Division for Graduate Studies

On 14th November 2024, the Division for Graduate Studies (DGS) at CESS hosted a special lecture delivered by Prof. Jyoti Chandiramani, Director of the Symbiosis School of Economics. Dr. Alivelu Kasturi, Dean of DGS, introduced the distinguished speaker and invited the CESS Director, Prof. E. Revathi, faculty, and scholars to participate. The program was chaired by Prof. E. Revathi.

Prof. E. Revathi highlighted cities as pivotal drivers of economic growth while addressing urban poverty and the rural-urban divide. She emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach to tackle administrative challenges in mega and smart cities while managing sustainable development. Referring to Hyderabad’s historical significance as India’s fifth-largest city, she noted the issues of unemployment caused by migration.

Prof. Chandiramani discussed urbanization’s transformative role in fostering economic growth, focusing on poverty, inclusion, water and power infrastructure, and the transition to inclusive growth with livability. She emphasized the importance of amenities like Har Ghar Jal, roads, electricity, and multidisciplinary research in achieving sustainable urban environments.

She also explained global urban growth trends, noting that structural transformations have already occurred, as seen in the COVID-19 period’s reverse migration. Despite industries becoming more productive yet less labour-intensive, she stressed the need for enhanced productivity and planning.

She highlighted the exponential growth of the Indian stock market, reflecting a shift of funds from banking to capital markets. Prof. Chandiramani emphasized that well-managed cities are like efficient organizations, making good use of resources, improving livability, and ensuring fairness.

She praised the progress in providing water to slums in Pune, where water is now supplied on time, even if some housing societies face delays. This is seen as a positive step, prioritizing marginalized communities.

Prof. Paul Romer, a Nobel laureate economist, emphasized the importance of cities in fostering cooperation and helping individuals connect with the right people and ideas. He proposed a cost-effective urban planning approach called “Making Room,” focusing on planning for urban expansion.

She said that people are drawn to cities because of factors like jobs, education, and livelihoods. Creating cities is important, and she pointed out that South Korea successfully built the smart city of Saundo. However, she mentioned that in China, “ghost cities” face problems because people are not moving to them. She emphasized that cities are not created by force; people only move to cities when they need to. Ultimately, she said, people make cities, not the other way around.

She also discussed India’s urban dynamics, highlighting Pune’s expansion through its municipal corporations, Hyderabad’s metropolitan growth across districts, and Amaravati’s potential as a future metropolitan region.

She said that if we don’t start planning now for 2047, we’ll face more destruction and climate disasters, leading to costly rebuilding. It’s crucial to act now. She referred to Jane Jacobs in the book Cities are a Wealth of Nations (1984), where it’s stated that cities are engines of growth, with urban populations contributing 80% of global GDP. She also pointed out that a country’s economy grows through urbanization. According to an IIHS paper (2013), India’s top 10 cities account for almost 8% of the population, generate 15% of economic output, and occupy only 0.1% of the land. She highlighted that unplanned, unsensitized, and poorly informed interventions, driven by corruption between officials and bureaucrats, have created this problem. People and cities are suffering, and it’s shocking how people continue to live in toxic environments, such as the poor air quality in Delhi. She also mentioned that with 55% of the world’s population living in urban areas (projected to be 68% by 2050), cities are at the forefront of Sustainable Development Goals implementation. Urbanization brings challenges like overcrowding, pollution, housing shortages, and inequality, but it also offers opportunities for innovation, economic growth, and efficient resource use.

The lecture concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Ch. Krishna Rao.