Challenges, Perspective and Sustainable Management of Cities in Global South: A Case Study of Patna, Bihar, India
Shubham Kumar SANU, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India, India
Urbanization simply stands for the movement of rural population towards relatively smaller but modern facilities loaded urban areas, where secondary and tertiary activities dominate. The rush of people for better facilities and ease of life has been a very common characteristic throughout the history of urbanization. The phenomenon of rapid urbanization has reached its climax in the global north but on the other hand in the global south, it is under rapid growth in terms of number and population in the cities. India the second-most populous country in the world is in the phase of rapid urbanization. In India, there are more than forty-six million-plus cities with unique features and problems and Patna, the capital city of Bihar (one of the global south states of India) is one of them. Patliputra or modern day's Patna is one of the ancient continuously inhabited urban centres of the world. The city is situated on the south bank of the River Ganga and loosely surrounded by the four rivers Ganga, Gandak, Son and Punpun and used to be the Jal Durg (Water Fort) of ancient times. Presently with a population of 2.35 million, Patna is the focal core of historical, administrative, financial and socio-cultural activities of the state. But with continuous unchecked in-migration, absence of proper management, lack of resources, and prevalent corruption the city is growing haphazardly with a number of problems. Waterlogging, sewage, traffic congestion, lack of sanitation, solid waste management, pollution, haphazard development, poor infrastructure are some of the major issues of the city. A comprehensive analysis of these challenges from a geographical perspective with consideration of local people perspective and aspiration has been done in this research work. Based on the understanding and opinion of the population surveyed a comprehensive strategy for sustainable management and development of Patna city on all challenging fronts has been suggested in this research work.
Mots clés : Urbanization|Global South|Urban Issues|People Perspective|Sustainable Management
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