Global Players - local struggles : spatial dynamics of industrialisation and social change in peri-urban Chennai, India

Empirical research on the societal and spatial impacts of global change has concentrated either on rural or urban contexts, especially on megacities. The peri‐urban spaces in between are largely left unnoticed, although experiencing the most profound and dynamic transformations. This book presents the first comprehensive study on spatial dynamics of industrial development and social change in this context, taking peri-urban Chennai, the thriving industrial hub in southern India, as an example. The book combines quantitative and qualitative findings to analyse the implications of rapid industrialisation: a dynamic land market, changing labour conditions, strained governance structures and the demise of an agrarian social order. In order to systematically approach this transformation an innovative conceptual framework is developed from Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space. Following the notion of inclusive development the book explores the contested spatial dynamics of development, contrasting strategies of global players with the local struggles of the vulnerable striving for livelihood security in the peri-urban spaces of today. CONTENTS List of maps List of figures List of tables List of case studies ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SUMMARY I INTRODUCTION 1 Development as growth: the World Bank perspective 2 Inclusive development: an alternative perspective for peri-urban Chennai 3 Outline of the study II APPROACHING GLOBALISED TRANSFORMATIONS WITH LEFEBVRE’S THEORY OF THE PRODUCTION OF SPACE 1 Globalised spaces in peri-urban Chennai 1.1 The concept of globalised spaces 1.2 Lefebvre’s concept of social space 1.3 Spatial strategies 2 Framing social exclusion as enforced abstraction 2.1 The concept of enforced abstraction 2.2 Framing access with social space 3 Framing inclusion as lived difference 3.1 The concept of lived difference 3.2 Inclusive development, livelihoods and lived difference III RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 1 Approaching peri-urban transformations 1.1 Identifying actors producing globalised spaces 1.2 Identifying processes of producing of social spaces 1.3 Assessment of new regimes of access 1.4 Focus on actors’ reaction towards new social spaces 2 Methodology for data collection 2.1 Approaching peri-urban transformations 2.2 Selection of research sites 2.3 Selection of actor groups relevant for the study 2.4 Methods of data collection 3 Interpretation of results IV GLOBALISED SPACES IN PERI-URBAN CHENNAI 1 Global players - drivers of peri-urban transformations 1.1 The State Government 1.2 International companies 1.3 Landowning farmers 1.4 Agricultural labourers 1.5 The peri-urban apartment industry 2 ‘India’s Shenzhen’ – a regional example 2.1 The Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial corridor 2.2 Discussion: Global players – local struggles V ENFORCED ABSTRACTIONS AND SPACES OF EXCLUSION IN PERI-URBAN CHENNAI 1 Land acquisition for industrial purpose 1.1 Land acquisition and the enforcement of ‘industrial purpose’ 1.2 Oragadam village: local level land acquisition and livelihood transformations 1.3 Discussion: Land acquisition as a mechanism for exclusion 2 The peri-urban land market 2.1 Producing the land market 2.2 Actors producing the peri-urban land market 2.3 The land market along the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial corridor 2.4 Discussion: The land market as a mechanism for exclusion 3 Privatized spaces of higher education 3.1 Labour markets and education 3.2 Engineering colleges 3.3 Discussion: Higher education as a mechanism for exclusion VI LIVED DIFFERENCE AND LOCAL STRUGGLES FOR INCLUSION IN PERI-URBAN CHENNAI 1 The emerging industrial labour market 1.1 Social identity and labour conditions 1.2 Negotiating the social space of work 1.3 Discussion: Labour markets and inclusive development 2 Ullavur village: challenges for landowners – empowerment of agricultural labourers 2.1 Ullavur village 2.2 Shifting patterns of occupation 2.3 Social change in peri-urban Ullavur 2.4 Discussion: Industrial development and the opportunity for inclusive development in rural society 3 Peri-urban governance structures 3.1 Coordination between government agencies 3.2 Turning Sriperumbudur town into “India’s Shenzhen” 3.3 The making of Greater Chennai 3.4 Discussion: Peri-urban governance and inclusive development VII CONCLUSION: PERI-URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY 1 Globalised transformations in peri-urban Chennai 1.1 Benefits from globalised spaces 1.2 Mechanisms of social exclusion 1.3 Opportunities for inclusive development 2 Evaluation of the conceptual approach 2.1 Linking theoretical concerns with empirical questions 2.2 A spatial perspective on social change 2.3 Towards a right to inclusive development 3 Outlook 3.1 Recommendations for future research 3.2 Policy recommendations REFERENCES ANNEX I Glossary of Tamil and Indian terms II List of abbreviations III List of interviews IV Oragadam questionnaire MAPS Map 1: Peri-urban Chennai: Transformations 2001–2011 Map 2: Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks in Tamil Nadu. Map 3: Residential apartment projects in peri-urban Chennai Map 4: Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial corridor 2001–2011 Map 5: Oragadam and Chennakuppam 2001 Map 6: Oragadam and Chennakuppam 2012 Map 7: Land value along the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial corridor Map 8: Engineering colleges in peri-urban Chennai Map 9: Ullavur: A rural village abandoning agriculture Map 10: Varadhapuram section of Ullavur