Ahmedabad: the middle class megacity

Ahmedabad's transformation into a 'Megacity' is driven by the middle class, which leverages neoliberal urbanism to advance exclusionary economic and political agendas. This study reveals that the middle class uses processes like crisis, participation, celebration, and capture to align its interests with broader neoliberal goals, often bypassing electoral democracy. Through ethnographic evidence, it demonstrates how discourses of development, nostalgia, and community are enlisted to promote the 'Gujarat model,' both within the state and beyond. The research highlights the middle class's pivotal role in shaping urban policies that prioritize economic growth over inclusive development.

Mehta, M. G. (2016). Ahmedabad: the middle class megacity. South Asian History and Culture, 7(2), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/19472498.2016.1143668