Peri-urban environments and community driven development: Chennai, India

Abstract This paper focuses on the transitional peripheral zone of a large Indian metropolis, and the inability of the public sector (i.e. urban local governments) there to provide the array of services necessary for the maintenance of a satisfactory quality of life due to the rapidity of population growth. This is explored in the specific context of waste management. Using a series of photographs, the problems in the peri-urban setting are revealed. The response of civil society organizations is illustrated in efforts to take control of this problem.