ABSTRACT
Delhi has a long history of growth and change. The international sporting event in Delhi provides a privileged moment to examine the transformations and processes at work in the Indian capital. Delhi’s population has grown at a remarkable rate for an urban agglomeration of its size, reaching 18.6 million in 2016. It has for long been a premium market for India’s Northwest region. The ground for the agenda of transforming major Indian metropolises into global cities was prepared by the opening up of the Indian economy to the international market. The vital contribution of towns and cities to the national economy and the driving role of metropolises were officially recognized only in the late 1980s. The economic liberalization and political decentralization reforms are also the product of the pressures exerted by international donor agencies on India.
