Urbanization

Urbanization denotes the transition of the population from rural to urban areas, accompanied by
a proportional decline in the rural population.

It encompasses the multifaceted adjustments societies undergo in response to this transformative

shift.

Urbanization is an intricate interplay of economic, demographic, social, cultural,

technological, and environmental processes, leading to an increase in the percentage of a
territory’s population residing in urban areas.

While the discourse on urbanization commonly revolves around countries undergoing

industrialization and urban development, it is noteworthy that all industrialized nations have
traversed the trajectory of urbanization at various junctures in their histories.

Additionally, the global trend indicates a widespread surge in urbanization across the planet.

• FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH URBANISATION

• GLOBAL SCENARIO
o Urbanization typically occurs in stages
• SIGNIFICANCE
o Urban living is further linked to several socio-economic benefits:
• CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH URBANISATION
o Dwelling Crisis:
o Overcrowding and Urban Congestion:
o Unemployment:
o Rise of Slums:
o Sewage Infrastructure Challenges:

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH URBANISATION

▪ The industrialization has been a pivotal driver of urbanisation, presenting improved job prospects
in contemporary sectors that contribute significantly to economic progress. The shift from rural
to urban areas has intensified since the Industrial Revolution, with more individuals being
attracted to urban regions due to enhanced employment opportunities.
▪ Commerce plays a crucial role in urbanisation, as towns and cities are perceived as hubs
offering better business prospects and returns compared to rural areas. This economic incentive
further fuels the migration of people seeking improved financial opportunities.
▪ The allure of urban living extends beyond economic factors to encompass various social
advantages. Cities and towns are characterised by superior educational facilities, elevated living
standards, enhanced sanitation and housing, improved healthcare services, better recreational
 amenities, and a richer social life. These factors collectively contribute to the attractiveness of
urban areas for habitation.
▪ In the realm of job prospects, urbanisation fosters the creation and expansion of higher-value-
added occupations, resulting in a broader range of employment opportunities.
The evolution of cities often occurs as rural regions undergo a gradual transition into urban
landscapes, driven by factors such as mineral discoveries, resource exploitation, or shifts in
agricultural practices.

This transition marks a transformative phase in the demographic and economic fabric of a
region, exemplifying the dynamic interplay between industrialization, commerce, and the allure
of improved facilities and opportunities associated with urban living.

GLOBAL SCENARIO
▪ At the global scale, the extent of urbanization demonstrates a close correlation with the degree of
economic development.

▪ Interestingly, the rates of urbanization exhibit an inverse correlation with the levels of economic
development.

▪ Urbanization is intricately linked to demographic processes, including immigration, migration,

and natural population growth.

▪ However, these demographic dynamics are fundamentally influenced by broader processes,

particularly structural economic changes.

▪ Examining specific regions, Northern America stands out as the most urbanized, boasting an
82% urban population as of 2018. Following closely are Latin America and the Caribbean at
81%, Europe at 74%, and Oceania at 68%.

▪ In contrast, Asia experiences an approximately 50% level of urbanization, reflecting a diverse

landscape.

▪ Africa, on the other hand, remains predominantly rural, with a substantial 43% of its population
residing in urban areas.

▪ This global distribution underscores the complex interplay between urbanization and economic
development, highlighting regional variations in the urbanization process.
 Urbanization typically occurs in stages
Each stage is marked by distinct demographic, economic, and social changes. While the specifics
may vary, urbanization often follows a general pattern. Here are the stages of urbanization:

▪ Rural to Urban Migration:

▪ Characteristics: People migrate from rural areas to cities in search of better economic
opportunities and improved living standards.

▪ Drivers: Economic activities, jobs in emerging industries, and the prospect of a more convenient
urban lifestyle.

▪ Formation of Small Urban Centers:

▪ Characteristics: Initial urbanization results in the formation of small towns or urban centres.

▪ Drivers: Local economic activities, trade, and services attract a growing population.

▪ Industrialization and Urban Growth:

▪ Characteristics: The establishment of industries leads to increased urbanization and the growth of
existing urban centres.

▪ Drivers: Industrialization, job creation in factories, and economic diversification.

▪ Rapid Urban Expansion:

▪ Characteristics: Cities experience rapid population growth and spatial expansion.

▪ Drivers: Continued industrialization, influx of rural migrants, and economic opportunities in

urban areas.

▪ Infrastructure Development:
▪ Characteristics: Cities invest in infrastructure development to support the growing population,
including transportation, utilities, and housing.

▪ Drivers: Increased demand for services, improved living standards, and the need for efficient
urban systems.

▪ Diversification of Economic Activities:

▪ Characteristics: Economic activities diversify beyond traditional industries, leading to a more
complex urban economy.

▪ Drivers: Technological advancements, globalisation, and a more educated workforce.

▪ Mature Urbanisation:
▪ Characteristics: Urban areas reach a mature stage with stabilised population growth and well-
established infrastructure.

▪ Drivers: Economic stability, improved quality of life, and a balanced urban-rural relationship.

▪ Post-Industrial Urbanisation:
▪ Characteristics: A shift from an industrial to a service-based economy with a focus on
technology, information, and innovation.

▪ Drivers: Technological advancements, globalisation of services, and a knowledge-based

economy.

Understanding the stages of urbanisation helps policymakers, urban planners, and researchers
address the specific challenges and opportunities associated with each phase of urban
development. It also guides the formulation of strategies to ensure sustainable, inclusive, and
resilient urban environments.

SIGNIFICANCE
Urbanisation yields several advantageous outcomes, contributing to the overall development of
societies. Some of the positive effects of urbanisation encompass:

▪ Job Development: Urban areas often provide diverse employment opportunities, stemming from
the presence of various industries, businesses, and services. This contributes to job creation and
economic activity.
▪ Technical and Infrastructure Improvements: Urbanisation drives technological advancements
and infrastructure development. Cities tend to adopt and implement innovative technologies,
leading to improved efficiency and overall progress.
▪ Better Transportation and Communication: Urban centres are characterised by well-
developed transportation systems and advanced communication networks. This facilitates
efficient movement of goods and people, fostering economic activities.
▪ Educational and Medical Facilities: Urban areas typically host a concentration of educational
institutions and medical facilities. This allows residents access to quality education and
healthcare services, contributing to individual and community well-being.
▪ Higher Living Standards: Urbanisation is often associated with an elevation in living standards.
The availability of diverse goods and services, improved infrastructure, and enhanced quality of
life contribute to higher living standards.
Urban living is further linked to several socio-economic benefits:
▪ Higher Levels of Literacy and Education: Urban environments tend to have better educational
facilities, leading to higher literacy rates and educational attainment among residents.
▪ Better Health and Longer Life Expectancy: Access to advanced healthcare services,
sanitation, and a healthier lifestyle in urban areas often results in improved health outcomes and
longer life expectancy.
▪ Greater Access to Social Services: Urbanisation provides residents with increased access to
social services, including welfare programs, community support, and cultural amenities.
▪ Enhanced Opportunities for Cultural and Political Participation: Cities offer a vibrant
cultural scene and opportunities for political engagement. Residents often have access to diverse
cultural activities and can actively participate in civic and political processes.
The relationship between urbanisation and economic growth is robust, with urban areas playing a
crucial role in industrialization, generating employment, and fostering increased productivity.
This interconnectedness underscores the positive impact that well-managed urbanisation can
have on societal progress and overall economic development.

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH URBANISATION

The process of urbanisation, while bringing about positive transformations, also presents certain
challenges and concerns, contributing to what is commonly known as the “urban crisis.” Some
key issues associated with urbanisation include:

Dwelling Crisis:
The persistent shortage of housing becomes a critical issue as the urban population continues to
grow.

Impact: Limited housing availability can lead to increased housing costs, homelessness, and
inadequate living conditions for a significant portion of the population.

Overcrowding and Urban Congestion:

Overcrowding and congestion are escalating problems in urban areas, intensifying as more
people, including migrants, seek improved living conditions in cities.
Impact: Urban congestion can result in traffic congestion, strain on infrastructure, and a decrease
in overall quality of life for residents.

Unemployment:
Metropolitan areas often face challenges in providing a sufficient number of highly skilled jobs,
particularly for educated individuals.

Impact: High unemployment rates, especially among the educated workforce, can lead to
economic disparities and social issues within urban populations.

Rise of Slums:
The rapid pace of industrialization and the limited availability of developed land contribute to the
emergence of slums as rural migrants move to urban areas seeking better opportunities.

Impact: Slums are characterised by substandard living conditions, inadequate infrastructure, and
challenges related to public health, posing significant hardships for the urban poor.

Sewage Infrastructure Challenges:

In many metropolitan areas, the growth in population outpaces the development of adequate
sewage infrastructure, leading to sanitation issues.

Impact: Inadequate sewage infrastructure can result in environmental pollution, health hazards,
and the spread of diseases, affecting the overall well-being of urban residents.

Addressing these urban challenges requires comprehensive planning, sustainable development

strategies, and effective governance to ensure that the benefits of urbanisation are equitably
distributed, and the negative consequences are mitigated. Collaborative efforts involving govern
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Urban Slums: Affects on Environment

-Raghuvendra Kumar (UGC-NET JRF)
Research Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj.

Abstract

Slums are a global phenomenon which tends to deteriorate the urban environment. Migration to
urban areas is a regular phenomenon which created population pressure over the cities. Increasing number
of people rush to city’s slums creates urban crisis. Urban slums are the shadow zones of urban existence
where poverty, crime, aesthetic pollution apart from other type’s pollution, disease and deprivation co-exist.
Increasing number of people in urban slums over the recent past creates extra pressure on existing urban
facilities and challenge to government development activities like slum development and poverty reduction
strategy. Urban slums make the condition still unfavorable for survival.

Keyword – Urban Slums, urban centres,

Introduction

Rapid migration from rural to urban areas generated over population in urban centers. In developing
economies it is very difficult to manage urban facilities for a huge population. Urban slums are a part of
urban phenomenon worldwide and are strung at the lowest rung of the socio-economic array. Due to
increasing urbanization of the general populace, urban slums became common in the 18th to late 20th
centuries in the United States and Europe. Slums are still predominantly found in urban regions
of developing countries, but are also still found in some developed economies. Urban slums located mostly
in low lying environmentally hazardous area coupled with inadequate facilities like nutrient food, proper
shelter, sanitation facilities, health care make their life even worse. Growing number of people in urban
slums over the recent past time creates extra pressure on existing urban systems and challenge to
government development activities like slum development and poverty reduction strategy. Slums created
burden over the environment due to mismanagement of urban resources.

Slums are home to an estimated 828 million people, representing around one third of the world’s
urban population. In some developing cities, the slum population can reach up to 80%. Hence, informal
settlements that result from unplanned growth offer unique opportunities for city planners to achieve
improvements in both climate and health (WHO). But most experts agree that including different types of
informal settlements, the number goes up to 1.6 billion – which represents 1/4 of the world’s urban
population. By 2030, it’s estimated that it 1 in 4 people on the planet will live in a slum or other informal
settlement.

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Urban slums

The growth of urban slums in urban area is one of the major issues for urban progress authority. The
definition of “urban slums” varies from country to country. Each country has its own definition of slum. In
India National Definition of “Slum areas” was set by the Slum Areas Improvement and Clearance act of
1956. It defines them as places where buildings: are in any respect unfit for human environment; are by
reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty
arrangement of streets, lack of ventilation, light, sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors
which are detrimental to safety, health and morals.

UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in an
urban area who lack one or more of the following:

• Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions.

• Sufficient living space, which means not more than three people sharing the same room.

• Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price.

• Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable
number of people.

• Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions (Slum Dwellers to double by 2030: United Nations
Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) report, April 2007).

Slums have been said to be 'nothing but an area of substandard housing' and slum problem is.
therefore essentially the problem of shelter for the poor (Desai and Pillai, 1972). UNESCO defined "a slum
is a building, a group of buildings or nil urban characterized by overcrowding, deterioration, unsanitary
conditions or absence of facilities or amenities, which because of these conditions or any of them endanger
the health, safety or morals of its inhabitants or the community". Hence as a working definition of slums one
can say that slums are ' contiguous and yet at times physically separated geographic spaces within the legal
urban limits of a city that are characterized with serious lack of basic amenities and sanitation with dense
and overcrowded housing conditions where dwelling units range variously in terms of the use of building
materials for walls and roofs available rather than cheap with substantial contribution of one's own or very
cheap labour for the shaping of such dwellings and surrounding (Das,1991).

Today, around the world, a quarter of the urban population live in slums (UN-Habitat 2015). In
developing countries 881 million urban residents live in slums conditions. In 1990, this figure was 689
million. This represents an increase of 28 per cent in slum dwellers’ absolute numbers over the past 15

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years, even though the proportion of the urban population in developing countries living in slums has
declined from 39 per cent to 30 per cent during the same period (United Nations 2015).

In spite of great progress in improving slums and preventing their formation – represented by a
decrease from 39 per cent to 30 per cent of urban population living in slums in developing countries
between 2000 and 2014 – absolute numbers continue to grow and the slum challenge remains a critical
factor for the persistence of poverty in the world.

Environment Affect of Urban Slums

Urban slums affect to our environment in various ways.

Solid Waste

Urban Slums are source of solid waste. In lack of solid waste management in slum areas are
responsible for Air and Water pollution. In slum areas there is no municipal notified area. Almost all the
slums have the problems of accumulated garbage thrown on the streets. Sometimes it is collected once or
twice a month by corporation lorry. Sometimes rag pickers also play a major role in collecting the non-
compostable wastes like plastic, broken glasses. rubber, metals etc. In this process they scatter garbage
around the bins and unknowingly subject themselves to several health hazards.

Congestion

Slums generally developed in along railway tracks, tank beds, quarry pits, near markets, industries
etc., and hence they are overcrowded tending to subject itself to other form of pollution.

Air Pollution

Urban Slums are located along the roadsides. But on the whole other slums are moderately subject to
air pollution. A majority of urban slums use traditional fuels such as firewood, cattle dung’s etc., Tor
cooking which generate air pollutants likes particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, oxide of nitrogen, carbon
monoxide, hydro carbon etc, The use of traditional fuels emit an unpleasant smell all these cause watering
of eyes, headaches, respiratory disorders and skin irritations.

Water Pollution

Water is a major problem in all the slums. In most slums sewage and water pipes are laid next to
each other and when leakage occurs the drinking water is often polluted. Slums which arc found in low
lying areas have a problem of stagnation of and rain water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes
which carry virus of Malaria and Filarial.

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Noise Pollution

Ranging from local activities and traffic, noise pollution is severe in urban slums.

Residential Health

Urban Slums are the areas of diseases and high rate of infant mortality. The personal hygiene is too
poor in almost all the slums areas, which is reflected in clothing and living conditions of the slum dwellers.
Hence slums are the sources for the health hazards both acute and chronic diseases.

Conclusion

Living condition of urban poor is considerably poor in socio-economically. Slum dwellers can be
characterized as mainly low income group with inadequate education. Also, poor physical environment with
non-existent solid waste disposal management is very common phenomenon in urban slum areas. Therefore,
high prevalence of air born and water born disease among children living in slums indicates leading
unhealthy environment. In such circumstance, to ensure food security of urban poor is a challenge if their
socio-economic condition remains bleak.

References

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Desai, A.R. and S.D. Pillai (1990) ‘Slums and Urbanization’ Popular Prakashan, Bombay.

Gopujkar, P.U. (1975) ‘Slum Improvement in Greater Bombay.’ Indian Journal of Social Work.

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http://ipedr.com/vol17/19-CHHSS%202011-H00063.pdf

https://unhabitat.org/slum-almanac-2015-2016/

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UN-Habitat (2015), World Cities Report 2016.

United Nations (2015), The Millennium Development Goals Report. UN-Habitat (2015), World
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