Model based prioritization of urban space for the development of municipal services in Chandernagore Municipal Corporation (CMC), India

Abstract

The present article wishes to supplement the proliferating urban competitiveness research by adding the role of urban services in providing leverage to these aspirations in smaller cities. A small city with its inability to compete with the largeness, agglomeration and proximity criteria of city competitiveness can witness growth through cultural production, consumption and cultural policy. And for that to happen, urban wellbeing is considered the main lynchpin, which can be accomplished by providing urban services. The present study engages with micro-level spaces to understand the existing performance of municipal services in one of the colonial cities of eastern India. Methods include micro-level spatial analysis of data, Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP); and primary survey of the stakeholders. It is followed by quantification of information in selected municipal services and spatial distribution of population in the study area through Geographic Information System (GIS). These methods and micro-zones have also assessed functional gaps of municipal services identified for decision making.