Mapping Differences and Inequalities on Urban Residential Patterns

Cities are known for their heterogeneity and internal differences, which are usually mapped out on the city’s geographical pattern. Who gets to live where and what kind of resources are available to people living in different spatial locations is largely determined by the power differentials and structural inequalities that are often rooted in past but also informed by present norms of demarcation. Delhi has evolved from past roots and, although at present a modern, global city strongly influenced by commerce and financial considerations, still retains vestiges of inherited normative patterns, such as those of caste and religion. A moot question is the location of the untouchable castes and the religious minorities. While the Old City had clearly demarcated areas for both, the modern city does, too, even while expanding and undergoing gentrification still reflects these values in its residential patterns and choice or lack of choice of residents for living in particularly favourable area. What are the factors, social, economic and political that determine who gets to live where in a city where the normative universe is a curious mixture of progressive and conservative values?