Strategy for engaging Indian cities in Metropolis Discussion paper October 2010
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Strategy for engaging Indian cities in Metropolis Discussion paper October 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Focus on India 4 1.Country profile 4 India: Shining India’s Light on all Citizens - By Praful Patel Vice President South Asia Region, The World Bank 4 2.Urbanisation 4 3.Indian metropolitan regions 5 Engagement model 6 4.Strategic framework 6 Way forward for Metropolis in India 6 5.The strategy 6 6.Metropolis engagement with India to date 7 7.Opportunities and benefits 7 Summary and recommendations 8 Appendices 9 APPENDIX 1 – India’s largest cities 9 APPENDIX 2 – Research and academic references 10 IntroductionThe world is urbanising fast, and this trend will continue for the next few decades. Metropolis was founded in 1984 as a cooperation forum between the world’s metropolises specifically to address the challenges of urbanisation. Since then the number of cities that meet the definition of a metropolis has increased greatly. Much of the urban growth is occurring in Asia, especially in China and India, the two most populous countries and with the highest number of cities that meet the criteria for joining Metropolis. Having started with 14 cities, Metropolis now has 118 members, but that is roughly about a quarter of the world’s largest cities. For Metropolis to retain its status as the only organisation that represents the interests of the world’s largest cities, it needs to grow significantly, and it must engage with Asia because it provides the greatest potential for growth. China alone has 160 cities with populations exceeding one million inhabitants, and India is second with 68 cities. The need to engage with Asian cities was recognised by the Board of Directors and has been the subject of ongoing discussions. This was further discussed in the ‘Review of regional office arrangements in Asia-Pacific’ which recommended that Metropolis and UCLG cooperate in developing a Growth Strategy. To build on the momentum established during the Sydney congress, the Metropolis Asia-Pacific Regional Office (APRO) undertook to develop the framework for an engagement strategy. For language reasons it chose to focus on Indian cities. 
Focus on India
India is in now in the midst of a historic transformation. It has emerged as a global power and a leading player in information technology, telecom and business outsourcing, and is the world’s fourth largest economy in purchasing power parity terms. Whilst it has achieved impressive economic growth in recent times, the challenges ahead are in tackling social and regional disparities and raising the quality of life for over 300 million people who live below the poverty line. With a fast economic growth India is on a trajectory to become one of the world’s economic powerhouses. 
“India stands at a defining moment in its history. Thanks to spectacular economic growth, it now has the opportunity to wipe out poverty within the next generation. Few developing countries have achieved this, but India’s dramatic progress against poverty over the past decade gives cause for optimism”1 India’s government 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) outlines a development agenda that targets significant investments for generating employment, providing quality education and health for all, improving the welfare of women and children, developing infrastructure, and conserving the environment. In this context, structural reforms are all the more important. The most binding constraints to growth and inclusion that need to be addressed urgently are: improving infrastructure, developing the small and medium enterprises sector, developing skills, and targeting social spending at the poor and vulnerable groups. Moreover, given the massive urban growth, most of the reforms and investment will be in cities.
India’s urbanisation and economic growth is set to continue, as the projections to 2030 below clearly indicate:
“The choices that India makes to manage the process of Urbanization will have profound consequences for its people and its economic future. But the approaches India’s policy makers take will have much broader resonance beyond their own borders. Worldwide, the search for new sources of growth and new market opportunities is on – and how India performs over the next 20 years is of acute interest globally” 2.
With rapid urbanisation, the challenges for Indian cities are substantial. The larger the city, the greater the challenges. To achieve the goal of urban sustainability whilst meeting the increased demand for physical and social services, cities will need to reform local government and strategic planning, modernise governance systems and become more innovative. Of the 42 Indian metropolitan regions, the largest cities are:
So far, only Kolkata and Bangalore have joined Metropolis. There is a strong potential for engaging a number of these cities, especially following the successful meeting of Commission 2: Managing Urban Growth in Delhi, in December 2009. The effective management of rapid urbanisation is one area where Indian cities stand to benefit from membership in Metropolis for the following reasons:
Engagement model
Given the potential, APRO decided to develop an engagement model which, subject to it being tested, could become the blue print for a Metropolis Growth Strategy. The engagement framework outlined below is strongly focused on the outcome: increased membership of Indian cities in Metropolis. Its success is predicated not only on identifying potential members and developing the strategy, but also on the vital support from the Metropolis leadership (ie Board of Directors, Secretariat General, the Regional Offices). 
Note: In this model all actions are concurrent and focused on realising the objective. Way forward for Metropolis in India
APRO undertook exhaustive research on the Indian sub-continent, covering political, economic, social/cultural and urbanisation aspects. Its holistic, but targeted, approach to engaging with India took into account the crucial role played by the national government in urban policy and infrastructure investment. The objective was to establish a Metropolis presence in the Sub-Continent by engaging with national government agencies as the precursor to a concerted membership drive. The model included:
With Secretariat General approval, APRO then proceeded to test this model via:
The successful outcomes from the Commission 2 meeting led to Metropolis signing an MOU with NIUA (18 March 2010), establishing a permanent presence in India. The focus of the agreement is on collaboration through exchange of information and joint actions related to improving urban planning and governance in Indian cities. A number of activities have taken place since the signing of the MOU:
As well as the Metropolis desire to increase membership levels, Indian cities stand to benefit greatly from their alliance with the Association. Initial exploratory research has identified the following possible Metropolis value-add propositions:
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) has broader credentials and resources in detailed research and management framework of Indian Cities. Metropolis and NIUA have already entered into a partnership agreement. This could be extended to joint specific research on urban policy issues using the experience and ‘proven outcomes’ of Metropolis member cities. Major International Institutions like World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of India through its urban agencies and programs like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), are keen to support and provide resources for inter-country collaborations, international learning platforms and exemplary projects for cities to follow.
India lacks credible research in the areas of urban governance and reforms. Metropolis through its network of cities and global urban institutes could lend support in bolstering institutional capabilities. It could provide strategic directions and capacity building platforms for the Indian cities in establishing research mechanisms for implementing necessary urban related constitutional amendments. This could be achieved through its Commissions, Training Institute, and targeted workshops in conjunction with NIUA and the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG).
One approach for engaging with urban agencies in India could be the partnership model with city administrations or urban local bodies (ULBs). Cities Alliance, a Metropolis partner, has adopted this model. Dependending on Metropolis’ strategic objectives it may be prudent to test such partnering in a few programs in India. This would require a concerted effort by Metropolis and NIUA to identify possible programs.
Convening Commission 2 in New Delhi was instrumental in raising the profile of Metropolis, and establilshing goodwill with a number of national and municipal governments. Metropolis should build on the success of Commission 2, and be more pro-active in engaging with the eight Indian cities that participated in this event. More commission meetings should be planned in conjunction with international knowledge organisations like CISCO or ARUP. Summary and recommendationsEconomic growth and rapid urbanisation have created both opportunities and challenges for Indian cities. India’s projected growth to 2030 and the attendant challenges associated with managing rapid urban growth require extensive reforms in governance, strategic planning and policy development. Whilst the Asia-Pacific Region is still the largest in terms of membership numbers, its growth does not reflect the full potential for growing Metropolis in Asia. In spite of the membership potential in India, for a variety of reasons (political, structural, cultural), and in spite of repeated promotional campaigns, to date only Kolkata and Bangalore have joined Metropolis. Whilst only two cities have joined Metropolis, substantial progress has been made in building relations with key government and municipal agencies to promote the Metropolis brand, largely due to the partnering with NIUA and the Ministry for Urban Affairs and the convening of Commission 2 in New Delhi. The Metropolis brand has gained much credibility in the past year. Metropolis now is perceived not only as an information exchange forum between the world’s largest cities, but also as an instrument of advocacy and capacity building. Given the large number of Indian cities that meet the criteria to become a member of Metropolis, it is essential that it position itself to take advantage of India’s urban and economic growth. Metropolis should continue to expand its presence in India and its MOU with NIUA. It should now proceed to develop similar partnerships with more cities and government organisations, starting with those that participated in the Commission 2 meeting. Metropolis should adopt this strategy framework developed and used by APRO, and pursue targeted cities through a variety of means such as technical assistance schemes, joint projects, or convening regional meetings in those cities. Metropolis should also develop a set of indicators to measure the success of this approach. Depending on the outcomes, Metropolis could adopt this as its Growth Strategy. AppendicesAPPENDIX 1 – India’s largest cities
Source: Wikkipedia – List of most populous cities in India APPENDIX 2 – Research and academic references
1 India: Shining India’s Light on all Citizens - By Praful Patel Vice President South Asia Region, The World Bank2 McKenzie & Company Report: “India’s Urban awakening: Building Inclusive Cities, Sustaining Economic Growth”, published by McKenzie Global Institute, April 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||