Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents an opportunity for scholars already working on urban issues related to infrastructure and/or citizenship to reflect on the opportunities and challenges presented by adopting an infrastructural perspective to understanding citizenship. It explores the connections between the physical and political elements of infrastructure and citizenship for housing beneficiaries. The book demonstrates how urban citizens claim their right to city-life, that is, to live in a space that represents their needs, hopes and aspirations. It also explores the technological politics of the ongoing battles between residents, engineers and utility officials, to re-/dis-connect meters and enforce/evade payment. The book discusses the changing nature of infrastructure provision for mining employees in relation to other urban dwellers, revealing tensions based on a form of structural inequality that has its roots in the history of mining and urban governance.