Unit 4

Urbanization and its implications

 Concept of urbanization:
Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding
decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which
societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly the process by which towns and cities
are formed and become larger as more people begin living and working in central areas.

Urbanization needs to be seen as part of wider transformations that include the change
in the global economy and that include both urban and rural areas. We need to look too
at the migration of people from one area to another, and at the growth rates of urban
population. Also, key is that urbanization benefits wider regions, and not just the urban
settlements themselves.

Urbanization is now commonly acknowledged to be a social as well as an economic and

territorial development. It changes societal structures, the role of the family,
demographic dynamics, the nature of work, and how and with whom we choose to live.
It also alters household duties and family relationships, as well as redefining conceptions
of personal and social responsibility

CENSES OF INDIA DEFINES

Urban agglomeration (UA):
As per the Census of India 2011, an urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread
constituting a town and its adjoining outgrowths (OGs), or two or more physically
contiguous towns together with or without outgrowths of such towns.
An Urban Agglomeration must consist of at least a statutory town and its total
population (i.e. all the constituents put together) should not be less than 20,000 as per
the 2001 Census. In varying local conditions, there were similar other combinations
which have been treated as urban agglomerations satisfying the basic condition of
contiguity. As per the Indian Census of 2011, the largest Urban Agglomeration in the
country is Mumbai with a population of about 18.4 million.

OUT GROWTHS(OG): An Out Growth (OG) is an urban settlement contiguous to another

urban area like Statutory towns, Census towns or a City. Though it possesses all the
urban characteristics, it is not qualified as an independent town. It should not possess
any uninhabited areas and strictly be a contiguous to the town.
A viable unit such as a village or part of a village contiguous to a statutory town and
possess the urban features in terms of infrastructure and amenities such as pucca roads,
electricity, taps, drainage system, educational institutions, post offices, medical facilities,
 banks etc. Examples of OGs are Railway colonies, university colonies and port areas, that
may come up near a city or statutory towns outside its statutory limits but within the
revenue limit of a village or villages contiguous to the town or city.

URBANISATION IN INDIA
Since 1941, India has witnessed the rapid growth of its four largest metropolitan cities:
Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. The nation's economy has undergone industrial
revolution, thus increasing the standard of living of people living in urban areas. The
growth of the public sector resulted in development of public transport, roads, water
supply, electricity, and other infrastructure of urban areas.

As the percentage contribution of the secondary sector to India's GDP has increased, the
percentage contribution from the agricultural sector has declined. It is estimated that
the agricultural sector provides employment to 50% of the country's workforce, but
accounts for only 18% of the GDP. Many farmers in different states of India are leaving
farming, primarily because of high input cost and low income from agriculture. Also, the
prolonged use of fertilizers, chemicals, and hybrid seeds has led to a decline in land
fertility. Struggling to make a living, many farmers have committed suicide.

Maharashtra was the most urbanized major state in India till 1991, stood behind Tamil
Nadu in 2001 and third after it in 2011, with Kerala being second, with the urban-total
state population ratio. However, Maharashtra's urban population of 41 million, far
exceeds that of Tamil Nadu which is at 27 million, as per the 2001 census. The spatial
distribution of large cities in India is uneven as out of 100 most populous cities in the
country more than 50 are confined to only 5 states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Causes of urbanization in India

The main causes of urbanization in India are:

 Expansion in government services, as a result of the Second World War

 Migration of people during the partition of India
 Industrial development in urban areas
 India's eleventh Five-Year Plan, which targeted urbanization as a means to accelerate
economic development
 Economic opportunities, including employment
 Better opportunities for education
 Infrastructure facilities in urban areas
 Growth of the private sector after 1990
  Land fragmentation: some villages have been erased due to construction of roads,
highways, dams, and other infrastructure
 Non-profitability of farming

India’s Seven Mission Program

With the rapid rise of urbanization in India, there is an increase in overall development
in the different sectors. Due to this, the Seven Mission Program was founded. This
program aims to fund cities to achieve intended milestones.

The Seven Mission Program includes the following plans:

 100 Smart Cities Mission

 AMRUT stands for ‘Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation’
 HRIDAY (National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana)
 Sardar Patel National Urban Housing mission
 National Mission on sustainable habitat
 Clean India mission
 National urban information system

Trends supporting urbanization in India

Here are some key points regarding urbanization and planning in India:

 Private cities are now expanding due to the support of private companies. Private
developers are building private housing projects that will exponentially grow in the
years to come.
 The Delhi-Mumbai Corridor is an infrastructure program set to develop ‘Smart Cities’
and combine next-generation technology with infrastructural development.
 The transport and logistics sector of India underlines the importance of interconnecting
the different modes of transportation: road, rail, sea and air. An efficient multi-modal
system is relevant in the development and successful growth of the infrastructural
systems.
 Special Economic Zones dot the landscape of India. Each of these zones is focused on a
particular sector such as IT, apparel and fashion, or petroleum and petrochemical
industries.
  Industrial townships are built to house employees close to the factories and
manufacturing plants at which they work. After the success of the pioneering industrial
township – Tata’s Steel Town – the government is planning on developing more like it.
 India’s expected economic growth opens up expansion prospects for Indian airports.
Domestic and international passengers are inevitably predicted to double in number in
the years to come.

Factors affecting urbanization and rural population

The main causes of Urbanization are

1. Industrialization: More people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas
on account of improved employment opportunities.
2. Commercialization: Better commercial opportunities and returns compared to rural
areas.
3. Social Benefits and Services: Urban areas provide better educational facilities, better
living standards, better sanitation and housing, better health care, better recreation
facilities, and better social life in general.
4. Employment Opportunities: Services and industries in urban areas generate and
increase higher value-added jobs, and this leads to more employment opportunities.
5. Modernization and Changes in the Mode of Living: Availability of highly sophisticated
communication, infrastructure, medical facilities, dressing code, enlightenment,
liberalization, and other social amenities in urban areas make people believe that they
can lead a happy life in cities.
6. Rural-urban Transformation: Rural communities start to adopt the urban culture and
ultimately become urban centers that continue to grow as more people move to such
locations in search of a better life.

 Features of urbanization
1. The first and foremost feature of urbanization is that majority of times it
happens due to the migration of people from rural and semi-urban areas to
urban areas and not because of natural increase in population in urban areas.
2. Another important characteristic is that it happens due to people coming in
urban areas in search of better employment opportunities because of non-
availability of jobs in rural and semi-urban areas. Hence if there are good job
opportunities available in rural and semi-urban areas then there will not be any
problem of urbanization.
 3. Another feature of urbanization is that industrialization is the reason due to
which urbanization happens as people will not come in big cities to do
agriculture related activities. People come in urban areas to work in industries
and service sector related jobs.
4. It leads to many problems for people living in big cities like pollution, an increase
in criminal activities due to the big gap between rich and poor, development of
slums, lack of proper hygiene, possibility of contagious diseases and many other
problems.
5. It also leads to fall in agriculture output of the country because since so many
people move out of the rural area which is the hub for agriculture activities and
due to this agriculture produce of the country falls as there are less number of
workers for doing agriculture activities.

 Importance of urbanization
1. Urbanization creates convenience.

One of the many reasons people choose to relocate to the city is convenient. People
have easier access to healthcare, schools, and other services that they might not have
had in a rural area. Instead of living in the country, there are numerous ways to get
around the city.

If you want to go out, it will be easier to travel to different places because they aren’t
too far away from where you live. To get to the city, you don’t necessarily need a car.
You have access to buses, trains, subways, cabs, and other modes of transportation, and
these might not be available in your country. You can get better Internet access in the
city because the signals are more vital than the country. Because most people rely
heavily on the Internet for most things, this is an excellent reason to relocate to the city.

2. Urban Economies can be Better than rural ones.

Many businesses and industries are concentrated in cities rather than rural areas.
People in the country can increase their income by moving to the city because there
aren’t many opportunities to attract customers in rural areas. They can relocate their
businesses to urban areas and attract more customers. It is also more accessible for
people to find jobs in cities than rural areas.

Since more companies are in the city, more opportunities are to find employment.
Whether they have experience, it will be easier to find a job in the city. More companies
in the city are willing to hire people who don’t have experience. The opportunities are
limited to people with skills in the country, making it harder for inexperienced people to
land jobs.

3. Better Education.

The best schools can be found in city areas. Small towns don’t have too many schools to
attend, so the choices are limited for students to gain a better education. The city areas
have more variety of choices for education, such as public and private schools.
Urbanization allows for schools to have plenty of teachers to educate students.

Schools in rural areas don’t have as many teachers because they aren’t willing to teach.
They would prefer to teach in schools in the city, leaving the schools understaffed and
the children without many teachers. In addition to public and private schools, cities also
have better colleges and universities. The schools have plenty of courses to choose
from, so the students will pursue careers in their desired fields.

4. Some get better Housing.

If you are looking for a place to live, the city is a great place to start. There are many
places to check especially if you want to live near the places you want to visit. If you
can’t afford a house, you are in luck because there are many apartments in the city that
are also near other places.

The rural area doesn’t have too many apartments available to rent, so it would not be
easy to find an apartment there. This is perfect for people looking to live around other
people as well. This isn’t an option for people living in a small town because you don’t
live near too many people. The area is too small to have a lot of buildings there.

5. Better Social Life.

Big towns are filled with many people from various backgrounds and walks of life. There
are a lot of opportunities to meet different people. You have the opportunity to learn
about different cultures because you will meet different types of people. People run into
the same people every day in the country, which doesn’t give you many opportunities to
learn about other cultures.
In more extensive areas, you are given a lot of chances to meet new people. You may
not see the same faces every day, so you can always meet someone new. This may not
happen if you are living in the country.

6. Better Healthcare Services.

Healthcare is vital regardless of where you live. If you have a medical emergency, it’s
easier for you to get help in the city. There are different ways to get in touch with
medical facilities to get help. If you can’t reach the facility by phone, you can use the
Internet. Many ambulances are available to transport you to the hospital if you need
serious help. In the country, it’s not readily available to get to the hospital in time
because of the distance.

There are also fewer EMTs available to help people. There aren’t as many hospitals in
the country as there are in the city, so your options for healthcare are limited. There are
numerous hospitals in the city, so you have options for receiving medical attention.
There are various specialists at hospitals in cities so that you can see someone specific
to your needs. Because there aren’t many doctors in rural areas, you might not have
that option. There is more access to family planning in the city, and mothers can visit
Planned Parenthood and other family planning services. This service may not be
available to mothers in rural areas.

7. More Security and police availability.

Cities have better security than the country because police are available to patrol the
area 24 hours a day. There are many police officers in the city, so you can get help if you
need it. There are cameras available to help the police solve crimes in the area. The
police can get to you faster than they can in rural areas. The communication is better,
allowing the police to get to you faster.

The dispatchers have more access to technology to help the police get to you. The
technology in the city makes it easier for the police to catch anyone committing a
criminal act. It might be more challenging for the police to catch criminals in rural areas
because it doesn’t have as much access to technology.
9. More Tourist Attractions.

Visitors from all over the world prefer to visit major cities rather than smaller countries.
There are numerous places in the city that people can visit. In the city, visitors can see
monuments, landmarks, museums, etc. Visitors spend a lot of money in the city, which
helps the economy. Rural areas aren’t usually tourist destinations, so they won’t bring in
as much money as they will in the city.

10. More Places To Shop in Urban areas.

If you want to have more options to shop, you should move to a big city. There are a lot
of malls to choose from in major cities, and there are many shopping centers and
grocery stores to choose from if you want to go shopping. Small towns don’t have the
luxury of many places to shop. The towns are too small, so you are limited to how many
places to go to buy the things you want. You would have to travel to find different stores
to shop in a while living in the country area.