Urban Poverty: Trends, Assessment, and Inclusive Planning as a Solution

Abstract

Poverty in India has been a historic problem, its people being suppressed by rulers and foreign occupants for centuries, depriving them of basic rights. Poverty in India escalated and reached its peak in 1920s. Though, it has in the past remained majorly a rural problem, the trend seems to be shifting now due to migration of people into the urban areas. In the face of the fact of its emergent stature as an economy powerhouse in the world, and even almost seven decades after independence and sensitive self-governance, India has a whopping 65,494,604 of its people living in substandard conditions in slums (notified, recognized as well as identified slums) in its urban areas. This shows a decadal growth rate of 25.1 % from 2001 (Census of India 2011).

Poverty is generally understood in terms of deprivations – human, material, education, dignity, and basic rights, etc., as well as exclusions – political and social. Our country equates poverty to material deprivation and defines it in terms of level of incomes and consumptions – calorific intake. As per McKinsey report 2010, 75 % of urban population in India belongs to the bottom income segment and earns less than an average of Rs. 80, which implies that 254 million out of 341 million urban population fall in this category.

The paper looks into the causes of urban poverty and this colossal socioeconomic divide between the poorest and the rich. This paper also investigates into the various dimensions and characteristic of urban poverty like socioeconomic, demographical, and spatial aspects. The paper concludes by advocating pro-poor inclusive planning as a solution to this disparity and pitches for provision of basic physical and social infrastructures for the urban poor.