By the turn of the century we are told by the experts, there will be several cities in developing countries whose population will exceed ten million. The largest cities in the world in future are likely to be Mexico City, Bombay and Calcutta, not London, Paris, New York or Tokyo. Several cities in developing countries have a population exceeding two million already and are expected to reach five million in a few years time. In India, the breakdown of city services like transporatation and water supply has become a cause of widespread concern. Rights of pavement dwellers have been taken up to the Supreme Court of India. Their eviction has been halted, after a fast by the actress Shabana Azmi in mid-1986. Why is there a breakdown of city services? Can the pressure on cities be reduced by diverting development to other parts of the country? Such questions can best be answered by someone with direct experience of city management.

This book discusses population growth and the resultant problems, and highlights the need for immediate action to develop a set of planned satellite towns around Indian megacities to reduce their population densities and activity concentrations. It addresses problems like unplanned spatial expansion, over-concentration of populations, unmanageable situations in industrial growth, and poor traffic management, concluding that only megacities and their satellites, when planned properly, can together mitigate the urgent problem of urban concentration in and around the megacities. Identifying the general problems, the book develops a quantitative and spatially fitting regional allocation model of population and economic activities. It also offers a policy-based planned program of development for the selected megacities in India along with their satellites and fringe areas to ensure a healthy, balanced and prospective urban scenario for India in the coming decades.

This study identifies priority areas for India's policymakers as they try to harness economic efficiency and manage spatial equity associated with urbanization.

Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area.

Monograph on urban development in India - covers urbanization, urban renewal, urban area housing, health services, social services, infrastructure, social problems, etc., and includes urban planning recommendations. Bibliography pp. 433 to 437, references and statistical tables.

The twenty-first century will witness a rapid urban expansion in the developing world. India, it is believed, will be at the forefront of such a phenomenon. This book acknowledges the role of agglomeration externalities as the cornerstone of urban public policy in India. Arguing that hypotheses of over-urbanization and urban bias theory--which articulated a negative view of urbanization--are based on fragile theoretical as well as empirical foundations, this book calls for proactive public policy to harness planned urbanization as resource. India requires agglomeration-augmenting, congestion-mitigating, and resource-generating cities as engines of economic growth, including rural development. The book provides a large number of practical examples from India and abroad to enable policy-makers undertake reforms in urban and regional planning, financing, and governance to meet the challenges of urbanization in India. It combines theory and practice to draw lessons for an urban agenda for India and recognizes the central role of cities in catalysing growth and generating public finance for economic development.

Indian Urbanization Is At Crossroads. Structural Transformations Are Leaving Behind The Agrarian Economy. Rise Of Non-Agricultural Activities Has Led To A Faster Process Of Urbanization. Urban Growth Has Rather Been Much Faster Which Has Burdened The Existing Settlement System As Urbanization Could Not Commensurate It.Urban Settlements In Particular Have Borne The Brunt Of Urban Growth. A Few Numbers Of Large Cities Have Grown Out Of Proportion Whereas A Large Number Of Small Settlements Have Stagnated Or Declined In Size. These Large Cities Continue To Dominate The Urban Scene As 23 Of Them As Per 1991 Census, Are Metropolises Inhabiting Nearly 1/3 Of Urban Population. Metropolisation Of Urban Growth Was Being Feared Even During Sixties. Since Then Policies Attempted To Discourage Accretion Of Population At A Few Urban Centres. Number Of Expert Groups Went Into The Problem And During Late Seventies Thoughts Were Crystallizing On Shift Of Development Programmes In Favour Of Medium And Small Towns And Small Cities.Sixth Five Year Plan For The First Time Introduced A Scheme Of Integrated Development Of Small And Medium Towns (Idsmt) In Central Sector. Under The Scheme So Far Nearly 500 Towns With Population Less Than 100,000 Have Been Funded.As A Policy Issue Idsmt Has Been Widely Acclaimed Even Outside India. It S Mechanism And It S Overall Impact On Reducing Rate Of Migration Towards Large Cities Have Not Yet Gained Acceptance. However, In Spite Of Controversies The Idsmt Has Been Put Into, It Is Being Appreciated As First Step Which Aims To Combat Urban Accretion.The Present Volume Reviews Our Process Of Urbanization, Impact Of Idsmt And Various Implications For Urban Policy. The Study Would Be Useful For Policy Makers And Would Greatly Enhance The Scope Of Improvements In The Policy Of Development Of Medium And Small Towns.

Contributed articles on problems of urbanization in India, with special reference to the nine cities with a million or more population each in 1974.