2nd GCRO RAC meeting

Thursday, May 13, 2010 - 08:30 - 13:00

Update: A copy of Prof Aromar Revi's presentation can be downloaded here: IIHS_india_presentation.ppt (18Mb - may be slow downloading: right click and select save target as (in Interent explorer) or save link as (in Firefox) to save to a file)

Dear RAC Members

You are invited to attend the second GCRO - RAC meeting

Date : Thursday 13th May

Time: 08:30 for 09:00 – 13:00 (lunch will be served after the meeting).

This meeting will be slightly shorter than normal, because – through the good offices of Edgar Pieterse – we’ve managed to get Prof Aromar Revi to speak, which will make for a fascinating session, and we’d like to stay focused on his input and give time for discussion (rather than packing in too many presentations). As Revi has noted,
"Over the coming half century, India’s urban population is expected to increase from a little over 300 million to about 800 million, accounting for more than half of the nation's total population. India will make a historic transition from a largely rural and agrarian society to one that is predominantly urban. This will be more than just an economic transition. It will result in the transformation of Indian society, culture, natural and built environments and politics This massive population shift will result in an explosion in the demand for livelihoods; for more urban space, housing and services; for improved governance; and for a new politics – on a scale that no democracy has confronted in history. The future of India will hinge on these challenges being handled with wisdom and alacrity. This could tilt the balance towards a more secure, sustainable and prosperous global future."

Venue: Sunnyside Park Hotel
            Princess Of Wales Terrace
            Parktown – Johannesburg
            [map]

RSVP: Your attendance and whether you will be staying for lunch before Thursday, 6 May 2010 by e-mail to sammy.masehe@gcro.ac.za or to Adele.Underhay@gcro.ac.za

GCRO – RAC agenda

Session 1: Urbanisation in India
Chair: Professor Belinda Bozzoli

8.30: Arrival, tea, registration

9.00 - 9.45: Prof Aromar Revi: Urbanisation in India: meeting the challenge

(Aromar Revi is an international consultant, practitioner and researcher with nearly twenty five years of inter-disciplinary experience in public policy, governance, institutional development, as well as the political economy of reform, development, technology and sustainability. He is the Director of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) - India's first independent national University aiming to address challenges of urbanization in the 21st Century. Aromar has lectured at two dozen Universities across four continents, written and edited five books and contributed to over thirty academic articles to peer-reviewed journals across multiple disciplines. He has been a senior advisor to various ministries of the Government of India, including the national Planning Commission, and has consulted for a wide range of multilateral and bilateral development institutions. He is one of India's leading experts on Climate Change adaptation, and has led his expertise to numerous disaster management and mitigation initiatives. Aromar also works on the dynamics of macro-governance and on long-range futures for India and South Asia. He is currently involved in developing India 2050: a dynamic long-range national economy-resource-demographic model for India.)

9.45 - 10.30: Discussion

10.30 - 11.00: Tea