Resilience and Southern Urbanism: Towards a New Paradigm

This volume studies the urbanisation trends of medium-sized cities of India to develop a typology of urban resilience. It looks at historic second-tier cities like Nashik, Bhopal, Kolkata and Agra, which are laboratories of smart experiments and are subject to technological ubiquity, with rampant deployment of smart technologies and dashboard governance.

The book examines the traditional values and systems of these cities that have proven to be resilient and studies how they can be adapted to contemporary times. It also highlights the vulnerabilities posed by current urban development models in these cities and presents best practices that could provide leads to address impending climate risks. The book also offers a unique Resilience Index that can drive change in the way cities are imagined and administered, customised to specific needs at various scales of application.

Part of the Urban Futures series, the volume is an important contribution to the growing scholarship of southern urbanism and will be of interest to researchers and students of urban studies, urban ecology, urban sociology, architecture, geography, urban design, anthropology, cultural studies, environment, sustainability, urban planning and climate change.

Binti Singh is an urban sociologist. She holds a PhD in urban studies and an MPhil in Planning and Development from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India. She is Associate Professor and Dean (Research and Academic Development) at KRVIA, Mumbai, and is engaged in diverse international research programmes. She is also Book Series Editor of the series Urban Futures and Associate Editor of Oxford Urbanists. She has contributed to several peer-reviewed research journals and edited books.

Manoj Parmar is currently Director, KRVIA, Mumbai. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the L.S.R. School of Architecture, India. He also holds a M. Arch from the University of Miami, Florida, USA. He has been teaching at KRVIA, Mumbai, since 1992. His academic interests include theoretical writing on architecture and urbanism.