City Lights: India needs to take Tier-II route to propel its urbanisation

Among structural changes needed for proper urbanisation are directly elected mayors, a sensible property tax system, citizen- and bicycle-friendly designs, and clear FAR rules, writes T N Ninan

City rankings are a flourishing business. The Economist Intelligence Unit has put out its latest this week, on the most expensive cities and the cheapest ones. Ahmedabad figures in the Top 10 of the latter, in the undistinguished company of places like battered Damascus and Tripoli. Earlier the government put out its update on India’s cleanest cities, with Indore once again claiming top honours. The government also puts out its list of cities ranked on ease of living – Bengaluru tops, followed by Pune, while Srinagar and Dhanbad are the worst. A similar listing by the Centre for Science and