The New Company Towns

While the company town model hasn't been taken seriously in the West in decades, they're cropping up today in countries like China and India.

1 minute read

January 20, 2011, 6:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur

Jamshedpur, India was created as the corporate headquarters of Tata Motors.

The Economist sheds light on this new company town:

"Jamshedpur was created at the turn of the past century to solve a practical problem: the resources needed to make steel, in the form of coal, iron ore and running water, were stuck in the middle of an isolated forest. But practicality was also infused with idealism: Jamsetji Tata, the founder of both the town and of what became the Tata Group (pictured here with his great-grandson Ratan Tata, the group's modern-day boss), wanted to create an industrial jewel, with wide avenues, good schools and generous sports facilities, to prove that India was capable of economic independence."

FULL STORY: The universal provider

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 in The Economist

Community / Economic Development Land Use India Company Towns Jamshedpur

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