This volume decentres the view of urbanization in India from large agglomerations towards smaller urban settlements. It presents the outcomes of original research conducted over three years on subaltern urbanisation processes. The volume is organized into four sections. The first deals with urbanization dynamics and systems of cities with chapters on the new census towns, demographic and economic trajectories of cities and employment transformation. The interrelations of land transformation and social and cultural changes form the topic of the "land, society, belonging" section based on ethnographic work in various parts of India (Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu). A third section focuses on public policies, governance and urban services with a set of macro-analysis-based papers and specific case studies. Understanding the nature of production and innovation in non-metropolitan contexts closes this volume. Finally, though focused on India, this research raises more significant questions with regard to the study of urbanization and development worldwide