Precariousness has increasingly become a typical characteristic of urban spaces, where social and economic transformations lead to rises in material and environmental insecurity. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) will be hosting a discussion on ‘precarious neighborhoods’ featuring panelists from government and academia alike, to present and discuss how precarious neighborhoods can be approached within the broader urban context. Agnès Deboulet will be speaking about the issue, while Véronique Dupont and Solomon Benjamin will present cases focusing on Delhi and Chennai metropolitan areas. This will be followed by a discussion with the participants, beginning with a response from the panel constituted of Anjali Bharadwaj, Bipin Rai, and Rakesh Ranjan.
The discussion is in the context of the book, Rethinking Precarious Neighborhoods, published by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which aims to change our perspective on such urban spaces. Building on extensive field research across all continents, the contributions in this book demonstrate that the diversity and uniqueness of these precarious neighborhoods is not well understood. They should neither be vilified nor glorified; they are simply home to ordinary citizens who live and work in diverse cities.
This book’s wide range of contributions examine accepted ideas about such precarious neighborhoods, challenging traditional concepts surrounding clearance, rehousing, rehabilitation, or the formal categories of citizenship. Participants at the workshop will receive a copy of the book.
Solomon Benjamin is Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras. Anjali Bharadwaj is Founder, Satak Nagrik Sangathan (SNS). Agnès Deboulet is Professor of Sociology, Université Paris-VIII Vincennes Saint-Denis, and Associate Director of the Laboratoire Ville, Architecture, Urbanisme Environnement, LAVUE-CNRS. Véronique Dupont is Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Research for Development (IRD), and Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre For Policy Research (CPR). Bipin Rai is Member-Expert (Non-Official), Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). Rakesh Ranjan is Senior Consultant, NITI Aayog.
The event will be followed by lunch. Kindly RSVP at ayan@cprindia.org.
