Adversities In Diver‘City’. TheDark Side Of Diversity | SAIBA GUPTA
Author: Saiba Gupta
Affiliation: National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
Abstract
Governments around the world encountered fiscal stress in the wake of the pandemic, with cities facing economic plight. As is the case with most disasters, it is the poor that largely paid the price. A large section of what makes up the Indian economy comprises of the informal sector that cannot ‘work from home’. So when the first lockdown was announced in India back in March 2020, tens of millions of people were pushed into poverty. The harrowing images of migrant workers walking hundreds of miles to get back to their villages could be seen from across the country. With urban areas being so starkly divided, the increasing risk of poverty has become an evident consequence of the pandemic. Dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19 will require addressing these deep-rooted social inequalities, particularly to build the resilience of marginalized groups. Although cities’ preparedness and responses to the crisis mainly rely on larger institutional and economic capacities, the local response is also crucial for future resilience and sustainable recovery, starting at the community level. There have been several instances of solidarity witnessed at local levels, with individuals and enterprises coming together in collective action. Hence, urban areas with all their diverse contributing factors, have a ‘decisive, potentially agile role in the battle for a just and green recovery’
References List
Mahadevia, D., Sarkar, S. (2012). Handbook of urban inequalities. New Delhi Oxford: Oxford University Press;
Mohanty, P.K. (2014). Cities and public policy an urban agenda for India. New Delhi, Sage;
Zetter, R. and White, R.R. (2002). Planning in cities: sustainability and growth in the developing world. London: Itdg Pub;
Ahluwalia, I.J. (2017). Urban governance in India. Journal of Urban Affairs, 41(1), 83–102.
Aditi Ratho and Preeti Lourdes John, eds, Rethinking Cities in a Post-COVID-19 World (New Delhi: ORF and Global Policy Journal, 2020) [Online]. Available at: https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Rethinking-Cities-ORF1.pdf [Accessed 1 June 2021].
Biswas, S. (2020) ‘Coronavirus: India's pandemic lockdown turns into a human tragedy’, BBC News, 30 March [Online].
Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52086274 (Accessed: 5 May 2021)
Chen, M.A., and G. Raveendran. (2014). “Urban Employment in India: Recent Trends and Patterns.” WIEGO Working Paper 7 (Statistics). Cambridge, MA, USA: WIEGO [Online]. Available at: https://www.wiego.org/sites/default/fles/publications/fles/Chen-Urban-Employment-India-WIEGO-WP7.pdf (Accessed: 29 May 2021)
Chen, M., Harvey, J., Kihato, C. and Skinner, C. (n.d.). 2018. Prepared by WIEGO for the Cities Alliance Joint Work Programme for Equitable Economic Growth in Cities Inclusive Public Spaces for Informal Livelihoods: A Discussion Paper for Urban Planners and Policy Makers Inclusive Public Spaces for Informal Livelihoods: A Discussion Paper for Urban Planners and Policy Makers. [Online]. Available at: https://www.wiego.org/sites/default/fles/publications/fles/Public%20Space%20Discussion%20Paper.pdf [Accessed 1 Aug. 2021].
COVID-19 in an Urban World (2020) [Online]. Available at: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/fles/sg_policy_brief_covid_urban_world_july_2020.pdf [Accessed 1 June 2021].
Du, J., King, R. and Chanchani, R. (2020). Tackling Inequality in Cities is Essential for Fighting COVID-19. www.wri.org. [Online]
Available at: https://www.wri.org/insights/tacklinginequality-cities-essential-fghting-covid-19 (Accessed: 25 July 2021)
ILO. (2002). “Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture.” Geneva: ILO [Online]. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_626831.pdf [Accessed 21 Aug.2021].
Kumar, R. (2012). “The Regularization of Street Vending in Bhubaneshwar, India: A Policy Model.” WIEGO Policy Brief 7 (Urban Policies). Cambridge, MA, USA: WIEGO.
MAINSTREAMING URBAN RESILIENCE Lessons from Indian Cities. (n.d.). [Online]. Available at: https://www.teriin.org/sites/default/fles/2020-02/mainstreaming-urban-resilience.pdf [Accessed 1 Aug. 2021].
OECD (2020). Tackling Coronavirus (COVID-19): Contributing to a global efort [Online]. Available at: https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=126_126769-yen45847kf&title=Coronavirus-COVID-19-Cities-PolicyResponses&_ga=2.7109746.1974491236.1629988652-
1965350591.1622703574 (Accessed: 6 June 2021)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), “COVID-19 Guidance Note: Protecting residents of informal settlements”, 23 April 2020 [Online]. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/SR_housing_COVID-19_Guidance_informal_settlements.pdf (Accessed: 5 July 2021)
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment - Kerala | United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). [Online] www.undp.org. Available at: https://www.undp.org/publications/post-disaster-needsassessment-kerala (Accessed: 31 July 2021)
Skinner, C., Reed, S. and Harvey, J. (n.d.). A Toolkit for Local Authorities Prepared by WIEGO for the Cities Alliance Joint Work Programme for Equitable Economic Growth in Cities Supporting Informal Livelihoods in Public Space: A Toolkit for Local Authorities Supporting Informal Livelihoods in Public Space: A Toolkit for Local Authorities About the Authors. [Online]. Available at: https://www.wiego.org/sites/default/fles/publications/fles/Public%20Space%20Toolkit.pdf [Accessed 1 Aug. 2021].
UNDP (2020). Recovering from COVID-19: Lessons from Past Disasters in Asia and the Pacifc. Bangkok: UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub [Online]. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/fles/resources/UNDP-RBAP-Recovering-fromCOVID-19-Lessons-from-Past-Disasters-Asia-Pacific-2020.pdf (Accessed: 16 July 2021)
UN-Habitat (2021) Cities and Pandemics: Towards a More Just, Green and Healthy Future [Online].
Available at: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/fles/2021/03/cities_and_pandemics-towards_a_more_just_green_and_healthy_future_un-habitat_2021.pdf (Accessed: 25 May 2021)
United Nations (2021). The 17 Goals. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals (Accessed: 6 November 2021)
University of Toronto (2021) Global Urban Network Seminar 3: Pandemic Responses and Beyond [Webinar]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDoxQCjgzd8 (Accessed: 30 April 2021)
