Future Societies

Hi, Abhirath - One of the approaches suggested for this paper is that a student could focus on the development of a particular region or area. In this context. I think focusing on the future development of a metropolitan area in India, such as Delhi, Mumbai, or Bangalore, would make a fine topic for this paper. My inclination would be to have you focus on one of these cities, so that you can explore the topic in detail. I could, however, also see merit in taking a "compare and contrast" approach by picking two of these cities and looking at how their development trajectories might differ given local geographic, demographic, and economic and social conditions. I think trying to focus on all three cities might spread your analysis too thin, so I would counsel against that approach. That said, I am puzzled by two aspects of your topic statement.

First, it is certainly true that unplanned urbanization, or perhaps more accurately, the unplanned movement of large numbers of rural residents to these urban areas, will have a significant impact on their future development. However, this seems to me to be only one of a number of different factors. Ultimately, it seems like your focus should be less on how these cities will change if their populations continue to grow in the absence of effective urban planning, and should instead focus on how political and social leaders at the local, regional, and national levels should plan for the continued expansion of these urban areas in order to create the best possible outcome for the city's residents, surrounding communities, and the nation. It is pretty easy to see that if no steps are taken the situation in these cities is likely to worsen. The question is, what are the steps that should be taken to make the situation better and to, in fact, create the best possible outcome for these cities in the future?

My second puzzle has to do with your reference to climate. I am assuming that by climate you mean something like "atmosphere" or "general quality of life" and not specifically the climate itself, as in the weather. Certainly, as you consider the future of your selected city (Delhi, Mumbai, or Bangalore, or at most, two of the three), you will want to consider how changes in the global climate are likely to impact the city, through changes in rainfall patterns, temperature patterns, sea levels, or other factors. However, aside from lowering their own greenhouse gas emissions, there is not much any one city can do to forestall these changes. However, every city will need to consider how it might need to adapt to changes in the global climate and ways that it can increase its own resilience and the resilience of its residents in the face of these potentially significant climate changes. As I said, I wasn't sure in what sense you intended to use the word "climate". If in the former, you will certainly want to consider how to improve the overall quality of life for residents in these cities. At the same time, as you consider the future development of your selected city, you should take into consideration the potential and likely impact of climate change, as well as the impact of unmanaged rural-urban migration.