At the onset of the 21st century, 47% of the world's population was urban.
According to UN HABITAT 2006, Asia and Africa will host the largest population
in the 21st century with cities being sites of extreme inequality. Asian cities
may not be able to cope with the pace of urbanization. Keeping with the trends
in the world, there is also a spurt in urbanization in India, which poses
serious challenges for both urban development and urban governance. In 2005, it
was taken as a serious agenda by India's government when the Jawaharlal Nehru
Urban Renewal Mission was launched. Divided into three sections, this collection
focuses on