Abstract

The question of who plans human settlements is a contentious one and difficult to answer. Several scholars writing on Indian cities have described the prevalence, extent, and efficacy of urban planning in India, especially the role of the government and its agencies (see, for example, Sundaresan, 2013; Ghertner, 2011; Roy, 2009; Chatterjee, 2004). There is also a vibrant body of literature on contemporary Indian cities explaining how non-state players create, support, and shape formal and informal planning processes as well as the politics of these processes. It is not difficult to see that while the overall responsibility for urban planning rests with state and city governments and their agencies, these are far from being the only stakeholders in the process (see, for example, Sami, 2013a; Shatkin, 2013; Kundu, 2011; Weinstein, 2011; Baud and de Wit, 2008; Benjamin, 2008; Weinstein, 2008). Highlighting the complex and intricate governmental machinery responsible for the planning of and in Indian cities, ongoing debates have also illuminated the wide range of actors and institutions involved in this process formally as well as informally, within the government as well as outside.

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