ABSTRACT
This chapter problematises ideals of citizenship as they are enacted through public participation in urban planning in Chennai. It explores new and emerging forms of urban governance within the longer trajectory of economic liberalisation and the involvement of international development institutions in the South. The chapter describes ‘good governance’ is a key component of a discourse that articulates idealised notions of citizenship through civil society. It traces the recent history of urban planning in Chennai as it reflects these economic and political shifts. The chapter discusses conflict and contestation as endemic to urban plans in the city. It contrasts this conflicted history with the ideal-type of citizenship that was evoked by the final consultation for the Second Master Plan. The chapter argues that the idealised notions of citizenship evident in these new forms of public participation are important for manufacturing a tenuous alliance between urban elites and the policies of liberalisation.
