This talk draws upon the body of work developed by Dr. Glen Kuecker who has been studying urban exclusions and structural issues relating to it across the Global South. He reflects upon the looming crisis of the 21st Century, and the role of the 'city' as not just a spatial site but also a domain for contested realities to engage with the state and other stakeholders. Farukh Sarkulov, will add to this talk by bringing into focus some of his work about the political economy of the Smart Cities Mission in India & its implications going forward.  

Short Bio of the speakers
Dr Glen Kuecker is a Professor of History in DePauw University, Indiana (US). His area of special focus has been Latin America, where he has engaged with issues pertaining to contemporary history, especially in the context of multiple, large-scale, global, and concomitant crises, including demographic transformations (population growth and aging, and rapid urbanization) environmental/ecological degradation, and economic stress. Farukh is his student who has been working with the Centre of Financial Accountability (CFA) trying to piece together the political economy of urban planning and related finance systems.