Settlement and Struggle on Chennai’s Buckingham Canal: Working Class Histories of the City

Karen Coelho, A Hariharan, M Sukukumar, T Venkata | 2016 

Abstract

Since 1990, a series of state-led policies in Chennai aimed at relocating slum dwellers to the city’s periphery has transformed the shape of the city. This case critically examines the impacts of two large-scale peripheral resettlement initiatives: the Rajiv Yojana and the Integrated Cooum River Ecorestoration Project. Through in-depth archival analysis and a community co-research audio-video documentation process, this case will trace the socio-spatial shifts underway in Chennai and their impacts. A final case paper that contextualizes resettlement pathways will be supplemented with a rich collection of audio-video content and publications to support the learner in understanding how urban housing and resettlement policies impact the lives of the urban poor in Chennai today.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24943/1-0005