Development Charges: Funding Urban Infrastructure in India and the Global South

The book uses the two key findings of the extant literature-the need to empower urban local governments and to employ a variety of local revenue sources-to advance the field of local government finance by studying an important fee-based revenue source - development charges. It begins by situating development charges in the larger ecosystem of local public finance and identifying factors to be considered while designing and implementing a development charge program. Next, it reviews the use of development charges globally, especially in Australia, South Africa, and the US. After that, through a comparative analysis of development charge programs in India and the US, and simulations, the book shows how development charges are inadequate for urban India's and the Global South's infrastructure needs. Finally, it suggests ways to levy development charges that are legally sound, transparent, equitable, and politically and administratively feasible while providing a robust revenue stream.

Shishir Mathur is professor of urban and regional planning at San Jose State University. He has worked in the academia, the corporate sector, and consulting. His teaching and research interests are public finance, urban and real estate economics, housing, international planning, growth management, land use planning, transportation planning, emergency management, and systems analysis.