Development on the Urban Fringe: The Prosperity of Kartarpur, a Small Town-Cluster in Punjab

Abstract

Kartarpur, a small town in the Punjab, is unique in that it consists of a cluster of small, interrelated and mostly informal businesses which has led to the development of a thriving furniture industry. The success of this small industry reflects the vitality of a largely unreported urban India, that of small towns driving development outside the metropolitan paradigm. This chapter looks at the social and historical factors that have facilitated this development by examining the way in which economic and lineage-based networks are embedded in the spatial and social strata of the current town. Analysis of this rapidly changing model, which is halfway between small traditional industry and modern craft industries and localised yet linked to the global economy, reveals a distinct resource which, although imperfect, serves as a reminder that alternatives to the dominant developmental approaches do exist. This, in turn, enables more profound examination of the current governance process and the development model supported by the authorities. The ultimate aim of this chapter is thus to analyse this production method and assess its viability given the current context of growing urbanisation, urban governance reforms and economic openness.