over the country come to the capital with the dreams in their eyes and hopes in their heart but there are many who enter the city without any asset or capital relying merely on their ability to sell their labour [5] . Many of them are therefore compelled to live in ghettoized conditions joining a millions of others who are already the part of this city. This population has been referred to as an `underclass' ­ or `atomized part of humanity' comprising mostly of the industrial workers, unorganized sector laborers, petty shopkeepers and traders, office and shop employees and service providers attempting to survive on the margins without minimum facilities like water, electricity or sanitation and are often oppressed by the administrative machinery [6] . It has been estimated that about 60% of these people lives on less than Rs13,500 per month out of which 21% survives on less than Rs 7,000 per month. 29 lakh people are employed in 9 lakh establishments according to provisional results of the 6th Economic Census conducted in 2013 working on less than minimum wages.

 It is this population which voted to create a history. This is because this category of the urban poor who are the part and parcel of the city and its economy are being overlooked, marginalized and neglected by the urban planners. Their basic needs are disregarded while planning and developing the city. The momentous electoral statement is imagined struggle of these `underclass' and the middle class people struggling on margins and is nurtured by their hope for restructuring the politics and governance within the country [7] .

Though the political pundits, the sociological experts, the media gurus all are analyzing on the surprising mandate on how the party which is ruling the Centre is defeated or how the family dynasty which has been ruling for decades failed. According to this analysis, none of the political party could deceive the mature voters of Delhi by their tricks of using Modi card, Money, Mudslinging, Majoritarianism [8] . It has been held that arrogance or Megalomania [9] depicted in 56 inch chest or 10 lakhs worth of business suit worn by the Prime Minister on the Republic Day event while welcoming the US President, supremacism, politics of polarization, favouring business while ignoring poor, sectarian politics, politics behind Land Acquisition ordinance, cutting funds from MGNREGA, promoting Hindutava style of functioning while maintaining silence on issues like Ghar wapsi or Love Jehad [10] , anti-women statements, gimmick and sloganeering around sanitation, all combined to erode the aura of invincibility.

Also, it has been said that voters welcomed the new style of governance, which opposes hierarchy and is irreverent towards authority, is based on principle of egalitarianism, outreaching masses, playing morality, catering to the imagination of migrants in terms of access, empowerment and livelihoods [11] , fighting corruption, commitment to provide better services, striking right cords by empathizing on real issues concerning masses, creating accountability of rulers toward public and expand livelihood for the common people and above celebration of toiling masses by creating mass based participatory governance.

As far as gender issues are concerned the media pundits forecasted that women safety, security, inflation are among the major issues that voters considered before exercising their franchise [12] . Women safety is an issue that existed as a common agenda in the Manifestos of all the political parties though women's right as such are neglected [13] . The key highlights of the BJP's manifesto were self-defence classes in schools, dedicated police stations for women in each district, fast-track courts, CCTVs and more ladies' buses. It also fielded a woman candidate as its Chief Minister's candidate. The Congress promised gender-sensitive training of police and government workforce, better policing and stricter punishment for crimes against women. The AAP, which won the elections, promised to set up a Mahila Suraksha Dal or Women's Security Force, a Suraksha/SOS button on every mobile phone, CCTV cameras in Buses and a street lighting across the city. AAP also initiated a Delhi Dialogue Scheme which provides a platform for political discourse around the issue.

However, apart from the analysis what is certain is that the Delhi voted for change, for concrete action and development around the issues that affect them the most. Most importantly, the women voters in the city considered various issues in making their choices.

Gender and the Urban Spaces

As urban spaces, cities have particular forms of physical, economic, social and institutional organization. Women, men, the elderly, children, teenagers, disabled people, caste based or religious minorities, migrant workers, the rich and poor, all experience and contribute to the city in different ways. However, not all receive equal benefits or attention by the city planners and designers. The city marginalizes women and immigrants besides discriminating people on the basis of caste, class and religion. The city uses distinct social norms and traditions to treat men and women differently. This is because the masculine codes are used to define and shape the city and this restricts the space for women. Women, like the poor are considered as invisible, inferior and an interruption in an urban city, a symptom of a disorder and a problem therefore make the city an unlivable place.

 A woman thus in order to negotiate within the male dominated spaces have to manufacture respectability while providing legitimate reasons to hang out in public places like parks or bus stops. Their mobility is well guarded and monitored as per the perceptions of safety and societal norms. The public space thus no longer remains neutral because it restricts movement and alienates women. It acts hostile to women and inflicts violence creating a deep sense of insecurity and vulnerability. Women's presence in `an unsafe' public space is seen as a violation and therefore legitimize greater restrictions on their movement. Safety therefore becomes an apparent reason to deny women access to public space and in the guise of `protection' of women's choices and freedom are restricted in order to prevent them from entering into relationship with undesirable poor men from a different community.

Safety and protection are therefore rooted in preserving class, caste or religious based community structures and involve `protection' not only from sexual assault but also from undesirable sexual liaison thus upholding sexual endogamy and to protect the `honour' of the community [14] . Narratives of safety focus on middle class women who are the symbol of Indian women hood and contain within them the notions of honour or izzat, respectability and modernity in a complex community life which they need to visibly demonstrate through linking the public and private spaces. The onus lies on a middle class woman to reveal the purpose of her presence in public space thus separating `good' women from `bad' women. To access public space women are expected to conform to a larger patriarchal order by manufacturing purpose to be out of privacy and sacred domain of home. Women who flouts these social norms are considered as defiant are subjected to hostility and harassment and are labeled as misfits. The society knowingly or unknowingly creates a code for women to command respectability in public places through dress code, body language, wearing symbols of matrimony, the manner in which they carry themselves. A woman thus has to endorse the patriarchal structures to negotiate for their access in a public space.

Even globalization has failed to transform this stricture; rather it doubly pressurized women to embody the new vision of modern desirable women and simultaneously adhere to norms of respectable Indian women. The new spaces like malls or coffee shops created as a byproduct of globalization offers illusion in terms of providing autonomy to women in the guise of promoting the culture of consumption while insidiously reinforcing traditional gender roles, sexuality norms and class codes. The safety debate is thus promoted by globalization forces on one hand and fundamentalist forces on the other hand to alienate marginalized from the culture of the city promotes multi-layered exclusion, push poor and marginalized to periphery and act to curtail women's access to public spaces besides legitimizing policing on every day movement. Women in such situations negotiate their own ways to access public spaces and therefore their expectation from the city is guided by their own notions of what city is and what it should be.

What Delhi Actually Wants?

The discussion indicates that mandate is clear and what the city voted for is delivery, performance and accountability of the government in terms of making Delhi a more livable, neutral, violence free place. More than creating a smart city [15] the decision favors creating an equitable and inclusive city with gender sensitive urban planning and designing. It is clearly highlighted that the key feature of an ideal city lies not in intersect between competitiveness, capital and sustainability [16] but in interconnectedness between equity and inclusiveness. Before making the city a magnet for investment, essential is to make it a livable, lively, inclusive entity by accommodating diverse needs and practices.

A key concern that needs attention is making the city a people friendly reasonable habitat prior to making it a market viable place. The reasons lie in the fact that the metaphor of the city is created through its unique stories of shared struggle, pains and joy rather than geographical maps based on abstract knowledge or physical and material aspects which colonize spaces. It is the collective aspirations, shared dreams combined legends, connected memories, accumulated hopes and common dreams that make the city habitable and meaningful. Therefore, improving the quality of life of its citizen is a priority besides addressing technological challenges. Urbanization has to be humanely and must address the basic issues of poverty, hunger, water, education, health and so on. Addressing urban poverty is a key feature of an inclusive city. People voted for a new form of participatory governance where those who rule are accountable towards people, which is free from corruption.

An inclusive city seeks innovative ways to accommodate diverse needs and practices of people with different needs. This may include working on simple ideas like building ramps for differently abled people in order to provide ease of access or building adequate playgrounds for children.

There is a need to evolve sustainable alternatives to housing, waste management, water, energy and other basic requirements. Besides addressing the issue of `bijli, sadak and pani' there is a need to delve into deeper issues that relates to everyday existence and survival of majority of Delhi residents. Opportunities for employment, food security, education, health services are the basic issues that have been promised by successive governments but remain unfulfilled and the issue of `roti, kapda aur maakan' still exists as an elusive dream for many.

Economic restructuring of the city in a way to eradicate inequalities and poverty situations is essential. Freedom from corruption, red-tapism, bureaucratic tangles is an agenda that has not yet attained in spite of promises. Basic amenities in low income settlements need to be looked into. The aim of the inclusive urban governance is to reduce inequalities and decrease social and communal tensions, enhances participation and local ownership of development processes and incorporates the knowledge, productivity and social capital of the poor and disadvantaged in city development.

Inclusive city involves multi-level planning based on economic, social, environmental and culturally sensitive policies that recognizes that every individual has the right to full and equal participation in the built environment and that they can shape their own environment to meet their own needs.

Housing for poor has to be a part of urban development plan. Low cost rental and dormitory arrangements with health and education services for temporary and migrant labourers may facilitate inclusion.

Full access to quality education with shared use between schools, parks and community facilities may be a feasible option. Education – not literacy, including adult education on issues like legal literacy and financial literacy has been neglected by the governments over decades. Health remains as a neglected issue in spite of multiple agencies operating to deal with the same.

Women's access to secure tenure land housing and housing finance is often more elusive than for men. Redistribution of land, cooperative housing schemes, self reliant, participatory community policies all will aid towards building equitable cities.

Enhanced facilities and laws to protect the rights of women workers in formal sector as well as in informal work situations will aid in women's access to opportunity to work. Creating a conducive environment for small businesses for women entrepreneurs will facilitate women's participation in the economy.

Migration cannot be controlled through divisive prohibitive authoritarian regime but through rural development by enriching rural areas with resources, facilities for education and health and empowerment through promoting livelihood of local rural population.

Delhi wants more of shelter homes, short stay homes, counseling centers, orphan homes, old age homes, and similar services which are user friendly for men, women and children. Well-maintained and usable community facilities and gathering spaces that can be built, landscaped, and maintained

The city requires viable, multimodal, interconnected public transit systems with seamless spaces that are friendly and inclusive of everyone including those with disabilities, young children and elderly.

The policy of fragmenting the city through divisive politics is not going to sustain now rather it is the policy of inclusion that respects diversity supported by the rights based approach and caters to the requirement of masses instead of classes is the need of the hour.   

The city requires restructuring itself to provide a meaningful inclusion to all of its habitants where people can claim access to public spaces, express their collective ownership and adapt it to their individual or collective lives. Public spaces should be able to provide a sense of belongingness. Adding open public spaces like maidan, parks, playgrounds where different people can come to meet, run, play games, read, where parents can bring kids, senior citizens can walk and just be themselves.

An inclusive city aims toward creating vibrant streets where vendors play an integral role in distributing goods produced by formal or informal producers in small quantities at affordable prices to consumers in convenient locations while enhancing the sociability and security of a public space. Street vendors form a vital part of the social and economic life of a city

Gender-sensitive urban planning implies responding to the complexities of women's lives, which in turn is fluid and changing. Conventionally, women's lives are restricted to private space of the home engaged with the domesticity or community work while men occupy the public space in urban streets and engaged with paid employment. However, this is changing and therefore this superficial dichotomy of private and public spaces needs re-examination. The city planning and designing must therefore be done accordingly. The city that is equitable, inclusive, sustainable, eco-friendly and provides freedom and mobility to women and developed on the principles of equity and justice is essential.                                       

Creating safe public spaces for women by lighting the roads, registration and verification of all commercial vehicles including buses, autos and taxis and identification of owners, drivers and staff, and building safe communities are some of the steps that may open women's access to public places and facilitate to celebrate urban living.

A city that ensures freedom and mobility to women is essential. Far away from lofty goals of safety and protection of women, what women want are cities that ensures mobility, space to play, to sit, chat and as put by a recent study  - a space to loiter [17] . Reducing crime against women is just an aspect of it. Fast track courts may aim for speedy procedure, however, will it also guarantee justice to women is a big question that needs to be answered. The modern imagination of the city life is about freedom and liberation – freedom to engage with public space for the sake of pleasure or fun. It is to reclaim the public spaces at night or during the day without the fear of being stigmatized as a `loose' woman, without fear of violence or loosing honour, by dissolving hierarchies – an unconditional right to public spaces. The demand is the women's rights as inclusive citizens to access public spaces for which administration has the responsibility to radically transform the city by imagining new possibilities, by thoughtfully designing spaces to maximize access, by providing facilities like street lightening, sensitive law enforcement, transport, public toilets, parks among others.

More importantly, the city needs clean and usable women's restroom besides men's toilets. More specifically this will include toilet facilities for women living in slums and also for general public.

Affordable transport systems circumvent critical destinations; they are overcrowded and sometimes dangerous and are often unreliable and irregular. This hinders women in their domestic and caring responsibilities, impedes their productivity and even threatens their safety

Freedom from violence against women, minorities, poor and migrants is a goal that needs attention.

What is also required is to work on changing the mindset and attitude besides making the superficial changes in the appearance of the city.

Sustainable eco friendly city with affordable basic services and facilities for waste management is required. Despite of the fact that the Cleaning Yamuna campaign has been taken up the previous governments the river still remains polluted.

In a current scenario, it is essential that the urban governance begins by addressing the issues of gender inequality while at the same time directing attention to broader questions of diversity and democracy in government responsibility and civic engagement.

Introducing more women in public office and in the planning professions and listening to women's voices through consultative and participatory processes in the urban governance may direct attention to the responsiveness of the government to women's needs and enhance civic engagement

An integrated coordinated approach to urban management is recommended keeping in mind the diverse needs of people from different background. The task of building an inclusive city is also predicated on meaningful participation on the part of disadvantaged and disenfranchised women and men. This implies facilitating people to organize their everyday lives and to engage in a planning process where they can negotiate on their own terms. An inclusive and equitable city is about accountability of those who are in governance and about dignity of inhabitants of the city and is possible by striving towards holistic approach that is possible through social equity and creating just and fair society, environment sustainability, economic growth with equitable distribution and political empowerment of disempowered.        

The author is a concerned citizen and a native of Delhi. She has been born and brought up in the city. She may be contacted at [email protected]                                                                                                                    

 

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