Transforming Indian Cities: Challenges and Opportunities

Public lecture of the LSE Cities public lectures series hosted by LSE Cities in partnership with India Observatory

Urban areas are integral to India’s growth and development, accounting for around two-thirds of the country’s GDP. Yet the country’s cities face severe challenges and are desperately in need of transformation. Isher Ahluwalia has been involved in efforts to make cities and urbanisation more central to the national policy agenda. Her recent book, ‘Transforming Our Cities: Postcards of Change’ is published by Harper Collins and highlights stories of hope from a diverse range of Indian cities. For this lecture,  Isher Ahluwalia outlined insights from her book to offer an analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing Indian cities at this critical juncture.

Profiles

    Isher Judge Ahluwalia

    Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia is an eminent Indian economist. She is Chairperson, Board of Governors, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and chaired the Indian government's high-level committee on urban infrastructure and services.

    Nicholas Stern

    Nicholas Stern is the IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. He is President of the British Academy since 2013, and a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2014. He was Second Permanent Secretary to Her Majesty’s Treasury from 2003-2005; and Head of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, published in 2006. He has published more than 15 books and 100 articles, his most recent book is Why are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency and Promise of Tackling Climate Change.