Globalization, Urban Development and Adjustment of Law

Part of ’Urban Dynamics’ project

Objectives

The existing researches in Western languages have privileged, for most of them, the local or sub-local scale to the analysis of complementarities or competition between agglomerations, at the scale of metropolised regions. As to the judicial dimension of the territorial dynamics that we are offering to study, it is very rarely approached. The present sub-project aims to delimit, in the Arab oriental and the Indian worlds, the emergence of metropolised regions that would identify to the megalopolitan model, and to ponder on the role of judicial determinants in the economic development process and the territorial dynamics observed. It will be taken into consideration that the megalopolises of less developed countries are far less powerful and structured than those in the richest regions, and are far from meeting the different criteria used to define megalopolises in the Triad.

Materials and Methods

Five different regions have been chosen. They represent different levels, as much as in economic and demographic power, standards, than in the degree of integration and organisation of territories: on the one hand, Alep, Beyrouth, Damas, Amman, with ties blurred by a sensitive geopolitical environment, and cities from the Persian Gulf coastline from Kuwait City to the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman conurbation; on the other hand the shaping megalopolis centered on Mumbai and secondarily Delhi, as well as the emerging region including Bangalore and Chennai.

The adopted approach is to be resolutely comparative. This project, provides to the need felt by geographers to work with jurists, to verify some hypothesis concerning the role of law in the integration process of territories, which characterizes globalisation. Coordinated by a geographer, the project deliberately places territorial dynamics in the heart of the purpose. But, behind the Arab and Indian World which will serve as laboratories to test the methods and valid the concepts, the ambition is to explore the judicial dimension of the territory and the territorial dimension of the law.

The project gives great importance to automatic mapping and modeling, and surveys at different levels. Databases will be built at the national level for the selected metropolis of Arabic world and Indian Territory, taking as base for the analysis the urban agglomerations of more than one million inhabitants. The Data will be collected from the Censuses and from various sources, public and private publications as well as websites.

The maps will be made at the Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatic of IFP and SEDET, using the Arc info software. Spatial models and indicators of megalopolisation will be realised.

Team

Research scholars

• Prof. Mohamed Abdel Razak, urban planner (Anna University, Chennai)
• Prof. Mohamed Kalam, anthropology (University of Madras)
• Prof. Isabelle Milbert (IFP / Institut Universitaire d’Etudes sur le Développement, Genève)
• Prof. N.Sridharm (Delhi School of Planning), Inde
• DR. Kamala Marius-Gnanou, geography (IFP / ADES / University of. Bordeaux 3)

PhD Students

• Linda Bouifrou, geography (IFP / CSH / SEDET / University of Paris 7)
• Rajaji Somassoudirom, geography (IFP / SEDET / University of Paris 7)

Research Assistant

• Venkatasubramanian, Research Assistant (FIP)

Partners

• ADES TEMPOS, University of Bordeaux 3 - CNRS
• CEIAS (Centre for South Asian Studies), EHESS-CNRS, Paris
• IFPO (Institut Français du Proche Orient)
• IUED (Institut Universitaire d’Etudes sur le Développement), Genève
• SEDET (Centre for Development Studies), University Paris 7 - CNRS, Paris

Funding

• French Institute of Pondicherry
• SEDET, University Paris 7 - CNRS, Paris
• Agence Nationale de la Recherche

Main Outputs

Complete books and CD-ROM

MILBERT I., 2006. co-author of the book under the direction of Droz, Y, Lavigne, J.C., Ethique et Développement Durable, Paris : Karthala, IUED

Chapters in books

MILBERT I., 2006. Politiques publiques urbaines, mouvements sociaux et équilibres de genre, In Reysoo, F, Verschuur, Ch. (ed.) , Des brèches dans la ville, Berne , UNESCO : 255 – 268

MILBERT I., 2006. L’économie de l’Inde, 1947 – 1980, In Jaffrelot Ch., L’Inde Contemporaine, Paris, Fayard : 125 – 139

MILBERT I., 2006. Espace périurbain et gouvernance, In Dupont, V., Golaz, V., Dynamiques périurbaines. Population, habitat et environnement dans les peripheries des grandes métropoles, CD-ROM, collection Les numériques du CEPED, Paris, CEPED (consultable sur http://ceped.cirad.fr)

RAZAK A., 2006. Spatial Access Cost of Livelihood Needs of the Squatter Households in the Peri-uban Delhi, In Peri-Urban Interface, St. Josephs College of Management, Bangalore

Articles

MILBERT I., 2006. Slums, slum dwellers and multilevel governance, European Journal of Development Research, Taylor and Francis, London, vol.18, 2 : 299-318