8. Influence of Socialism and Neo-Liberalism and Their Policies on Growth of Indian Cities

Dramatic growth is witnessed by Indian cities after Independence and is similar to worldwide urbanization phenomenon. While many factors have influenced this rapid urban growth in India, scholars have proposed that neo-liberalist ideology; post-economic reforms in 1990s have evolved as major influencing factor. Studies have put forth that neo-liberalism has influenced economic growth of India, which opened different employment patterns, in several globally linked sectors located in and around the major cities. The current study investigates influence of this on urban transformation of Indian metropolitan cities. It purposes that neo-Liberalism has accelerated the growth of cities, impacting urban land cover, urban densities, functional performance of new buildings, urban economic structure and social interactions, opening new avenues like neighbourhood townships, IT cities and communication centres and other new development typologies are springing up. Thus, slowly and steadily moderating the cityscape, leading to expansion of urban areas into polycentric decentralized form and blurring of urban and rural borders. The study put forth that Indian cities are in a flux between effects of socialist ideology and neo-liberalist ideology.