ENTANGLEMENTS OF URBANIZATION WITH MOBILITY: READING DEVELOPMENT OF THE PAST AND PRESENT IN DELHI'S EXPANDING FOOTPRINT

Keywords: India, Urbanization, Regional Planning, Urban Growth, Case Studies, Transportation Development
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Metro Rail systems are known to catalyze urban land changes. But rapid investment in the Delhi Metro Rail system since 2002, was rooted in the promise of easing vehicle congestion on Delhi’s roads. Initially, it demonstrated the possibility of implementing a transportation system in India that is comparable to those in other rapidly growing economies. However, in this paper, I argue that the continued, perceived success of the Delhi Metro Rail system and its role in (re)shaping the urban footprint needs to be analyzed in the context of the spatial past. Delhi and its surrounding cities have a layered spatial context, where events of nearly 170 years have influenced the intended purpose of its parts. The paper has two objectives: a) to foreground the changes in socio-cultural contexts across the decades within which the metro development took place, and b) to investigate the factors that have pushed the boundaries and formed the current urban footprint. I utilize archival materials, maps, and commentaries to understand the growth patterns and drivers shaping the peripheral cities the neighborhoods. Through four historic episodes of urban and transportation history, the emergent narrative unpacks what makes a transit system, whose performance is debated, iconic for its users and other residents. Decades of experiments and factors other than master plans provided the conditions for setting up the metro system. What emerges is a story behind the narrative of success within the Metro Rail development discourse-Delhi Metro's perceived success can be attributed to access and project management.