Globalization and Urbanism As a Way of Life in India

Globalization has aggravated the challenges facing cities around the world, it also makes room for cities and local governments to play a revitalized political role. Cities have become more important as nation-states are increasingly unable to manage global trends. Ecological risks and volatile financial markets operate at levels above that of the nation-state, and individual countries the most powerful are too “small” to counter such forces. Yet nation-states also remain too ‘large’ to address adequately the diverse needs found within cosmopolitan urban areas. Where the nation-state is unable to act effectively, local and city governments may be more suited to the task. Connectivity becomes the hallmark of network society facilitated by digital technologies. Cities are fundamentally well-connected, fast-growing, communicative, and global in outlook. Cities are also known for media concentration, as the structures and people there extensively create and exchange messages - social, political, economic, and cultural. The urban communication landscape is very complex, and therefore, a robust media and communication infrastructure is required to form, reform, and transform urban communities from a sustainable development perspective. The present paper aims to analyze urbanism as a way of life from a social ecology perspective in the era of globalization focusing on the National Capital Region of India.