From Welfare to Participation—The Changing Narratives of Slum Rehabilitation and Housing for the Urban Poor in Delhi

Abstract

Slum evictions and resettlement colonies have been a part of Delhi’s urban history since the late 1950s. As the central space of political power and administration, Delhi’s history of political contestations has shaped its housing practices pertaining to the urban poor. Post-colonial Delhi prior to liberalization of the Indian market saw housing for the urban poor as a ‘welfare benefit’ to be provided to the low-income groups with the help of the civil society. Neoliberal Delhi views the same benefit as an opportunity for a ‘slum-free’ city with ‘world-class’ infrastructure by way of public–private participation. What were the processes which brought about this shift in the narrative and approach of housing and urban redevelopment in Delhi? The advent of the market in housing for the urban poor is a fairly recent phenomenon with its own peculiarities. The present work analyses the neoliberal turn in housing for the urban poor in Delhi through its housing policies, plans and an ethnographic case study of its pilot in situ slum rehabilitation project under public–private participation in Kathputli Colony. It attempts to review the stronghold of the state–market nexus in the development of lower income groups and consequent problems of inclusivity and right to the city.