Urbanization In India
Introduction : Urbanization is a process of behavioral, sociological, structural,demographic and geographical change where people move from rural areas to urban areas. It contributes 3/4th of GDP therefore associated with economic development. According to the 2011 census 377 million people live in urban areas, constituting 31.16% of Indian population, 7935 towns/cities. Another important aspect is that for the first time since independence the absolute increase in the urban population was higher than that in the rural population . growth in urbanization speeded up after 1990 due to 3 factors :
Natural growth
Rural to urban migration
Classification of rural areas as urban areas.
Definition of urban areas :
Behaviorally in 1938 when Louis Wirth published a paper called “Urbanization – a way of life” city is based on the behavior of social groups”. Which itself depends on 3 parameters: Size, density and diversification of population. Too many people live in cities with diversified socio-economic backgrounds with impersonal relationships.
Structural: Urbanization is the process when agricultural communities are transformed into industrial communities and because all the industrial communities live in urban areas, it is also a process of urbanization. This is a result of industrialization and economic development. So they are trying to see how occupational structure takes place (agricultural- non-agricultural).
Demographic: Rural settlement being transformed into urban settlements. So they try to understand this from the point of view of migration and thus, deal with population mobility. For them urbanization a process which takes place because of- Growth of individual towns Multiplications of towns
Geographical: The spatial analysis is to understand all the different phenomena in space and their distribution.
India’s urban areas are defined on the basis of two criteria and therefore two types of towns in India :
Statutory towns : First, the state government grants municipal status – corporation, municipal council, notified town area committee or nagar panchayat, etc – to a settlement. Such settlements are known as statutory or municipal towns
Census towns : Second, if a settlement does not have an urban civic status, but satisfies demographic and economic criteria, like a population of more than 5,000, a density of 400 persons per square kilometer and 75% male workforce in the non- agricultural sector, it can be declared urban.
Historical perspective of urbanisation in India :
The factors responsible for urbanization varied from time to time. In the prehistoric period urbanization was synonym to the origin and rise of civilization thus can be termed as a cultural process. From historical periods to the British regime, urbanization was related to the rise and fall of kingdoms, dynasties and empires; thus a political process. In modern times, urbanization is perceived as a process which is closely related to economic development and industrialization; thus an economic process. On the basis of these temporal discontinuities in the process of urbanization in India the urban history of India can be divided into five time periods. These are:
i) The pre-historic period (2350-1800 BC)
ii) The early-historic period (600 BC to 500 AD)
iii) The medieval period (600 AD to 1800 AD)
iv) The British period (1800 to 1947)
v) The post-Independence Period (after 1947)
India’s urban landscape went through a transformation during the 150 years of British rule. The main features of this period include:
a) The creation of the three metropolitan port cities (mumbai, kolkata and chennai) and one administrative capital after 1911 (delhi). These cities became the leading administrative, commercial and industrial cities. The entire cultural landscape of these cities was of British taste. All the older cities which were prominent in the Mughal period were reduced to small towns.
b) The creation of hill stations in the Himalayan foothills and in South India along with the introduction of tea and coffee plantations which resulted in the emergence of number of smaller settlements with distinct urban characteristics. Between 1815 and 1870 over 80 hill stations were developed in four different regions of the country to serve the four metropolitan cities of Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
c) The modification of the existing urban landscape through the introduction of civil lines and cantonments.
d) The introduction of the railways and the modern industry which lead to the development of new industrial townships like Jamshedpur, Asansol and Dhanbad.
e) The improvements in urban amenities and administration.
The above account clearly depicts that cities became the primary foci during the British period. Even the centers of education were established in the form of schools, colleges and universities. As a result an urban elite emerged which was soaked in westernization. This led to the widening of gap between the rural and the urban which continues to plague the social and political system of India even today.
The Post – Independence Period (after 1947)
The process of urbanization in the post-Independence period witnessed a new phase. In this period this process was characterized with rapid urbanization which was dominated with the mushrooming of one lakh and million plus cities. The major changes that India has witnessed during this period can be summarized as follows :
a) The influx of refugees and their settlement in the urban areas of northern part of the country
b) The establishment of new planned administrative centers like Chandigarh and Bhubneshwar
c) The construction of new industrial cities and new industrial townships near major cities.
d) The rapid growth of one-lakh and million cities
e) The stagnation and in some cases the decline of small towns
f) The proliferation of slums and squatter settlements in the big cities and the emergence of urban-rural fringe
g) The introduction of urban planning through Five Year Plans and the improvement in urban governance through the 74th Amendment Act
The process of urbanization in India in not at all different from other developing countries of the world; it is also characterized with uneven pattern of development of small towns and big cities within the system.
Thus in recent years urbanization in India has acted more as an economic process than a social or political one.
Trends of Urbanization in India (1901 – 2011) :
Urbanization in India has been relatively slow compared to many developing countries. The percentage of annual exponential growth rate of urban population reveals that in India, it grew at faster pace from the decade 1921-31 to until 1951. Thereafter it registered a sharp drop during the decade 1951-61. The decades 1961-71 and 1971- 81 showed a significant improvement in the growth rate (Table 1). But 1981-1991 shows decreasing trend which continued even in 1991-2001; in 2001-11 it shows a very small increase an over turn of the last two decades to the present rate (2.76%). The reason for the sharp drop in urban rate during 1951-61 was declassification of large number of towns during that decade.
When seen from the perspective of number of towns the data reveals that the number of urban agglomeration /town has grown from 1827 in 1901 to 7935 in 2011.
Fig : logistic growth model of urbanisation : speed of urbanisation varies from time to time and stage of economic, industrial and technological development.
Causes for increased urbanisation in India :
It is influenced by both Push factors (that drive people away from rural regions) i.e., Poor living conditions, lack of educational, economic opportunities and poor health care facilities.
Pull factor (that lure people to cities) i.e. Employment opportunities, educational institutions and urban lifestyle etc.
Several factors lead to urbanization in India, including
Economic factors: Urban areas offer more job opportunities and higher wages. For example, the growth of the IT industry in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad has led to an influx of people seeking employment in these sectors.
Social factors: Urban areas offer a wider range of social and cultural opportunities. For example, access to quality education and healthcare facilities in cities like Mumbai and Delhi attracts people from rural areas.
Political factors: Government policies have encouraged urbanization. For example, the government's "Smart City" initiative, which aims to develop 100 cities across India, is expected to drive urbanization.
Environmental factors: Natural disasters have driven people from rural to urban areas in search of safety and stability. For example, Cyclone Fani, which hit coastal Odisha in 2019, displaced many people, and they migrated to nearby urban areas.
Infrastructure development: Improved transportation and communication systems such as metro rail have made it easier for people to move to and from urban areas, and also improved the quality of life in urban areas.
Demographic factors: India's population has been growing rapidly in recent years, contributing to the growth of urban areas as more people seek out housing and other services.
Natural increase of population
The population is increasing in developing countries like India. This natural increase is a significant cause of the growing urban population. As birth rates are declining , mortality rates are also declining the role of natural growth in urban population is lower than migration due to demographic transition.
Rural to urban migration
Migration is influenced by economic growth and development and by technological change. It is driven by pull factors that attract people to urban areas and push factors that drive people away from the countryside. Rural to urban migration can be a selective process, as some types of people are more likely to move than others such as younger male population and follows step migration.
Classification of rural areas into urban areas :
by demographic changes like population size and density
Problems and Issues with Urbanization :
Overcrowding: Beyond the carrying capacity results in congestion, pollution and additional burden over limited natural resources of urban areas.
Governance status: As per Census 2011, the urban system of India consists of 7933 settlements - statutory and census towns. While statutory towns are governed as urban local bodies, census towns are governed as villages. As a result, India is transitioning from a primarily rural to a quasi-urban country.
Lack of adequate town planning: Master plans statutory instruments critical for managing urbanisation. They guide and regulate the present and future utilisation of land, expansion, and zoning of cities. But about half of our statutory towns are expanding without any master
Enhanced sense of relative deprivation: Gives rise to urban crimes such as human trafficking, sexual assault, child labour, Juvenile delinquency, prostitution, drugs and suicides.
Sub-Optimal Utilisation of Urban Land: Due to fragmented and poorly recorded ownership of urban land. multiple public sector organizations/agencies—ports, railways, ULBs, etc.— own land under their jurisdictions. For a city to develop holistically, planning for each land parcel must fall into one comprehensive spatial strategy.
Pressure on basic infrastructure: Giving rise to unsustainable land prices, unaffordable rent, inadequate health and education infrastructure, solid waste management problem etc.
Environmental degradation: Due to urban heat islands, rising pollution, inadequate drainage and persistent water crisis.
Unplanned growth of slums: As per Census 2011, 17.3% of the total urban population was in slums in India.
Poor City Planning for Disaster Mitigation: Chennai floods in 2015 due to encroachment of lakes and riverbeds makes for a prime example in this regard.
Lack of synergy: Between urban and rural planning and development.
Geographical issues of urbanisation in India :
Messy urbanisation
Unplanned urbanisation
Mixed land uses in urban areas
Urban transport and mobility issues
Urban governance
Urban growth
Suburbanisation
Mega cities are growing faster than tier 2 and 3 cities
Slums
Out growth of cities
Fringe area issues
Urban pollution
Municipal waste management
Urban floods
Urban housing issues
Basic amenities
Urban funding
Impacts of urbanisation in India:
Positive and negative impacts
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