Benchmarking Cities: Evidence from India

Abstract

Cities in India suffer from inadequate data and information, which has undermined their ability and that of analysts and policymakers to comprehend the complex forces shaping cities and to develop and implement effective urban policies. Given the importance of cities in the country’s economic growth and development, we undertake a review of the country’s four major cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai—in this work. While it is clear that no existing studies present a state of cities in India’s context, not collecting this information has disastrous consequences for cities, as they would not be in a position to understand their own growth nor predict their future planning for public services. This research attempts to fill in this vacuum. In this chapter, indicators and benchmarks are developed for six thematic areas that capture the dynamics and potential of urban areas: history and governance, demographics, economic dimensions, infrastructure and public services, resources, and quality of life. Policymakers, city officials, investors, real estate developers, infrastructure agencies, financiers, industry, credit-rating agencies, the educated general public, and researchers would be interested in the research as it has implications for the business environment and quality of life in the cities.