The State of Our Cities

Abstract

Abstract Cities in Karnataka, as in India, suffer from inadequate data and information, which has undermined their ability and that of analysts and policymakers to comprehend the complex forces shaping cities and to develop and implement effective urban policies. Given the importance of cities in Karnataka's economic growth and development, the book undertakes a review of 15 major cities. While it is clear that no existing studies present the state of cities in India's context, not collecting this information has disastrous consequences for cities, since they would not be in a position to understand their own growth nor predict their future planning for public services. This book attempts to fill in this vacuum. In this book, indicators and benchmarks are developed for six thematic areas that capture the dynamics and potential of urban areas: history and governance, demographics, economic dimensions, infrastructure and public services, resources, and quality of life. Policymakers, city officials, investors, real estate developers, infrastructure agencies, financiers, industry, credit rating agencies, the educated general public, and researchers would be interested in the book since it has implications for the business environment and quality of living in these cities. The book also provides a description of best practices in service delivery across the 15 cities, so that these can be shared across the cities, and competition encouraged among them for firms, investment, and better residents with promise of a better quality of living.