Urban Ethos and Pathos

ABOUT THE BOOK The thoughts and views expressed in this study relate to social sometimes political and governance challenges and their attempted resolutions. Having served in the government public sector and the non-government sector the author is aware of the complexities and the volumes of societal concerns but is often distressed at the lack of determination to find viable answers and particularly our inability to anticipate the needs of continuous expansion of civic services for growing populations. The author seems to be frustrated by the use and often abuse of public spaces by fellow citizens and why we are not more civil and conscious of the fact that my right to swing my arm ends where the other fellows’ nose begins. The way our cities are managed is appalling. This is where we live and millions more will be coming to seek opportunities in the coming years. We are condemning them to a life of misery. The author fondly hopes that things could get better only if we try a little harder as plain human beings without having to worry about the mandates from our different Gods. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Raj Liberhan has been the Director India Habitat Centre (IHC) New Delhi India a unique institution which has built platforms for many conversations on issues of contemporary societal concerns and is a premier cultural space for citizens in the city. He was at the helm of the India Habitat Centre for nearly twenty years and has helped create a unique institutional mechanism where various professions and institutions dealing with different facets of habitat function interact and attempt to resolve habitat related problems in a coordinated manner; and cooperate and collaborate with other national or international institutions.