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  • Essay / Bangalore: city of industrial capitalist modernity and speculative urbanism

    Cities are “spatial manifestations of larger social forces and struggles,” contained and shaped by their built environment. Capitalist industrial modernity was the driving force behind the development of cities, and the commodification of “place” resulted in the “conversion of cities into products to be sold in competitive markets.” The rush to achieve global city status was exemplified by the Bangalore government, where speculative urban planning and subsequent processes of development-induced displacement led to massive social upheaval and a range of disastrous consequences for urban and peri-urban poor. , victims of mega-infrastructure projects intended to propel Bangalore into the hierarchy of global cities. This essay will address the issues discussed in the blog, addressing speculative urbanism, the inaccurate application of gentrification theory to the Global South, and the colonial legacy that still shapes Indian cities. We urgently need a postcolonial engagement with theories of gentrification and pushing the boundaries of existing theories emanating from Euro-American cities, as land usurpations by elites in Indian cities have occurred through the market bias and extra-economic processes which do not fit within the strict framework of the market. gentrification box. Only then can we fully understand the processes that occur and how to resolve the problems they cause. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Robinson's critique of the strategies deployed to achieve global city status succinctly explains why Bangalore has embarked on a process of development-induced displacement, which Cernea explains is "not only of a literal expulsion from one's place of habitation, but also encompasses the expropriation of land and productive assets in order to pave the way for an alternative use of space. Global cities frequently present cosmopolitanism as the aspiration of developing cities. There is a broad hierarchy, with global cities at the top, followed by off-map peripheries with global urban aspirations. This is problematic because it influences not only what we think is the optimal city, but also the strategies deployed to achieve such status. In the case of Bangalore, increasing economic liberalization has led to the promotion of foreign investment and the development of market economies. Consequently, Bangalore saw an increase from 13 IT companies in the early 1990s, to 1,154 IT companies in 2003. The introduction of special economic zones (SEZs), new forms of governance (through parastatal agencies ), urban reforms and the promotion of multinational companies. investments in major infrastructure are only a tiny subsection of the vast changes brought to Bangalore in the 1990s. Thus, the explosion of the information technology sector, following rampant economic liberalization, was l he spark that fostered an aggressive urban policy of development-induced displacement. Doshi describes how the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and large-scale projects funded by the World Bank prioritize mass displacement of groups of people to pave way for beautification projects and provide infrastructure intended for elites and classes.