Delivering development to the urban poor through slum dwellers association: The case of Bhubaneswar smart city, India

Sthitapragyan  Ray; Sramana  Mukherjee

doi:10.59400/issc.v4i1.1476

Sthitapragyan Ray Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha 769008, India
Sramana Mukherjee Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha 769008, India

Article ID: 1476

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/issc.v4i1.1476

Keywords: slum dwellers association; smart city; Bhubaneswar; JAGA Mission; informality

Abstract

As cities become hubs of technological innovation and drivers of development, they are also faced with the challenges of the mushrooming growth of slums. Exposed to crowded living conditions, unsafe and hazardous surroundings and lacking in basic amenities of housing, water and sanitation, the urban poor live a life of deprivation in these settlements. Smart cities are expected to provide novel solutions to the persistent challenges of slums. This research explores Bhubaneswar Smart City, capital of the eastern Indian state of Odisha with respect to the implementation of the government’s flagship urban renewal program—JAGA Mission (Livable Habitat Mission). The paper examines the contributions of Slum Dwellers Associations created under the JAGA Mission for development of poor neighborhoods in Bhubaneswar Smart City. The study findings reveal that despite their capacity and financial shortfalls and the potential for politicization, these grassroots associations of the urban poor contributed to the slum up-gradation initiatives of the state.

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