Planned Illegalities – Housing and the ‘Failure’ of Planning in Delhi
Introduction
The Ubiquity of Planning Failures
The notion of the “failure of planning” has become a pervasive and enduring narrative in the context of Indian cities. Scholars and urban theorists have repeatedly highlighted the inability of urban planning to address the complexities of urbanization. Decades ago, Ashis Nandy and Jai Sen famously characterized Indian cities as “unintended” (Sen 1976; Nandy 1998), suggesting that their growth and development were largely unplanned and chaotic. This sentiment was echoed by Meera Bapat, who described the “failure, even irrelevance, of the dominant ideology of urban planning” (Bapat 1983). Even two decades later, Gita Diwan Verma’s depiction of urban development as “chaos” (Verma 2002) reinforced the idea that planning had fallen short of its intended goals.
The persistent inadequacy of urban planning has been a recurring theme in academic and policy discussions. Planners have long aspired to “effect a controlled and orderly manipulation of change,” but as Amita Baviskar argues, these efforts have been “continuously thwarted” by the “inherent unruliness of people and places” (Baviskar 2003: 92). This unruliness, often manifesting in the form of informal settlements, unauthorized constructions, and other “planned illegalities,” has rendered traditional planning mechanisms ineffective. At best, urban planning has been deemed “hopelessly inadequate” in addressing the chaos of urban development (Patel 1997). However, inadequacy is perhaps the mildest critique leveled against planning, as its failures have had far-reaching consequences.
The Consequences of Planned Illegalities
The concept of “planned illegalities” sheds light on the systemic and deliberate circumvention of planning norms, often with the tacit approval of state actors. These illegalities are not merely accidental or incidental but are often embedded in the very fabric of urban development. Dunu Roy’s analysis of the twin epidemics of jaundice and cholera in Delhi in 1955 and 1988 underscores the profound implications of planning failures. Roy argues that the worst aspect of these failures was that planners “did not even understand the implications of what they had done” (Roy 2004). This lack of foresight and accountability has perpetuated a cycle of urban crises, where the marginalized bear the brunt of planning’s shortcomings.
The phenomenon of planned illegalities is particularly evident in the context of housing in Delhi. Informal settlements, slums, and unauthorized colonies have proliferated as a result of the failure of formal planning mechanisms to accommodate the housing needs of the urban poor. These settlements, often deemed illegal, are in fact a product of systemic neglect and the inability of planning institutions to address the realities of urbanization. The state’s ambivalence toward these illegalities—alternately tolerating and demolishing them—reveals the contradictions inherent in urban governance.
Rethinking Urban Planning
The persistent narrative of planning failure calls for a fundamental rethinking of urban planning paradigms. The traditional top-down approach, which seeks to impose order on inherently dynamic and complex urban systems, has proven to be ill-suited to the realities of Indian cities. Instead, there is a need for more inclusive and participatory planning processes that recognize and accommodate the informal practices and lived experiences of urban residents.
The concept of planned illegalities challenges the binary of legality and illegality, highlighting the ways in which informal practices are often integral to urban survival. By acknowledging the role of these practices, urban planning can move beyond its current impasse and develop more responsive and equitable strategies for urban development. The failures of planning in Delhi and other Indian cities are not merely technical or administrative but are deeply rooted in the socio-political structures that govern urban life. Addressing these failures requires a shift in perspective, one that embraces the complexities of urbanization and seeks to transform planning into a tool for social justice rather than control.
In conclusion, the discourse on planned illegalities underscores the urgent need to rethink urban planning in the context of Indian cities. By moving beyond the rhetoric of failure and inadequacy, planners and policymakers can develop more nuanced and inclusive approaches to urban development, ones that address the realities of informality and the needs of the urban poor. Only then can the cycle of planned illegalities be broken, and the promise of equitable and sustainable urban development be realized.
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