IGNOU MEDSP-45 Project – Urban Process and Livability of Urban Areas in Assam

Cities and Towns have long been identified as nuclei of human civilizations. Even India, which is primarily rural with most of its people living in villages for years, has a glorious history of urban places, (albeit with major breaks in between), which dates back nearly five millennia with their uniquely rich and prolific spatial, socio-cultural and politico-economic dimensions (Ramachandran, 1989). The role of urban centres in the history of mankind has been considered as most profound, varied and diverse, occupying the centre-stage in surfeit of literature, overlapping the fields of sociology, history, anthropology, economics, geography, political science as well as public administration (Bose, 1980; Bose, 1973).

Objectives

• The present study is intended with the following objectives:
• To analyze the urban process in Assam, particularly in the post-independence period. To put the things in clear perspective, it tries to identify the relatively important factors behind the process of urbanization in the state.
• To study present status of the quality of urban life and urban basic services in the State in order to understand the 'livability' in urban sphere.
• To analyze the Municipal Finance scenario of the state, particularly in the post-liberalization period i.e. 1991 onwards.
• To highlight the transitional agenda of urban governance in the context of globalization for the state, which are indicative of policy relevance.

Topic Covered

• Introduction
• Review of Literature
• Research Methodology
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• Conclusion and Suggestions
• Bibliography
• Annexure