Building World Class Cities

in India.
A Paper Presentation.

Submitted to Bombay Management Association

For Bombay Management
Association. Building
World Class
Cities in
India.

A Paper Presentation.

Submitted By

Ajesh Vijayan

Sydenham Institute of
Management Studies, Research
and Entrepreneurship
Education, Mumbai
[ SIMSREE].

Email: ajeshvijayan@gmail.com
Ph: +919870437019
Synopsis

The union of men in large masses is indispensable to the development and

rapid growth of the higher faculties of men. Cities have always been the
fireplaces of civilization whence light and heat radiated out into the dark
cold world.
- Theodore Parker

M odern Cities fuel the engines of national economies. Urban areas are being
recognized increasingly as the prime generators of employment and national
wealth.

‘The globalization of economies has created pressure for cities to become world-class
actors on the international stage. In order to survive in the competitive knowledge
economy, cities need to attract investment and the best possible talent in the world.’ So
says Harvard Business Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter in her book World Class:
Thriving Locally in the Global Economy.

The subject of the Paper “Building World Class Cities in India” holds much relevance in
this context.

A World Class City is as difficult to develop as it is to sustain. ‘Building World Class

Cities in India’ is a challenge that we have to take up and this paper intends to provide
just the right means and guidelines to ace the challenge.

The paper approaches the subject in two sections. The first section identifies the Single
biggest threat that is stopping our Indian cities from becoming “World Class” and then
suggests a long term solution to counter that threat. The second section spells out the
Requisites that Indian Cities must develop to become World Class and also suggests the
action plan to develop such requisites.

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Table of Contents 

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
Section 1: The Bugbear of Indian Cities: Unplanned Migration. ...................................... 4
1. The Solution ............................................................................................................. 5
Section 2: The Requisites.................................................................................................... 6
1. Business Hub. .......................................................................................................... 6
2. Transportation .......................................................................................................... 8
3. Knowledge Hub ....................................................................................................... 8
4. A Clean and Pleasant City ....................................................................................... 9
5. A Healthy City. ........................................................................................................ 9
6. A Safe City ............................................................................................................. 10
7. A Vibrant and Culturally Rich City. ...................................................................... 10
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 11 

   

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Introduction 

G
lobalization has had its impact on even the Cities. Cities today have to compete
with each other for attracting the best businesses, the best brains and also better
concessions from their governments. To do so, they have to offer something more
than their competitors, something world class!

The subsequent quest led to the Dream of developing World Class Cities. Even a
preliminary research for the ‘paper’ revealed that a significant number of cities like San
Francisco, Geneva, Johannesburg, Dubai and Seoul have already instituted and begun
work to achieve the distinction of being a World Class city.

So, what is a World Class City?

The Terms “World Class Cities”, also referred as “Global Cities” or simply “World
Cities” are used to describe those cities that have enormous concentrations of economic,
political and cultural clout, which can be measured by such things as the number of
corporate headquarters, the size of their stock exchanges, the presence of national and
international political bodies, and their role in music, fashion and other cultural activities.
London, New York, Paris and Tokyo seem to be the only cities who can match this brief
currently.

Sadly enough, no Indian city matches up to the standards or has the requisites to be even
called a “World Class City-in the making”.

The paper attempts to find out if it’s really possible for an Indian World Class City to
come into existence. It approaches the subject in two sections. Section 1 suggests a
solution to perhaps the single biggest cause that is directly and indirectly stopping us
from developing a World Class City. Section 2 enumerates the Requisites that the world
class cities have in common and provides the action plan that should be implemented by
the Indian Cities to become Truly World Class Cities.
   

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Secction 1:  The Bu
ugbear o of India
an Cities:  Unpllanned  
Migrattion. 

P erhaps th he dream of an
Indian ciity becomiing a
“World Class
C
beforre it begins with
the large
l amou
City”” ends
w the thouught of
unt of unpplanned
migraation that iss occurring day-by
–day from the heartlands of the
nationn to the citties. The migrants
m
are often illiteratte and poor, do not
even have the necessary
n skkills to
land a job that caan provide foor their
basicc needs. Con nsequently, without
w
propeer, afforrdable h
housing
faciliities, they settle downn into
what is considerred to be a city’s
biggeest malaise, “Slums”.
“ Allready, a cityy like Mumbbai is the 4th most populoous city in thhe
worldd with over 5 million peoople living inn the slums and makeshift shanties.

Thouugh planners and governnments have tried every trickt in the book
b to remove/ alienatee/
illegaalize the poo
or and their homes, let’’s begin thiss paper by asking,
a “Is thhis really thhe
right approach too build a Cityy, let alone a World Classs City?”

“The
T poor (thhe kaamwaaali bais, the street venddors, the ragg pickers, thhe rickshaw
driivers, the slu
lum dwellers) s), as a group
up are an abbsolutely inddispensable part
p of the
cityy and of socciety as it iss presently structured. The
T rest coulld not survivve without
theem. The urban city is, in i fact, totaally dependeent on the poor
p – as dep ependent or
perrhaps more sos than they are on it.

It is also obserrved that thhe flood of migrant

m poorr that does take
t place on a regular
annnual basis (e.g.
(e in Mum mbai), is at thhe outset off the disasterr season in rural
r areas.
Hoowever, mosst of them return
r afterr the disasteer. This facttor also has led to the
emergence of a new type of o temporary ry city. If we
w are planniing for deveelopment, a
sennsitive response to this situation
s is needed.”
n
Ms Ela Bhaatt , SEWA foundation.
f

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The problem, hence, doesn’t seem as much to be the migration itself, as it is the inability
of the city to absorb them temporarily and provide basic amenities (housing and
employment) to these people.

Now, the big question! Is a city really expected to provide the Solution?

The city planners can definitely plan for and make available mass housing facilities in
collaboration with the private sector builders as is already being done (discussed in the
section “Requisites”). In fact, the central government must make it mandatory for all city
corporations to provide for temporary housing facilities for migrants outside the city
limits, which is easily accessible by public transport.

The problem of unplanned migration and making the ‘incoming’ migrants into the city
“employable” is, according to me, the prerogative of the Central Government as it
requires a much larger concerted, national effort.

1. The Solution

T he problem seems to have a very logical solution. Let us define the problem as a
need to train every person leaving a village to go to the city with some basic skills
to make him ‘employable’ in the city.

Now, the Census and other surveys can help us identify those districts and states which
see a greater percentage of migrations. These districts should be the targets. With the
targets in sight, let us now look at the resources at the disposal of the government.

The Indian administration provides for a Block Development Authority (BDA) in-charge
of a certain number of villages or population. If these BDAs are equipped to conduct
vocational training courses for the villagers, they can solve our problem of making the
villagers employable.

With a solution in sight, now, the challenge is to ensure that every city-bound villager
registers with these BDAs and undergoes training. This can be solved by proclaiming a
“Hundred percent Employment Guarantee” to all those who register and undergo
training.

The use of e-governance has worked wonders for Rural India. The Government can
launch a Common Platform which can be accessed by all the BDAs, City Corporations
and Employment Exchanges. The Employment Exchanges, apart from their traditional
roles, will also now act as a liaison between the government and the various employment
providers like the construction and manufacturing industry which see seasonal or
perennial demands of labour.

The e-governance platform provides the flexibility and real time ability to project the
labour demands in the various cities and authorize each BDA to send the ‘Skilled’
villagers to meet these demands. As more and more cities and towns are covered, we can

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effectively curb the exodus of migrants to select cities and achieve a more spread out
migration across various parts of the country!

The plan seems far too simple on paper; however, it requires tremendous will to
implement. The plan will take a lot of administrative and logical support to mobilize the
resources for training of such large numbers of people and allocation of crores of Rupees
to implement. Then, there is a problem of the issue of “Waiting List” coming up which
can prove detrimental to the whole cause.

The Government, on its part, can also provide incentives for the Employment Providers
to embrace the scheme.

This plan with a lot of brainstorming, modifications and perseverance can definitely be
the action that will see India developing some World Class cities and more importantly,
sustaining the World Class Cities.

Section 2: The Requisites 
A look at the present World Class Cities, New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, reveals
that these cities share certain common characteristics which should be envisioned as the
Requisites, which the Indian cities have to develop and sustain to achieve the World
Class City distinction.

This section attempts to identify such Requisites, identify the enablers who can help and
device the various actions to build and sustain the Requisites.

1. Business Hub.

Cities have long been ranked by the amount of Business Proposition they hold. While
colonialism saw the ports being developed as the Cities, the new IT age is seeing the
educational centers emerging as Cities. A truly world class city must and should be able
to attract, retain, develop and sustain business.
Enumerated below are the various objectives (and the action plans to achieve such
objectives) that a city should achieve to be a world class business city.

The Key Enablers: The City Corporation, Trade Associations, Builder Associations,
Utility Providers and the Government.

I. To Support and Promote the Competitiveness of the Business City.

Action
a) The four Enablers have to continuously promote the city both nationally as
well as internationally as a Pro-business city through trade fairs,
conferences, summits etc.

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 b) The Trade Associations and the Government should frequently engage in
healthy and effective talks to identify and solve issues relating to the
conduct of business like taxes, excise duties etc.
c) The City Corporation should encourage self employment and actively
support the setting up of Small and Medium Enterprises which would add
to the diversity and competition in the city.

II. To ensure that the City’s supply of Office Accommodation meets the
diverse needs of existing and potential City firms.
Action
a) The City Corporation must pursue planning policies to earmark Regions
within the city for the development of Office space. Such regions (like
Bandra Kurla Complex) can attract businesses by their promise of Good
Infrastructure, Quick Grievance resolution and easier norms for expansion
of business.
b) The City Corporation should regularly inform The Builder’s Associations
about the Changing needs of business, the projected demand for Office
Space and Change in policies to keep the builders informed about the
Development opportunities.
c) The Corporation should also open up a Department that can assist the
Business Houses to find office spaces suitable to their needs. This will
increase the credibility of the Corporations and also act as a revenue
generator.

III. To maximize local employment opportunities for local people (who

live in the City / City outskirts) and for local businesses.
Action:
The City Corporation should lay down policies focusing on increased local
recruitments, both in its organization and around the city.

IV. To effectively deter and tackle business crime in the City.

Action:
The Government and the Police should come out with strong guidelines against
money-laundering, fraud and other forms of economic crime. The Police should
be more proactive by launching various drives to impart ‘fraud and money
laundering prevention advice and assistance presentations’ to the industry and
increase the level of reported frauds.

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 2. Transportation

An effective Public Transportation System is a boon in more than one way. It can
contribute immensely towards reducing the congestion on the roads. The lesser number
of private vehicles on the roads also ensure cleaner environment with lesser pollution.

The Key Enablers: The City Corporation, City Traffic Police and the Central
Government (For Railways).

I. Facilitating greater punctuality, reliability, accessibility and greater

capacity of the Public Transport system.
Action
a) Conduct periodic studies on overcrowding and use the data obtained to
reduce it by providing more services or reducing the bottlenecks in those
areas.
b) Encourage Companies to have their Own Transports to pick up employees
from outside railway stations, bus stations and other public transport
terminals to reduce the number of cars.
c) Implement Conditional entry of Private vehicles into the city (like the
mechanism in London where Cars with Even Number plates and Odd
Number Plates can enter the city on alternate days only).
d) Increasing the Funding for expansion of the public transport to ensure that
adequate peak period capacity is present.

II. Improve the “Pedestrian Experience”

Action
a) The Pedestrian experience can be increased by the ensuring that the
pedestrian lanes are not taken up by hawkers and promoting road safety.

III. Encourage the Safety Awareness of the Commuters.

Action
a) Safety Drives should be periodically conducted and Vigilance to be
stepped up to nab offenders. Technological aids should be used to catch
speeding offenders and a more transparent way of issuing fines and
penalties to be devised to prevent corruption.

3. Knowledge Hub

Globalization and technology have left people and businesses with a lot of choice. In
such a cut throat competition, the true competitive advantage for a city is its capability of
generating a steady supply of educated workforce. We saw this in Boston, Singapore and
to a large extent in Bangalore. The idea is to attract talent by offering the best education
facilities.

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The Key Enablers: The City Corporation, Ministry of Education

Action:
a) Building a world class university with sound infrastructure for research
and technical studies.
b) Adequate number of schools and higher education institutions for the
children.
c) Encouraging International students and universities to tie up with local
institutions.

4. A Clean and Pleasant City

A world class city with all its constituents will create a lot of ‘undesirables’ be it the
waste, the noise or even atmospheric pollution. Effective disposal/ minimization of such
‘undesirables’ will prove to be a prime measure to check the effectiveness of the City’s
Local Government.

The Key Enablers: The City Corporation

I. Better Waste Management.

Action
a) The city’s drainage systems will have to be revamped with significant
investments. The design can be worked out with the consultation of
Experts to meet the Drainage requirements of at least 150 years to come.
b) Waste treatment plants should be set up in the outskirts of city. Such
plants must have incineration facilities and other facilities to dispose off
the wastes without adversely affecting the nature.
c) Recycling should be encouraged on a large scale.

II. Protection and Enhancement of the Architectural Heritage and Open

Spaces.
Action
a) Cities in India are bestowed with rich architectural heritage. The area
around the heritage structures should be developed to attract tourists. Such
regions should also have ready access to sanitary, recreational and
telecommunication facilities so that the visitors can go back with an all-
round satisfied feeling.
b) The cities must provide for Open spaces and encourage “green zones” at
various parts.

5. A Healthy City.

The glory of the city will be worthless if it were to succumb to frequent bouts of
epidemics. The medical infrastructure of such a city with its large population will

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naturally have to be equipped to handle different types of diseases and trauma cases due
to accidents.

The Key Enablers: The City Corporation.

Action
a) A high quality Ambulance service to be set up with partnership from the
Private sector, capable of transporting accident victims to nearest hospitals
quickly.
b) Attempt to get maximum people under a common Medical Cover whose
cost can be collected by the city by way of surcharge/taxes.

6. A Safe City

A world class city should be synonymous with no/low crime. The city has to be safe for
the children and the women alike. The Police Department in tandem with the other law
enforcement authorities must ensure prompt and speedy prosecution of culprits to
discourage crime.

The Key Enablers: City Police Department, Law Enforcement Authorities.

Action
a) Frequent meetings should be conducted with representatives of people to
raise awareness amongst the communities of threats of terrorism.
b) Use of technology to reduce and deter thefts, violence, preservation of law
and order and improving communication of the authorities with City
residents (one method can be the use of SMSs).
c) Prompt action to be taken against motor vehicles who contravene traffic
regulations, quarterly road safety awareness initiatives.

7. A Vibrant and Culturally Rich City.

A city cannot be all work and no play. A world class city should develop and promote its
cultural wealth to its residents and potential visitors. The city must actively encourage
new initiatives to depict and promote the lifestyles, food, dressing and art of the various
communities residing within it. The city must celebrate the cultural diversity of its people
by organizing cultural weeks, festivals and playing hosts to international events.
Key Enablers: The City Corporations, Various arts and cultural associations.

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Conclusion 

After looking at the solutions, action plans and enablers, one can easily realize that a
World Class City is not an impossible dream. Today, the country has the resources,
international interest, financial strength and the cultural legacy. The only ingredient
missing is the Will of the People and leadership from the top. The Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh, has on more than one occasion expressed the desire to make Mumbai,
a World Class City.

The time is now ripe for transforming the endearing words into action as India is standing
today at a glorious crossroad, wherein each direction leads to gold provided we display
the hunger and conviction to travel.

The paper attempts to prove that “Building World Class Cities in India” is really possible.
It is now for the nations ‘powers to be’ to take cue and start taking the action!

Ajesh Vijayan
ajeshvijayan@gmail.com
+919870437019
Bibliography
• www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/communitystrategy

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