This project draws upon Professor Sanjay Srivastava’s three decades of research on urbanism and the social production of space in India. It investigates a largely unexplored aspect of Indian urbanism: the social dimensions of the pervasive emphasis on technology-as-urban policy. Three research sites have been chosen to explore the idea of urban futures in Delhi, i.e. 'urban villages' and the digitisation of their land records; biometric surveys of street vendors to plan for 'modern' vending zones; and satellite mapping of shanty towns for infrastructure improvements. Through research among a variety of stakeholders (planners, technologists, residents’ groups, street vendors), the project aims to explore relationships between techno-positive discourses, the social nature of infrastructure and the diverse claims upon it.
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