Colonialism and the City

Though the presidencies {Bombay, Calcutta, Madras} became the centres of the British power in the different regions of India, at the same time, a host of smaller cities declined
Many towns manufacturing specialized goods declined due to a drop in the demand for what they produced.
Old training centres and ports could not survive when the flow of trade moved to new centres.
Earlier centres of regional power collapsed and local rulers were defeated by the British and new centres of administration emerged. This process if often described as de-urbanization.
By the early 20th century only 11 percent of Indians were living in cities.
The historic imperial city of Delhi became a dusty provincial town in the 19th century before it was rebuilt as the capital of British India after 1912

In Delhi, the ‘white people’ lived along with the wealthier Indians of the city, unlike Bombay or Madras, where there were separate living spaces for whites and blacks. After the rebellion of 1857, the British wanted Delhi to forget its Mughal past. Many gardens, pavilions and mosques were cleared and barracks for troops were built in their place. Walls of the city were broken to establish railway lines and allow the city to expand beyond the walls. Later, Delhi was planned as a brand new capital of the country in 1911 and the architecture was taken care of by Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker.