Urban Development-Induced Rehabilitation of Slums in Bengaluru: Tracing Gender Sensitivity and Agency

The study explores the impact of the development-induced resettlement policy implemented by the BMRCL metro project, displacing slum dwellers from two slums in the city of Bengaluru. The study’s main objective is to assess the impact of relocation on slum dwellers, particularly women. Some of the key parameters examined include socioeconomic conditions, livelihood status and employment, and economic mobility. The key focus of the study area includes two slums, namely, Basaveswara Nagar and Jai Bheemanagar, which have been affected by the implementation of the BMRCL project (Phase I) in the city. The study applies the “before-and-after” framework to capture their socioeconomic conditions, livelihood status, and mobility issues. The study shows that spatial relocation to new areas has seriously affected women’s occupational and economic mobility, particularly that of uneducated and elderly women. As a result, women’s contribution to the family income has drastically reduced, thereby exacerbating the spatial reproduction of urban poverty. Hence, one can argue that spatial relocation reinforces the economic and social marginalisation of urban poor women by curtailing their economic mobility. Moreover, any changes in the relocation caused by developmental activities, such as the metro rail project (infrastructure), perpetuate spatial inequality. The bitter truth is that the gender dimension in governance, urban development, and planning stands virtually ignored. A gender perspective embedded in urban governance is imperative for an inclusive city.