Understanding urban housing transformations : a case study of Bhogal, India

Abstract

This thesis attempts to describe dwelling transformations in the case of Bhogal, New Delhi. It is hoped to clarify the links between socio-economic forces and their resultant impact on physical form, through its transformation. The project is a refugee housing program, undertaken by the Government of India in the early 1950's to cope with the large influx of refugees during the partition between India and Pakistan. Over a period of twenty years, the project like other emergency measures , has become permanent. It is rapidly transforming to provide a livable environment. India, like other Third World environments, is on the verge of another emergency, facing unprecedented urban growth. It is obvious that the government with its limited resources, cannot cope with these pressures. There is a general agreement that the government needs to play the role of a "support" rather than a "producer", especially with regard to housing for the lower income groups. The case study exemplifies developments and transformations of existing dwelling environments in Delhi today. It therefore might help to identify some basic principles and directions along which future research might take. The case study provides a useful insight into the circumstances that allow a group of people to upgrade their circumstance both socially and economically with minimum formal assistance. The thesis also attempts to clarify informal linkages and networks that evolve to form a crucial part of the process of upgrading in this environment. This forms the bulk of the argument of the "supportive" role of the government and the need to understand existing linkages and networks to identify areas of intervention.