The Indian Metropolis

A monumental work
that shows how economic vitality can go hand-in-hand with creating
vibrant
cities offering a haven for cultural and intellectual
expression.

For most urban Indians, the past few years have been unsettling—we have
seen neighbourhoods
locked down for months during a pandemic, increasing the daily challenges
of earning a living as
well as of access to good healthcare and education. Inflation has ravaged
the land with spiralling
prices of food, rent and transport. Our cities are hard to live in; lacking
basic amenities, while being
unaesthetic and discordant with our civilization.

As economic growth takes priority, questions about liveability and
meaningful employment arise,
along with concerns about the deteriorating law and order. In blindly and
poorly aping Western
models, our cities homogenize, losing their character, their identity and
their soul. Meanwhile,
climate change is no longer a mythical or distant possibility but a
distinct and immediate reality.
A typical city must now cope with extreme temperatures, both flooding and
water shortages and
abysmal air quality. These can no longer be treated as threats but as
certainties to be planned for.

The Indian Metropolis seeks to begin a national
conversation on these issues and suggests ways to turn our cities into
enabling, energizing environments geared towards enhancing the daily life of
the average city dweller.