Doctoral Dissertation Research: Producing Urban Space and the Transformation of Informal Retailing in Delhi, India

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Megacities in developing nations are undergoing rapid transformation, but extant scholarship tends to focus on the manifestation of urban transformation rather than the preceding interactions among multiple stakeholders that determine precisely how and by whom urban space is used. This doctoral dissertation research project will explore how negotiations and struggles among multiple stakeholders produce urban space through an examination of the informal retail sector in Delhi, India. The informal retail sector is an important source of livelihood for Delhi's urban poor, but it is under threat from the expansion of large retail firms as well as zoning policies that criminalize informal economic activity. Informal retailers develop adaptation and resistance strategies in response to these threats, engaging in complex negotiations and struggles with multiple stakeholders, such as municipal authorities, neighborhood associations, property development firms, and nongovernmental organizations. Through in-depth interviews with informal retailers and key informants, the doctoral student will compare how the struggles and negotiations among multiple stakeholders in contemporary urban India produce diverse urban space in three unique locations in Delhi. The three research sites represent a range of stages of formal retail expansion, with varying power dynamics between informal retailers and other stakeholders. By comparing three unique research sites, this project will demonstrate how urban space is produced beyond the analysis of outcomes and manifestations. It also will show how the urban poor create locally based livelihood strategies in spite of globally induced pressure for urban transformation, and it will show these strategies influence the production of unique space in developing nations.This project will analyze how negotiations and struggles among multiple stakeholders influence the transformation of the urban environment. It will show how urban development projects and zoning policies come to fruition in the context of Delhi's informal retail sector. While urban planners, the growing middle class, and private sector firms are seeking to create a "world-class" city, their vision of urban development threatens the livelihoods of informal retailers. This project will demonstrate how the adaptation and resistance strategies employed by informal retailers to maintain their livelihoods influence the production of urban space. It will contribute new insights regarding the dynamics of urbanization in developing nations by analyzing the ability of those who are seemingly disempowered to cope with threats to their livelihoods and to exert influence on their environment. The results of this research will contribute to policy debates on how to balance two objectives, one to reduce the vulnerability of a large and marginalized population and another to foster equitable economic growth and stability. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.