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The <keyword id="50190" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="asian-development-bank" source="Orion">Asian Development Bank</keyword> (ADB) has approved a USD 400 million loan to support the Indian government's <keyword id="706405" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="urban-reform" source="Orion">urban reform</keyword> agenda for creating high-quality <keyword id="557969" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="urban-infrastructure" source="Orion">urban infrastructure</keyword> and efficient governance systems. The programme also envisages integrated urban planning reforms to control urban sprawls and foster systemic and planned urbanisation through enhancing the entire ecosystem of legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms along with capacity building of ULBs and community awareness, ADB said. "The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 400 million policy-based loan to India for Sub-programme 2 of the <keyword id="8174895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sustainable-Urban-Development" source="Orion">Sustainable Urban Development</keyword> and Service Delivery Programme. "The programme aims to support the government's urban reform agenda for improving the quality of urban life through the creation of high-quality urban infrastructure, assured public services, and efficient governance systems," ADB said. While Subprogramme 1, approved in 2021, established national-level policies and guidelines to improve urban services, Subprogramme 2 is supporting investment planning and reform actions at the state and urban local body (ULB) levels. "India has recognised the potential for cities to be centres of economic growth and has emphasised the need to make cities livable through inclusive, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure, which is also in line with ADB Strategy 2030," ADB Principal Urban Development Specialist <keyword id="86074" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Joshi" source="Orion">Sanjay Joshi</keyword> said.

ADB approves $400 mn loan to support govt's urban reform agenda

New Delhi, Along with the sharp decline in poverty in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>, there has also been a marked reduction in the rural-urban income divide in the country, according to an SBI Research analysis of a Consumer Expenditure Survey released on Tuesday. Rural Poverty has staged a significant 440-basis point decline since 2018-19 and <keyword id="20742154" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="urban-poverty" source="keywords">Urban Poverty</keyword> a 170-basis point decline post-pandemic, which shows that the government initiatives for promoting the welfare of the bottom of the pyramid are having a significant beneficial impact on rural livelihood, the report states. Rural Poverty is now at 7.2 per cent (25.7 per cent in 2011-12 while <keyword id="19945793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="urban" source="keywords">Urban</keyword> Poverty is at 4.6 per cent (13.7 per cent in 2011-12), official data show. The report further states that India is becoming more aspirational as indicated by the increasing share of discretionary consumption (like spending on beverages, intoxicants, entertainment, durable goods, etc.) in rural and urban areas. The speed of aspiration is swifter in rural areas as compared to urban areas The SBI report states that the difference between rural and urban monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) is now at 71.2 per cent, a rapid decline from 88.2 per cent in 2009-10. Around 30 per cent of the Rural MPCE is explained mainly due to steps taken by the government in terms of DBT transfers, investments in building of rural infrastructures, augmenting farmer's income, all together improving the rural livelihood significantly. Enhanced physical infrastructure is enabling two-way rural-urban mobility, which is the prime reason for the incrementally shrinking horizontal income gap between the rural and urban landscape and the vertical income gap within rural Income classes, according to the SBI report. The states once considered laggards are showing the maximum improvement in rural and urban gap. States like Bihar, <keyword id="19894922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, Madhya Pradesh are showing increasingly the impact of these factors, the report adds. The bottom half of the rural pyramid are now having consumption patterns mostly converging to urban counterparts. The report also states that revised MPCE weights in CPI computation could help India real GDP growth for FY24 to top 7.5 per cent. Other highlights: *Rural and Urban consumption are growing, on an average, at nearly the same growth rate (2.66 per cent for rural, 2.59 per cent for Urban) across classes. Using the statistical equivalent of <keyword id="20744250" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gini-coefficient" source="keywords">Gini Coefficient</keyword>, Horizontal Consumption Inequality between Rural and Urban across fractiles has declined from 0.560 to 0.475 *Urban Rural gap as a percentage of rural consumption is on a declining trend. It has declined from 90.8 per cent in 2004-05 to 71.2 per cent in 2022-23 and we believe, is projected to further decrease to 65.1 per cent in 2029-30 *In the lowest segment, urban consumption is only 46 per cent more dissimilar than the rural counterpart. Across fractile classes, urban consumption is only 68 per cent more dissimilar than rural counterpart, a number much less than the all India average. This indicates the bottom half of the rural pyramid are now having MPCE patterns mostly converging to Urban counterparts.

India's rural-urban income gap declines sharply amid fall in poverty level: SBI Report

<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li>As <keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> starts operating in a few selective green zones, we speak to Rahul Deorah, Vice President - Marketing, Urban Company to understand how its regaining its consumers trust, what kind of employee wellness programs it has introduced to ensure they feel motivated, and its larger marketing strategy for the lockdown. </li></ul>Urban Company (earlier UrbanClap) has seen an uptick in the demand for home cleaning and hygiene services as people are becoming more health-conscious. The app had become quite popular for its home repair and salon services before the pandemic broke out. However, people have been wary about letting outsiders inside their homes lately. Urban Company rose to the challenge and tweaked its marketing strategy. It started communicating every day about the changes it introduced in its services and SOPs. With gradual relaxations in the lockdown, Urban Company is slowly and steadily opening up its services. And after seeing a high demand for home cleaning, it has also started offering disinfection services for cars and commercial spaces. It has opened its salon services in a few selective green zones. And now that people are under house arrest and have limited access to various services, Urban Company did some social listening and mapped out a few trends. It tweaked its logo across platforms to convey the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask. Apart from that, it realised that people are looking for a lot of DIY videos to make the best of their time. Therefore, it started uploading beauty and wellness video tips to help its consumers surf through the challenges they are posed with. It is also conducting live sessions to engage with its consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> We caught up with Rahul Deorah, Vice President - Marketing, Urban Company to further understand what kind of precautions the organisation has taken to ensure the safety of its employees, the idea behind its latest mental-wellness initiative, UC Academy, and its larger marketing strategy. Excerpts: Q. How challenging have the last few weeks been for you as a brand? The past few weeks have been challenging for us. As a brand, we have tried to ensure that we are in touch with our consumers. We are keeping them posted about the changes in service SOPs and the complete shift towards hygiene and safety to ensure that they get the best possible service experience in the safety of their homes. Q. From your wide umbrella of services, which ones are you offering right now? Since the last month, we have been slowly and steadily opening our services. Our Home Repairs and Maintenance services - appliances repairs, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and cleaning – are available across non-containment zones. Seeing the huge request and requirements, we also launched Disinfection Services for cars, home and commercial spaces. Lately, we also opened up our beauty and salon services in a few cities. Q. Now that salon services have begun, what precautions have you taken to ensure the safety of your employees? What kind of response have you seen for the same? We have made the following changes in our SOPs: 1. All UC professionals are equipped with 3-ply masks, gloves and hand sanitizers. 2. Usage of single use products and disposables to ensure zero cross-contamination 3. All service partners have been trained according to WHO prescribed hygiene standards. 4. Sanitization of all tools and equipment prior to the services 5. All our professionals are required to undergo a daily temperature check, which is visible to the consumer on their app 6. Low contact roll-on waxing and threading for maximum hygiene We have seen really good feedback to start with. Customers are liking the way we are providing the services with utmost caution. Q. People are becoming more health-conscious and finally maintaining hygiene at their homes, so have you seen an increase in demand for your home cleaning services as well? Yes, we are noticing increased demand in cleaning and disinfection services. Q. What has your marketing strategy been during the lockdown weeks? Have you changed your media mix, investing more on platforms like Digital since a few other mediums like OOH/Print have been suffering due to the lockdown? We have been always present on digital platforms for our marketing campaigns. Although over the past few months, we have decreased our spends and pivoted towards organic modes of communication. Q. A lot of brands have started doing webinars, have you joined the bandwagon? What kind of response have you seen around it? We are participating in a few webinars for sure. We also host fireside chats with industry leaders but currently these can be attended by employees only. We haven’t yet started an in-house webinar series that’s open to all. Q. Have you seen any changes in consumer behaviour? Yes, a lot. Consumers have become a lot more aware about the issue. They are taking a lot of measures themselves to ensure safety and hygiene is maintained. The following are the changes: a. Media Consumption: Usage of TV, OTT has increased b. Self Care: People are spending a lot of time for fitness and personal care c. DIY solutions to problems d. Online Deliveries for essentials have increased e. Need for self hygiene has increased Q. How are you utilising this time to upskill your employees? Have you introduced any mental health awareness and/or health care programs? We have introduced a program called UC Academy within our company wherein the company’s leadership have been taking online sessions for upskilling. The topics are across different functions and problems. Q. How are you preparing yourself for when things come back to normal? Because we think it will not be the same. Things won’t be the same as before for sure, at least not until a vaccine or cure is found. I believe as a company we have already taken several measures with respect to partner and consumer safety, such as introducing an 8-step safety process for each service category. Apart from this, we have procured and delivered safety kits (comprising gloves, masks, eye goggles, hand sanitiser) for all our partners and will continue to invest in this round the year.

Marketing in the times of COVID-19: Urban Company

Wanderer: a person who travels aimlessly. Most of my <keyword id="1258722" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="adult-life">adult life</keyword> I have fantasized to be a wanderer. If I were to deconstruct what my fantasy truly seeks, it nearly culminates at a day dream of being not only purposeless but also rootless. It’s a lust to be free, free from all accountabilities. What a blissful place that would be. If it exists that is! Google knows this all too well hence tied up with Levis to produce a smart jacket, to make the wandering proposition more inviting. People from my generation deliberated with friends on this mirage over coffee, salivated for a haven like that over beer but it’s not the same for the very special millennials. They seemingly make every small or big decision to achieve that one ultimate goal. The goal to be an ‘<keyword id="4601177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Urban-Wanderer">Urban Wanderer</keyword>’ When you befriend a Gen Z on a social platform, including your own children, you may begin to get a glimpse of their ecosystem. You get to appreciate what they consume, engage with, and feel passionately about. If you are in luck you can even have the privilege of a real conversation. But in all situations, you would in all probability grudgingly gather that they are doing what you always fancied. You may even find yourself cursing and telling yourself – hell this generation is far smarter, they truly know how to live. Really, do they? Do they really practice wandering? Lets ponder. Do they wander their minds as much into what to do after school? Mostly they have achieved salvation in the knowledge that the world out of India is waiting for them with open arms. They over-hear their parents talk over single malts about how they are set to send their child oversees after he finishes school and how it’s alright to pick the more relaxed IB because anyway the kids have to leave the country for their higher studies. These urban wanderers today are sheltered, entitled and even sated in some ways. Do they fret over <keyword id="65469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Financial-independence">financial independence</keyword> as much? Go back to the times when your mother said, don’t you ask your father for more freebies, you better buy your own bike with your first salary. Today's generation loves and protects their independence but the testing terrain of financial independence is not where they are seen wandering about too much. Every time a father raises his voice, the mother intervenes educating him that he is hurting the child's self-esteem. And every time the mother tells the boy to earn his motorbike, the father surprises the boy with the key to the new one, only because he is trying hard to be a buddy. Parents' decisions seem to be influenced by a fear of losing their children to this new-age. Life for that matter is nothing but a place where one is sent to make <keyword id="3360220" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="beautiful-memories">beautiful memories</keyword>. This probably comes from the complaint they made as a child – oh mom I am bored, and the mom promptly looked out for some classes, activates, play dates and what not. If the mom stayed staid and said – go find something and better be useful, chances are they may have not known boredom. These wanderers wander only into known topographies where they anticipate enjoyable moments else they get bored. Pleasure happens to be their biggest objective. They expend a lot of their time and energy in making their days fun. To each their own but sorrow is something they don’t accept. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyJiffies.PriyankaKaintura/photos/a.390608524463302.1073741827.390598661130955/526769960847157/?type=3&amp;theater" data-type="tilCustomLink">Having fun is a serious objective</a>. A lot of fads that we see around us are coming from this burning desire of being happy and showing the world that they are. Unlike our generation that wrote pathos, the cure for even a heart break for this generation is an over-dose of fun. They don’t believe in weeping in acceptance. They believe they must have everything under control. And why not for they were always told they are too good to lose and they deserve the world and nothing less. They love wandering into adventure camping, biking, virtual gaming. However, when it comes to a real game of life they may choose to wander away. Don’t blame them when they choose themselves over a relationship because it didn’t evolve into what they would like. They were always told – love yourself first. When things at work don’t develop into what is desired, there is always recourse - entrepreneurship! If someone ran a study, we may discover that most startup ideas emerge from a merciless appraisal, a harsh argument, a demanding boss, an ungracious organization but hardly from a reflective oneself. I long hedonistically to wander about <keyword id="4601178" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="exploring-the-world">exploring the world</keyword>, meet new people and then disengage to move to another unknown place. I believe I earned it after so much of wandering. I have been wandering as much as most of the people my generation - for grades, admissions, promotions, a deserving place at work, in relationships, in society et al to mark my next level in the world of wandering. Wouldn’t you agree? Closing this note with my most used lines - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyJiffies.PriyankaKaintura/photos/a.390608524463302.1073741827.390598661130955/583368081854011/?type=3&amp;theater" data-type="tilCustomLink">Overwatering can destroy the plant; one must know when to stop giving!</a> (Image Credits: Flickr) (About the Author: This article has been contributed by Priyanka Sharma Kaintura who is a marketing communications professional and author of the book ‘My Jiffies’)

The Urban Wanderer or Not

New Delhi, Jan 30 () Home services company UrbanClap on Thursday said it is rebranding itself as Urban Company, and aims to onboard about 10 lakh professionals onto the platform by the end of 2025.
 "The new umbrella brand captures our ambition to be a horizontal gig marketplace with a global footprint and leadership across services categories like beauty and wellness and home repairs and maintenance," Urban Company co-founder Abhiraj Bhal told .
 He added that the company has built a fleet of over 25,000 professionals that will be scaled up to 10 lakh by end of 2025.
 Bhal said the rebranding will also help the company develop sub-brands under the umbrella brand.
 The company, which has established its operations in international markets like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sydney and Singapore, is also focussing on expanding its presence further within the India market.
 "We aren't looking at adding more international locations right away, but we will add more Indian cities. There is a huge scope for home services in the top 30, 40 cities in India and we would want to serve consumers with a full bouquet of services across various price points," Bhal said. SR ANS
ANS

UrbanClap rebrands itself as Urban Company

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The green-city model doesn't always come with environmental benefits. </li><li>Green <keyword id="12198336" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gentrification" source="Orion">gentrification</keyword> is increasing nearby property values and displacing long-term residents.</li><li>Winifred Curran, a geography professor, spoke with Insider about solutions to green gentrification.</li></ul>In Pilsen, a historically Latino neighborhood in Chicago, the city plans to construct a multipurpose 4.2-mile-long path, dubbed <a href="https://elpaseotrail.org/">El Paseo Trail</a>, along the abandoned rail line.The proposed project would create more green space and access to environmental amenities. But after the 2015 completion of the nearby <a href="https://www.the606.org/">606 trail</a> dramatically <a href="https://www.housingstudies.org/releases/Displacement-Pressure-in-Context-606/">increased property prices</a>, the Pilsen community <a href="https://interactive.wttw.com/my-neighborhood/pilsen/pilsen-community-split-over-who-will-benefit-paseo-trail">worries</a> about the displacement of long-term residents. This is known as green gentrification. Public investment in green spaces - or the rehabilitation of environmental disamenities - in a neighborhood increases property values, which prices out low- and middle-income residents.In 2019, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-10/why-greenway-parks-cause-greater-gentrification">Bloomberg reported</a> that "being located within a half-mile of a new greenway park increases the odds that a neighborhood will gentrify by more than 200%."<h2>Green-city models and the perpetuation of inequity </h2>Green gentrification includes the injection of green spaces for property gains, as well as park cleanups, riverbank restorations, and bioremediation - often as a result of community activism from local groups. But once these neighborhoods receive large investments, the longtime advocates of them are unable to stay and experience the benefits they once fought for. "What we're seeing is that attempting to be green often ends up building on the same inequalities that got us here in the first place," Winifred Curran, an urban geographer and professor of geography at Chicago's DePaul University, told Insider. According to <a href="https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2021/03/Cities%20IPCC%20Proceedings%20FINAL%20for%20Email-S.pdf">UN-Habitat</a>, cities are responsible for roughly 75% of the world's CO2 emissions but occupy only 3% of Earth's total land. As rapid urbanization puts pressure on the environment and cities' public-health systems, even green safety <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/cities-fighting-climate-woes-hasten-green-gentrification/">adaptations</a> - water-absorbing green space, storm-surge-proof seawalls, elevated buildings, and more - can become a financial amenity that affects lower-income residents the most.There's a disconnect between types of projects sold as "green" and the environmental benefit they bring to city neighborhoods, Curran noted.For example, while New York's High Line rail-to-trail park preaches <a href="https://www.thehighline.org/sustainable-practices/">sustainable practices</a>, it's one of the most expensive parks to maintain: The first two sections, which opened in 2009 and 2011, respectively, have an estimated maintenance cost <a href="http://assets.thehighline.org/pdf/id_faq.pdf">between $3.5 million and $4.5 million</a> a year. On top of that, the High Line's surrounding neighborhood experienced a 35.3% <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169204619314574#:~:text=This%20study%20estimates%20the%20impact,eco-gentrification%20in%20urban%20areas.&amp;text=We%20find%20that%20homes%20closest,35.3%25%20increase%20in%20housing%20values.ues.">increase in housing values</a>, which spurred the development of boutique hotels and million-dollar condos.<h2>The solution to green gentrification</h2>The case for green developments often highlights <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> but leaves out equity in the process. "A lot of greening efforts have been very superficial. It's to get credit for doing the work without accomplishing a whole lot of change," Curran said. "We need to foreground equity so that it is both inclusive of everyone who's affected but also recognizes that some people have borne the negative effects of our irresponsible environmental policies and that those same people are now bearing the ill effects of our environmental gentrification policies."The solution to green gentrification often lies in the community and rethinking the broader concept of sustainability.Groups such as Chicago's <a href="http://www.lvejo.org/">LVEJO</a>, New York's <a href="http://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/">Newtown Creek Alliance</a> and <a href="http://uprose.org">UpRose</a>, Michigan's <a href="https://www.blackmillennials4flint.org/about-us/">Black Millennials for Flint</a>, and <a href="https://bostoncan.org/about/">the Boston Climate Action Network</a> are just a few of the climate-justice organizations hoping to advance environmental change through an <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/how-prevent-city-climate-action-becoming-green-gentrification">equity lens</a>, which includes <a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/03/04/pilsen-little-village-voters-tell-city-officials-el-paseo-needs-a-community-benefits-agreement/">pushing for</a> affordable-housing agreements in neighborhoods with new investments. The concept of a green city must encompass more than flashy, expensive initiatives. Landscape improvements such as <a href="https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/news/2018-11-30/oysters-could-help-clean-hawaiis-polluted-waterways">setting up</a> oyster colonies in polluted waterways are one example of the ways in which cities can support neighborhoods without increasing the cost of new developments.The model, coined by Curran as "<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13549839.2012.729569">just green enough</a>," seeks to improve areas without displacing the livelihood of its residents in the process.

Prioritizing equity is needed to combat green-city gentrification and 'irresponsible environmental policies,' urban geographer says

<ul><li><keyword id="9648465" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sima-taparia">Sima Taparia</keyword> from Mumbai is back and she’s telling fortune again. This time, it is with <keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> and the audience is loving it.</li><li>Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company takes us behind the platform's latest influencer marketing campaign with Sima Taparia, shares the thought behind partnering with her and larger goals for this year.</li></ul>Last year, Netflix's Indian Matchmaking introduced India and the world to ace matchmaker Sima Taparia and she quickly became one of the most talked about character from a reality show. The first season ended in July 2020 but the audience hasn’t stopped stanning over Sima Taparia yet. Sima gained instant popularity among millennials and Gen Z and never faded away from the news cycle. Over the past year, brands like Burger King, Tinder, Asian Paints flocked to partner with the internet sensation, who recently starred in Big Boss OTT. Meanwhile, brands are still not over her. Recently, she featured in a campaign for home service and grooming platform, Urban Company. Before Netflix renewed Indian Matchmaking for season 2, Urban Company’s Align your Stars campaign with Sima Taparia generated a lot of chatter on social media. It helped the brand garner 4.5+ million views in less than a week. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us why Sima was the perfect match for this campaign, Tarun Menon, Director Marketing, Urban Company said, “Sima enjoys cult-like status and is best known for matchmaking based on the stars. She was one of the most talked about people online in 2020. It was a punt – to see if the choice of influencer and content could drive engagement for the campaign.” “The videos themselves have been well received across social media with people relating, reacting and engaging with the content - and has given us learnings to bake into our next campaign,” added Menon. Its marketing objective was to create buzz ahead of the launch of Big Home Rush, an Urban Company sale property. To further spread awareness around its discounts and gain new customers, Urban Company partnered with 14 different young influencers such as Kusha Kapila, Vishnu Kaushal, Mallika Dua, to mention a few, to create content for each zodiac sign. The underlying message of each piece was to encourage consumers to join Urban Company’s Big Home Rush sale. Launched in January 2021, the Big Home Rush sale has become extremely popular with consumers. Even in the ongoing second edition, the company has already delivered close to 500,000 services, witnessing high demand from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad and more. Sharing why it chose influencer marketing to promote its sale, Menon said, “With other media formats driving awareness, the influencer leg sought to create engagement and conversation around the sale, in a way that’s native to the platform (Instagram). We’d observed that in the last 2 months, sun-sign based content was growing in volume, engagement and traction - as people tag their friends and conversation flows organically.” Before Sima Taparia, Urban Company’s partnership with yesteryear’s TV stars such as Rupali Ganguly as Monisha Sarabhai and Komalika also received a positive response from its audience. The idea behind casting such a unique set of stars, from Sima to Monisha, was to find women who can express shock and help open a door for them in the regional markets. “These content pieces were part of a larger campaign for Salon Classic - a newly launched category that offers salon quality services at unbelievable prices. Our intent in partnering with influencers and content creators was to integrate the key message - salon services at unbelievably low prices - into content &amp; culture. It made sense to partner with influencers best known for expressing shock – Hindi TV celebrities with a cult following for the roles they play. We further extended this concept to regional TV artists as well, to build relatability for regional audiences. We are looking to attract new customers and engage existing consumers through this campaign,” shared Menon. Due to the global pandemic, Urban Company has seen an uptick in the demand for home cleaning and hygiene services as people are becoming more health-conscious. The app had become quite popular for its home repair and salon services before the pandemic broke out. However, people have been wary about letting outsiders inside their homes lately. Urban Company rose to the challenge and tweaked its marketing strategy. It started communicating every day about the changes it introduced in its services and updated its audience regularly about the number of employees vaccinated. It tweaked its logo across platforms to convey the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask. Apart from that, it realised that people are looking for a lot of DIY videos to make the best of their time. Therefore, it started uploading beauty and wellness video tips to help its consumers surf through the challenges they are posed with. It is also conducting live sessions to engage with its consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us how the company has tweaked its larger marketing strategy after the pandemic to win consumer trust, Menon shared, “We focused on communicating every day about the changes we introduced in our services and SOPs. For example, we completely reimagined certain services, such as threading, to ensure low contact with consumers. For threading, our Beauty experts now wrap the thread around their neck, instead of pursing it in their mouth. We launched extensive campaigns to build communication on our safety protocols and how the Urban Company experience has been reimagined for delivering safe and hygienic services. Our ‘<keyword id="11886690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="uc-safe">UC Safe</keyword> Salon campaign’ included TVCs featuring Neena Kulkarni and Shweta Tiwari aimed at communicating the safety of Urban Company’s salon at home services. More recently, in May ‘21, we ran an extension of the UC Safe campaign, highlighting how over 75% of our service professional base is now vaccinated.” Home services sector in India is largely unorganized and Urban Company is one of the few companies that is formalising it and despite being in the business for 7 years, Menon says that they are still just getting started. Sharing his larger goals for this year, Menon said, Our focus areas will be to increase market share in existing markets and increase penetration in new cities. In the past 2 years, we have expanded to 30 cities in India. Our goal is to be present in the top 100 cities over the next couple of years.”

It's a match: When Sima Taparia met Urban Company and helped the brand gain over 4.5 million+ views in less than a week

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chinese-labourers-work-at-a-construction-site-in-the-news-photo/52452647">Guang Niu/Getty Images</a></div>In nearly <a href="http://english.caijing.com.cn/2012-11-29/112322258.html">every public speech</a> since the leadership handover, Li Keqiang, who will take over as premier in March, has spoke about the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-leaders-land-reforms-2012-11">importance of urbanization</a> as a new growth engine.
Societe Generale's Wei Yao however writes that the impact of <keyword id="68159" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Urbanization">urbanization</keyword> has been "misunderstood and overstated by the market".
For one, Yao writes that the impact of urbanization on <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>'s productivity growth is decreasing, just like the the direction of demographics on labor force growth.
"For an emerging economy to catch up, moving farmers to manufacturing plants is a key source of productivity gain in the early stage. China’s experience in the past three decades was a typical example.
The 10-year average growth rate of China’s urban population growth was 4.8% in the 1980s, 4.2% in the 1990s and 3.8% in the 2000s. The impact of this rapid urbanization on total factor productivity (TFP) was particularly pronounced. We estimate that this source accounted for about 30% of the impressive TFP growth.
"However, urban population growth should also decelerate rapidly in the current decade. The UN projected China’s urban population to grow 2.5% in the 2010s, 1.3ppt slower than in the previous decade. As a result, China’s labor productivity growth, which averaged 8% in the 1990s and 9.5% in the 2000s, will normalize lower as well."
Others share this view. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-orszag-china-lewis-turning-point-2012-11">Peter Orszag, vice chairman at Citigroup</a>, has pointed this out before. He said China is near its Lewis turning point i.e. the point at which the shift of people from agriculture to manufacturing does not lead to productivity gains. "If China is at or near its Lewis turning point, Xi will face an extraordinary economic challenge, with far-reaching geopolitical ramifications." he wrote.
Markets have been responsive to policymakers' comments on urbanization and encouragement of infrastructure investment.
But Yao writes that this could be a huge impediment to its future urbanization and that Beijing needs to rethink its strategy to focus on:
<ol>
<li>Removing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/unfavorable-domestic-chinese-policies-2012-11#the-household-registration-system-limits-property-ownership-and-benefits-to-chinese-citizens-1">obstacles to labor mobility, namely Hukou</a>, a household registration system. " Given the projected urbanization trend and the number of migrant workers who do not have urban Hukou, the government may need to pour 40 trillion yuan into this project, equivalent to 20-25% of the total on-budget fiscal revenue by 2020".</li>
<li>A fiscally sustainable safety net.</li>
<li>Urban job creation.</li>
</ol>
Remember China had been trying to shift from export and investment driven economic growth, to domestic demand growth. This focus on urbanization could stall Beijing's long-term efforts on developing its growth model.
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gmo-chinas-credit-system-vulnerability-2013-1">GMO - China Is Marching Towards A Credit Crisis &gt;</a>

Urbanization Won't Save The Chinese Economy

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pedestrians-pass-in-front-of-urban-outfitters-on-6th-ave-news-photo/3457394#">Scott Eells / Getty Images</a>Pedestrians pass in front of '<keyword id="749203" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Urban-Outfitters">Urban Outfitters</keyword>' on 6th Ave. and 14th street in Manhattan.</div></div>Urban Outfitters is opening a new location in New York City and wants to sell booze at the store, according to The <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/chain-clothing-store-liquor-license-application-raises-eyebrows-williamsburg-article-1.1455516">Daily News</a>.
The new shop, which is currently under construction, is located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and is one of 37 applications for a liquor license in the area.
Some locals aren't in favor of the retailer's presence in the hipster neighborhood in the first place. The effort to get a liquor license has them at further odds with the company. If Urban Outfitters gets the license, that means one fewer bar or restaurant has an opportunity in the area.
"The whole point of bars in this neighborhood is that they are owned by people who live here, they are small local businesses," Alicia Cantor-Palm, 29, told The Daily News. "It doesn't make sense for (Urban Outfitters) to be here anyway." 
The company has not issued any comments about the application and intentions for the store.
There has been an <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/chain-clothing-store-liquor-license-application-raises-eyebrows-williamsburg-article-1.1455516">increasing number of applicants</a> for liquor licenses in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint areas of Brooklyn, which could affect the likelihood of applicants receving one. Aside from that, some don't think it would even make sense for Urban Outfitters to sell alcohol.
"I can't think of a circumstance for which it would be appropriate for Urban Outfitters to have a liquor license," City Councilman Stephen Levin (D-Greenpoint) said in a statement. "We must ask ourselves, 'Do we really want people drunk when they are buying their skinny jeans and ironic t-shirts?'"
Urban Outfitters seems to think so.

Urban Outfitters Applies For Liquor License At New York Store

<keyword id="749203" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Urban-Outfitters">Urban Outfitters</keyword> has "gone too fashion forward" and is losing its mass appeal, according to Goldman Sachs.
The brand "is on par with fashion pace setters, maybe too much so for its core customer, in our view," analysts wrote in a recent note. "The assortment leaves us concerned UO has gone too fashion forward, backing into a position of having content that caters to the niche vs. the masses."
"Fashion forward" doesn't exactly describe what we found when we scanned Urban's inventory to find out what has analysts scratching their heads.
<a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=27361070&amp;color=000&amp;parentid=MORE%20IDEAS">Here's a coat</a>, for example, that's made to look like a bear pelt. It's made of polyester and latex and costs $200.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=27361070&amp;color=000&amp;parentid=MORE%20IDEAS">Urban Outfitters</a></div></div>
Urban Outfitters' stock has fallen more than 6% this year while sales have been declining and the retailer struggles to get rid of excess inventory.
Urban Outfitters CEO Ted Marlow said on a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-outfitters-explains-disappointing-performance-2013-11">call with analysts last month</a> that the brand's disappointing sales boil down to its fashion offerings.
"I attribute the shortfall in the North American market to missed fashion calls, off pitch marketing, and poor creative execution," he said.
Here's another questionable <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=29655321&amp;parentid=W_APP_DRESSES">style we found</a>:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image">Urban Outfitters</div></div>
The overall-skirt combo had poor customer reviews. Two buyers said they were returning it for being cheaply made. 
"It was coming apart as I took it out of the bag," one reviewer wrote.
The brand's <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=29564218&amp;color=001&amp;parentid=MORE%20IDEAS">dip-dyed button-downs</a> apparently didn't sell very well, either. Two versions are on sale for more than 60% off their original price.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=29564218&amp;color=001&amp;parentid=MORE%20IDEAS">Urban Outfitters</a></div></div> 
 Also on the sale rack is this <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=28728368&amp;parentid=SALE_W">floral jumpsuit</a>, which was originally $198:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=28728368&amp;parentid=SALE_W">Urban Outfitters</a></div></div>
One customer called <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=28528396&amp;parentid=SALE_W">this sweater</a> the "most awkward purchase" and said she looked like a "sheepdog" when wearing it: 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=28682599&amp;parentid=SALE_W">Urban Outfitters</a></div></div>
Marlow said during last month's call with analysts that Urban really miscalculated demand for certain styles of women's pants.
"We placed a bet [on certain fashions] and we didn't cover the volume that we wanted to cover on that," he said.
Here's a <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=29449006&amp;parentid=SALE_W">pair on sale</a>: 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=29449006&amp;parentid=SALE_W">Urban Outfitters</a></div></div> 
Marlow also said the brand may have been "too aggressive" with certain men's styles in apparel. 
Perhaps he was referring to <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=27872605&amp;parentid=SALE_M_CLOTHING">this</a>:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image">Urban Outfitters</div></div>

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