The Dynamic Urban and Peri-urban Spaces in India and the Political Economy Lens: An Introduction

Urban and peri-urban spaces in India are rapidly evolving spatial units intrinsically linked with several economic and political agendas which often hardly lend them easy explanation by spatial and social scientists. Spatial scientists attempt to delineate the urban and peri-urban regions based on modern techniques to explain the spatial transformation of the dynamic urban units which are the visible outcome of urbanization. However, the spatial parameters do not address the wholesome of the urban and peri-urban processes due to the seemingly invisible and hidden geopolitical agendas often shaping and reshaping the social, cultural, behavioral, and experiential spaces within the city, its outskirts, and beyond this. This chapter comments on how the relationship forms between various strata of the population and its government amidst the scenario when public policy is in place for the well-being of those people and how all these efforts are interpreted from the political-economic perspective.