Indian urbanism: a sociohistorical perspective:

TLDR: The roots of urbanism go deep into Indian history, and any attempt to see the various forces in clear array must place them in the perspective of time: more so since the social process in India over the past century or as mentioned in this paper.

Abstract: Over sixty years ago Petrick Geddes wrote his Report on re-planning of six towns in Bombay Presidency (1915), prior to his appointment as the first Professor of Sociology in the University of Bombay. Geddes occupied the Chair only briefly; and G. S. Ghurye, his successor, wrote on the ’Cities of India’ in the March 1953 issue of Sociological bulletin. During the years in between and since, sociologists and others have off and on referred to urban phenomena in India; but this terrain has until recently remained singularly devoid of decisive intellectual landmarks: the key ideas which, cutting through thickets of data, clearly show the road ahead. The problem has its difficulties; but the time has come to confront them, howsoever tentatively.’ The roots of urbanism go deep into Indian history, and any attempt to see the various forces in clear array must place them in the perspective of time: more so since the social process in India over the past century or