Synopsis Industrialization-urbanization equation an hardly explain the growth of the urban spaces in most of the developing regions of the world in general and the underdeveloped areas within them in particular. The process of urbanization in such cases can best be explained in terms of social, political and demographic forces rather then the forces of economics. Contributions in this volume have made an attempt to understand the nature of growth of the urban areas in relatively. Underdeveloped north eastern region of India where urban spaces, being grafted primarily due to the speared of the administrative centres, are devoid of any strong economic raison d’etre, and hence informal sector f urban livelihood. Attempts have been made to unravel the nexus between informality and poverty that reinforce each other in the urban labour market. Special efforts have been made to study the slums where urban poverty has been concentrated. As the management of slums has become an integral part of overall urban administration, a number of contributors have pleaded for a better deal for the underprivileged slum dwellers.