Atanu Chatterjee on Governance and Design in Slum Rehabilitation

Ideas of India

I spoke with Atanu Chatterjee, a PhD candidate in geography at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a lecturer at the School of Human Settlements, XIM University Bhubaneswar. We discussed his dissertation examining the in situ slum rehabilitation scheme through a state-led intervention in low income housing in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. We talked about the reasons for the emergence of urban slums in Ahmedabad, the successes and failures of the in situ slum rehabilitation scheme, the differences across four recent slum redevelopments, the types of problems residents face post rehabilitation, and much more.

Recorded September 12th, 2024.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:10) - Grand Tamasha

(00:02:54) - The Aims of In Situ Slum Redevelopment

(00:05:58) - Frameworks for Understanding Slums

(00:10:06) - The Economic Context of Slums in Relation to Governance

(00:12:26) - Communal Violence and Segregation and the Formation of Slums

(00:15:46) - Approaches to Slum Redevelopment

(00:17:05) - Slum Redevelopment in Ahmedabad

(00:19:37) - Ahmedabad As a Success Story?

(00:21:35) - Consent and Coercion in the Redevelopment of Slums

(00:26:07) - Public–Private Partnerships and Participation in Redevelopment Schemes

(00:27:21) - Challenges in Adjusting to In Situ Redevelopment

(00:30:19) - Expectations of Living in a Post-Redevelopment Colony

(00:32:03) - Basis for Evaluating the Success of Rehabilitation

(00:34:01) - Allotment of Homes and Ownership Restrictions

(00:36:15) - Questions Regarding the Resale of Allotted Homes

(00:40:04) - Issues that Impede Residents’ Adjustment to Communal Living

(00:42:51) - The Role of the State in Facilitating Transitions to Redeveloped Housing

(00:44:14) - Mechanisms for Creating Successful Redevelopments

(00:46:27) - A Participatory Approach Versus a Top-Down Approach to Redevelopment

(00:49:03) - Building the Capacity of Community Associations

(00:51:36) - Grounds for Optimism

(00:53:09) - Improvements of the Institutional Framework Through Community Empowerment

(00:54:45) - The Potentially Supportive Role of NGOs

(00:56:390 - No Quick Fixes but Revised Platforms

(00:57:33) - Outro