Published Paper Details:

Urban expansion has gained much more momentum in the 21st century as a global phenomenon. Estimates indicate that by 2025, just two years away, the percentage of the world's population living in cities and towns will rise from 9.2 percent in 1900 to 65 percent. Even the developing nations, with India being a premier country among them, hold globalisation and sister processes (liberalisation and privatisation) responsible and support them with considerable achievements in science, technology, commerce, communication, transportation, and educational advancements. People refer to the Urban Fringe as the "institutional desert" because of the unchecked growth in urban expansion; although the urban area is usually relatively developed, the Fringe is characterized by intensive and changing land use patterns, a high land price, and a dense, mobile population. Fringe studies from a sociological and qualitative perspective are lacking in India. Based on ongoing research (for a PhD), this paper attempts to delineate the urban influence on the village communities in the fringe area of Mysuru City. The findings indicate that the City Expansion Project of the government has both positive and negative impacts on the PAPs (Project Affected Persons). These impacts include loss of livelihood, social disorganization, and financial instability, as well as new occupations and ways of living that benefit the younger generation and those at the bottom of the hierarchy, providing an escape from the hegemonic rural caste/class structure.