Thesis supervisor(s)
: Christian Lefèvre, Ludovic Halbert Indian
cities are undergoing large-scale spatial transformations, marked in particular by the proliferation of real estate developments aimed at transnational corporations and the upper middle classes. Our thesis focuses on the development companies that initiate and coordinate these types of projects. By studying two urban regions in southern India (Bangalore and Chennai), we seek to understand the processes through which some of these companies strengthen their position in the material, symbolic, and political construction of urban spaces.
We begin by emphasizing how decisive the role of the central government is due to its housing finance policies (boom in household credit), the gradual liberalization of land ownership, and the opening up of the construction sector to capital from financial markets. The thesis then shows how, in the mid-2000s, the explosion of investment, particularly foreign investment, benefited a limited number of real estate developers. The latter took advantage of this context of abundant capital. Armed with the cognitive, social, and political resources that enabled them to navigate India's "informal urbanism," they took on risks that asset managers, who were still unfamiliar with local players, their practices, and the geography of real estate markets, were unwilling to take. While the use of financial markets led to organizational transformations and accelerated a process of professionalization, their key role in anchoring investments ensured these development companies a degree of autonomy. On the one hand, bolstered by the capital they obtained, they accelerated their growth by industrializing their operations and expanding their markets to cities in southern India. On the other hand, these large developers were able to develop and disseminate models relating to both desired forms of urbanization and national and local urban development policies.
Doctorate in Spatial Planning, Urban Planning
Year of thesis registration
: 2010
Doctoral school
: VTT – City, Transportation, and Territories
Defense on Friday, December 9, 2016
Composition of the Jury
Armelle Choplin, Associate Professor, University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée
Eric Denis, Director of Research, CNRS, UMR Géographie-cités (rapporteur)
Ludovic Halbert, Research Fellow, CNRS, UMR LATTS (co-supervisor)
Loraine Kennedy, Director of Research, CNRS, UMR CEIAS
Christian Lefèvre, Professor, University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée (director)
Renaud Le Goix, Professor, University of Paris Diderot (rapporteur)