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A smaller city like Mirzapur in developing countries like India has
the image of terra incognita. A place with no amenities, just general backwardness. Few
people in the industrial centres or government centres can even imagine what life is like
in a smaller city. Village life is often romanticised, but small cities have poor press.
There are hundreds of other cities such as
Mirzapur. On a personal note, I grew up in a city of 100,000 - 200,000 population.
However, being in the United States such a city could also be the capital of North
Carolina, Raleigh. Although we knew our city wasn't world class, most people didn’t
want world class anyway. In fact, the city provided most if not all the amenities of a
larger city, without many of the costs and hassles.
The former Commissioner, Vindhyachal Division, of which
Mirzapur is a part, has observed that Indians, particularly those in Eastern Uttar
Pradesh, prefer to remain near their place of birth. When I think about the
Commissioner’s remarks I can reflect on my 5 years in this city. Truly, the people
here are not eager to leave. Why? It must be that the city provides some form of desirable
life, at least for them. If this is true, then strengthening such a city should be an
excellent investment.
We have to look deeper at the inner life of the
city. There is much activity here and 200,000 people are living their lives here every
day. What is this life like? What makes a city worth living in? Here is a glimpse.
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The
Mirzapur Model City Experiment
The Challenge of Making
Smaller Cities Livable
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