Building sustainable and livable cities

Name of the Faculty: Arpit Shah

Designation: Assistant Professor

Teaching Area: Center for Public Policy

(such as Finance & Accounting; Marketing; Production &
Operations Management; Strategy)

This course may be offered to: MBA

(PG Programmes / Doctoral Programme)
http://www.iimb.ernet.in/programmes

Credits (No. of hours): 3

(3 credits=30 classroom hours; 1.5 credits-15 classroom hours;
session=90 minutes)

Term / Quarter: Term 5

(Starting April /June /September/December)

Course Type: Elective

(Core or Elective) Regular course
Offered as:
(Regular Course: staggered across the term or
Workshop1 Course: 3-5 continuous days)
Grading Norms Standard
Standard (On a scale of 1 to 4) OR
Qualitative (Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory)
Are there any financial implications to this None
course, apart from the allocated budget?
Additional information required

1
Workshop course: Please provide reasons as to why the course is being offered in workshop mode and why it cannot be offered
as a regular course (that is spread over 5-10 weeks). As an institution, IIMB prefers courses offered in the regular mode, since it
results in better learning experience for the students and avoids overlapping of courses. Not more than 15 hours will be
scheduled for a workshop course conducted on campus during workshop week.

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Course Summary
Cities are considered engines of economic growth. In this course, we examine the potential for
the creation of sustainable and livable cities in the context of three major global trends. (1) rapid
urbanization, especially in the developing world. For instance, India’s urban population is set to
increase from 429 million in 2014 to 889 million by 2050, (2) increasing scarcity of basic
resources such as water, clean air etc. (3) the lack of provision of basic infrastructure in cities,
again prominently in developing countries.

The course will expose students to management challenges from the perspective of various
stakeholders (policy makers, private sector, civil society) at the scale of the city. We will focus
on different components that make up cities in a number of sectors such as water, waste,
transportation, slum redevelopment, health services and security. Case studies will focus
primarily on cities in the developing world. Selected examples from developed countries will be
used to highlight emerging challenges in urban management.

The course will be divided into four major modules.

Module 1: Challenges in urban infrastructure

The module introduces the challenges in enhancing sustainability in cities. We cover the
competing demands on urban resources, and the tradeoffs that businesses and policy makers need
to consider in making cities sustainable and livable.

Module 2: Competing demands on urban land

The module examines the complex problem of upgrading slums. We will discuss the role of
various stakeholders, including the political and financial issues associated with slum
redevelopment projects.

Module 3: Provision of basic urban services

The module examines complex challenges related to the provision of basic services such as
water, sanitation, emergency health services, and security.

Module 4: Infrastructure for urban mobility

The module examines urban transportation, including metro rail systems, bus transport, sharing
economy solutions, and cycling.

Pre-requisites, if any: None

Learning Objectives / Outcomes

The course is designed with the following specific objectives and learning outcomes:

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 ● Understand the complex management challenges in ensuring sustainability and livability
in cities
● Critically evaluate the role and performance of different stakeholders in managing cities
(policy makers, private sector, civil society)
● Examine the components required to ensure high quality of life in cities and management
issues associated with each (water, sanitation, health, clean air etc.)
● Understanding emerging global trends in urban life (e.g., sharing economy, surveillance)
and the challenges that could potentially arise in the future

Pedagogy
Teaching will include lectures, case discussions and student presentations. Classroom time will
be dedicated to discussing assigned readings/cases. Students will be expected to have read the
material before the class.

Course Evaluation & Grading

The course evaluation will be based on the following components

1. Class presentations (group) (20%): Students will be divided into groups. Each group will
make a presentation on 1-2 assigned cases over the course of the term.
2. End-term project (group) (30%): Students will be divided into groups. Each group will
critically analyze the governance challenge with regard to a selected urban issue. The
issue has to focus on a specific managerial challenge in a single city from the perspective
of a selected relevant stakeholder. The topic will have to be selected by Session 6 of the
course. Each group will make a presentation about their selected company in Session 19-
20 and submit a project report on the same (max: 10 pages, maximum font size: 12, line
spacing: 1, standard page margins)
3. End-term examination (individual) (50%): The examination will use an open-book case-
based format, and will focus on the application of concepts learned in the course.

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Session-wise plan
Module 1: Challenges in urban infrastructure

Session
Topic
s
1 Topic: An introduction to sustainable cities
Readings:
● Article: Macomber, “Building sustainable cities”, (2013) Harvard
Business Review

2 Topic: Sustaining our heritage

Readings:
● Case: “Sustaining the Taj Mahal” (2010) IIM Ahmedabad
● Reading: “Bad air gnawing at our monuments”, (2013) Hindustan
Times, https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/bad-air-gnawing-at-our-
monuments/story-ML0Q6nVQmsGpzPL7FCyQqO.html

3 Topic: Planning for a better city

Readings:
● Case: “Vision Mumbai”, (2008), Harvard Kennedy School

4 Topic: The unique challenge of the Kumbh

Readings:
● Case: “Kumbh Mela: India’s pop-up mega-city”, (2019), Harvard
Business School
● Article: “Studying India's Maha Kumbh Mela Festival”, (2013),
Harvard Business Review

Module 2: Competing demands on urban land

Session
Topic
s
5 Topic: Slum redevelopment
Readings:
● Case: “Dharavi: Developing Asia’s largest slum (A) and (B)”, (2011)
Harvard Business School
● Article: “3 elections and 15 years later, Dharavi still gets same political
promise – redevelopment”, The Print, https://theprint.in/politics/3-
elections-15-years-later-dharavi-still-gets-same-political-promise-
redevelopment/304429/

6 Topic: Financing slum redevelopment

Readings:
● Case: “Financing Slum Rehabilitation in Mumbai: A Nonprofit Caught

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 in the Middle”, (2003) Harvard Kennedy School
● Article: “ Mumbai: Maha govt to set up stressed fund for slum
rehabilitation projects”, (2020), Business Standard,
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/mumbai-
maha-govt-to-set-up-stressed-fund-for-slum-rehabilitation-projects-
120070901331_1.html

7 Topic: The issue of land rights

Readings:
● Case: “Terra Nova: A social business trying to unlock land rights for the
urban poor in Brazil”, (2019) Harvard Business School
● Article: “How One Million People in India’s Odisha Slums Gain Land
Rights”, (2019) ESRI, https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/how-
one-million-people-in-indias-odisha-slums-gain-land-rights/

Module 3: Provision of basic urban services

Session
Topic
s
8 Topic: Drinking water in urban slums
Readings:
● Case: “Sarvajal: Water for All”, (2011) Harvard Business School
● Article: “The slum residents trying to prevent a water crisis”, (2018)
BBC, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181011-how-to-solve-
delhis-water-crisis

9 Topic: Water and sanitation

Readings:
● Case: “The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage
Board”, (2006) Harvard Kennedy School
● Article: ”India urban water crisis: Cities at risk of running out of water”,
(2021) India Today,
https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20210329-the-cities-
of-woe-1781275-2021-03-20

10 Topic: Urban services

Readings:
● Case: “Urban company”, (2020) Harvard Business School
● Article: “Government signs agreement with UrbanClap for job
generation”, (2017) Business Standard, https://www.business-
standard.com/article/news-ians/government-signs-agreement-with-
urbanclap-for-job-generation-117103101670_1.html

11 Topic: Emergency healthcare

Readings:

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 ● Case: “GVK EMRI: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in
Emergency Medical Response”, (2013), Singapore Management
University

12 Topic: Security: Whose job is it?

Readings:
● Case: “Ring Inc. and Law Enforcement: The Cost of Keeping
Neighborhoods Safe”, (2020) University of Michigan
● Article: “What’s wrong with public video surveillance?”, (2002)
American Civil Liberties Union, https://www.aclu.org/other/whats-
wrong-public-video-surveillance

13 Topic: The question of privacy and surveillance

Readings:
● Case: “Sidewalk Labs: Privacy in a City Built from the Internet Up”,
(2020) University of Michigan
● Article: “London Police Are Taking Surveillance to a Whole New
Level”, (2020), The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/business/london-police-facial-
recognition.html
● Video: “Facial Recognition”, (2020), Last Week Tonight with John
Oliver, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZjmlJPJgug

Module 4: Infrastructure for urban mobility

Cities are considered to be potential engines of economic growth, and high quality urban
mobility is necessary for unlocking the potential of cities.

Session
Topic
s
14 Topic: Cycling in the city
Readings:
● Case: “Choosing the Road Less Traveled: How Cycling Took Hold in
Copenhagen” (2017), Harvard Kennedy School
● Article: “Understanding-the-challenges-faced-by-women-on-indian-
streets-is-key-to-promote-cycling-in-cities”, (2020) Scroll,
https://scroll.in/article/987640/understanding-the-challenges-faced-by-
women-on-indian-streets-is-key-to-promote-cycling-in-cities
● Article: “Women love bikes—so why don’t they cycle to work?”,
(2020) Quartz, https://qz.com/quartzy/1745124/why-women-dont-
cycle-and-what-cities-can-do-about-it/

15 Topic: Transport and air pollution

Readings:
● Case: “Air Quality and Public Health in Megacities: Has Air Quality

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 Improved Due to Driving Restrictions in Mexico City?”, (2016)
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
● Article: Heyes and Berinato, “Air pollution brings down the stock
market”, (2017) Harvard Business Review
● Article: Graffzivin et al., “Air Pollution Is Making Office Workers Less
Productive”, (2016) Harvard Business Review

16 Topic: Challenges in metro rail systems

Readings:
● Case: “Delhi metro rail corporation”, (2012) Harvard Business School
● Article: “NPAC’s Arbitration Review: Delhi HC sets aside arbitral
award passed in the Airport Metro Express dispute”, (2019) Bar and
Bench, https://www.barandbench.com/columns/npac-aritration-review-
delhi-hc-sets-aside-arbitral-award-airport-metro-express-dispute

17 Topic: Reducing the need for mobility

Readings:
● Case: “Reimagining the urban office”, (2020) Harvard Business Review
● Article: “Remote work is here to stay. Manhattan may never be the
same”, (2021), The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/nyregion/remote-work-
coronavirus-pandemic.html
● Article: “Facebook Starts Planning for Permanent Remote Workers”,
(2020), The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/technology/facebook-remote-
work-coronavirus.html

18 Topic: Challenges in last mile connectivity

Readings:
● Case: “Ojek: Regulating motorcycle taxis in Jakarta”, (2020) Harvard
Kennedy School
● Readings: “Why Regulation Is a Tricky Business in the Sharing
Economy”, (2018), Knowledge@Wharton,
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/regulating-sharing-
economy/

Module 5: Student project presentations

Session
Topic
s
19-20 Topic: Student presentations

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