Urbanization and Urbanism

Deepika Deswal
Ph.D Resaerch scholar
Department of Sociology
Chaudhary Charan singh Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar
 What is urbanization

Urbanization means an
increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas
compared to rural areas. An urban area is a built-up area
such as a town or city. A rural area is an area of
countryside. As a country industrializes, the number of
people living in urban areas tends to increase. It is the
growth of cities, brought about by a population shift from
rural areas and small communities to large ones, and the
change from a largely agricultural economy to an
industrial one. This results in the development of cities
and towns on formerly agricultural or natural lands.
 Definition of Urbanization

Urbanization: Urbanization is the movement of population from

rural to urban areas and the resulting increasing proportion of a
population that resides in urban rather than rural places.
 Thompson Warren (Encyclopedia of Social Sciences) has defined
it as “the movement of people from communities concerned chiefly
or solely with agriculture to other communities, generally larger
whose activities are primarily centered in government, trade,
manufacture, or allied interests”.
 According to Anderson (1953:11), urbanization is not a one-way
process but it is a two-way process. It involves not only movement
from villages to cities and change from agricultural occupation to
business, trade, service and profession, but it also involves change
in the migrants’ attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviour patterns. He
has given five characteristics of urbanization: money economy, civil
administration, cultural changes, written records and innovations.
 Criteria to decide if a city is urban

For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area

is as follows:
1. All places with a municipality, corporation,
cantonment board or notified town area committee, etc.
2. All other places which satisfied the following criteria:
a) A minimum population of 5,000;
b) At least 75% of the male main working population
engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and
c) A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq.
km.
 Features of Urbanization

The important features of urbanization are as follows:

1. Fast Growth in Urban Population: Between 1961-71 the growth rate of
population in urban areas was over 38%. This was followed by a still
higher growth of 46 per cent during the decade of 1971-81. Between
1981-91, the growth was, no doubt, somewhat less at over 36 per cent but it
was not inconsiderable.
2. Large Increase in big towns: Another noteworthy feature of
urbanization is that there has been a substantial increase in the population
of big towns. A substantial increase in population has taken place since
1901 in the big towns, and that a major proportion of urban population
resides in them.
3. Regional Disparities in Urbanization: The above description provides
the all-India picture. However, the variations in the level of urbanization in
various states are indeed large and rates of urbanization show surprises.
Again, there are variations within the regions of each state. All this point to
the diversity of conditions/causes that operate in this vast country, and is
suggestive of different perceptions and policies in this field.
 Causes of Urbanization

1. Growing Industrialization
2. Population pressure
3. Employment opportunities
4. In hope of better standard of living
5. Decrease in death rate and growing birth rate
6. In search of social mobility and fortune
Negatives outcomes of Urbanization

1. Economical
a) Growing rift between rich and poor
b) Increased cost of living
c) Conflict over scare resources like land, water etc.
d) Decrees in agricultural productivity
2. Social
a) Growing criminalization in society
b) Overpopulation causing accommodation problem and problem
of slum
c) Unemployment or underemployment
d) Providing basic amenities becoming a challenge
e) Change in structure of family system
3. Environmental
a) Pollution (Land, air, water)
b) Sewage and garbage management problems
b) Loss of habitat and Biodiversity
d) Loss of forest cover and depletion of wildlife

4. Health
a) Psychological problems like Stress
b) Spread of contiguous diseases
c) Drug abuse
d) Increase in lifestyle diseases
 Positive outcomes of Urbanization

1. Economical
a. Growth of service sector oriented economy over agricultural
economy
b. Boost to Infrastructure development
c. Increased productivity and economic growth
d. Growth of trade and commerce
e. Growth of tourism

2. Social
a) Spread of education
b) Women empowerment and Gender Equality
c) Spread of Modern technology
d) Availability of medical facility and increase in life expectancy
e) Social and cultural integration
3. Political
a) Active involvement in politics
b) Increased public awareness
 Characteristics of Urbanization

1.Highest growth rate of urbanization especially in

the mega, Class I and metropolitan cities as compared
to small cities
2.Informal settlements occupy one-third of the area in
large urban centers such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and
Chennai
3. City planning focused only on legitimate area
Growing regionalism in face of a migration
4. Increase in slums followed by poverty,
unemployment, exploitation, inequality, degradation
of quality of life.
5. Urbanization occurs due to rural push
6. Demographic explosion in few areas
7. It has occurred without much industrialization.
(Service sector growth)
8. Southern India is more urbanized than Northern and
Eastern India.
 Causes of rapid urbanization

1. Natural Increase in Population: One important cause of

rapid urbanization is the natural increase in population. The
number by which the birth rate exceeds the death rate in
urban areas gives this. This is probably higher than the rural.
The net survival rate is also higher on account of the
availability of the health and medical facilities.
2. Migrations from Rural Areas: Migrations from rural areas is
another factor responsible for rapid urbanization. At the
moment their number is not exactly known. But it can be
guessed that it may be something to do with the swelling of
urban population. The rural to urban migrations have been
caused by several factors in the past since Independence.
Industrial development has, for example, led to
creation of many activities of manufacturing,
trading etc. attracting rural people seeking
jobs, higher incomes etc. Backwardness of the
villages in respect of living conditions is another
factor pushing people out of the villages. The
availability of many opportunities for good
education and living in urban areas etc. have
also attracted rural people to the urban areas.
3. Boundary Changes: As cities expanded, the
outlaying rural areas have been included in the
urban areas. They may even continue to retain
most of the characteristics of villages. But they
are counted as urban population by virtue of
being classified as urban areas. Population
falling in these areas also swells the number of
urban population.
Various government schemes to tackle problem of
Urbanization

1. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission - for

providing urban amenities in rural areas.
2. JNNURM(Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban renewal
mission) in 2005 for focused and integrated development of
the urban infrastructure and services
3. Rajiv Awas Yojana 2011 for creating “slum free India”
4. Skill India scheme March 2015 for skill development and
entrepreneurship
5. National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 to address the
transport needs of city dwellers
6. Smart city initiative 2014 for creating 100 smart cities
7. Swachh Bharat 2014 for clean urban area
8. Din Dayal Antyodaya – To provide employment
opportunities to poor.
 Urbanism

According to Theodorson, 1969: 453. Urbanism is a

way of life. It reflects an organization of society in terms
of a complex division of labour, high levels of
technology, high mobility, interdependence of its
members in fulfilling economic functions and
impersonality in social relations.
Urbanism is the study of cities - their geographic,
economic, political, social and cultural environment, and
the imprint of all these forces on the built environment.
Urbanism is the study of the characteristic ways of
interaction of inhabitants of towns and cities (urban
areas) with the built environment. It is a direct component
of disciplines such as urban planning (the physical design
and management of urban structures) and urban
sociology (the study of urban life and culture).
 History of urbanism

 Urbanism's emergence in the early 20th century was

associated with the rise of centralized manufacturing, mixed-
use neighborhoods, social organizations and networks, and
what has been described as "the convergence between
political, social and economic citizenship".
 Urbanism can be understood as placemaking and the creation
of place identity at a city-wide level, however as early as
1938 Louis Wirth wrote that it is necessary to stop
'identify[ing] urbanism with the physical entity of the city', go
'beyond an arbitrary boundary line' and consider how
'technological developments
in transportation and communication have enormously
extended the urban mode of living beyond the confines of the
city itself.'
 BENEFITS OF URBANISM

1. BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS

Higher quality of life; Better places to live, work, & play; Higher,
more stable property values; Less traffic congestion & less driving;
Healthier lifestyle with more walking, and less stress; Close
proximity to main street retail & services; Close proximity to bike
trails, parks, and nature; Pedestrian friendly communities offer
more opportunities to get to know others in the neighborhood and
town, resulting in meaningful relationships with more people, and
a friendlier town; More freedom and independence to children,
elderly, and the poor in being able to get to jobs and recreation.
2. BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES

Increased sales due to more foot traffic & people spending less
on cars and gas; More profits due to spending less on
advertising and large signs; Better lifestyle by living above
shop in live-work units - saves the stressful & costly commute;
Economies of scale in marketing due to close proximity and
cooperation with other local businesses; Smaller spaces
promote small local business incubation; Lower rents due to
smaller spaces & smaller parking lots; Healthier lifestyle due
to more walking and being near healthier restaurants.
3. BENEFITS TO DEVELOPERS

More income potential from higher density mixed-use projects due

to more leasable square footage, more sales per square foot, and
higher property values and selling prices; Faster approvals in
communities that have adopted smart growth principles resulting in
cost / time savings; Cost savings in parking facilities in mixed-use
properties due to sharing of spaces throughout the day and night,
resulting in less duplication in providing parking; Less need for
parking facilities due to mix of residences and commercial uses
within walking distance of each other; Less impact on roads / traffic,
which can result in lower impact fees; Lower cost of utilities due to
compact nature of New Urbanist design;
4. BENEFITS TO MUNICIPALITIES

Stable, appreciating tax base; Less spent per capita on infrastructure

and utilities than typical suburban development due to compact,
high-density nature of projects; Increased tax base due to more
buildings packed into a tighter area; Less traffic congestion due to
walkability of design; Less crime and less spent on policing due to
the presence of more people day and night; Less resistance from
community; Better overall community image and sense of place;
Less incentive to sprawl when urban core area is desirable; Easy to
install transit where it's not, and improve it where it is; Greater civic
involvement of population leads to better governance
 Disadvantage of urbanism

 High cost of living

 Lack of personal relationship
 Pollution
 Overcrowding
 High rate crime