Syllabus: Urbanization, their problems and their remedies
Context
- India’s urban narrative remains metro-centric, overlooking transformations occurring in small towns.
- Out of nearly 9,000 census and statutory towns, only about 500 qualify as large cities.
- The majority are small towns with populations below one lakh, now rapidly urbanising.
Drivers of Small-Town Proliferation
- Between the 1970s–1990s, urban growth was driven by metropolisation.
- Large cities absorbed surplus labour, capital, infrastructure, and consumption demand.
- Metros now face over-accumulation, marked by inflated land prices and overstretched infrastructure.
- Rising living costs have reduced affordability for working populations in metros.
- Capital has shifted towards small towns due to cheaper land and labour.
- Small towns now function as logistics hubs, agro-processing centres, warehouse nodes, and service markets.
- They absorb migrant workers displaced from metros and rural youth lacking agrarian opportunities.
Nature of Urbanisation in Small Towns
- Small towns are not peripheral but deeply embedded in the urban capitalist process.
- Urbanisation occurs under capitalist stress, with weaker regulation and limited scrutiny.
- Growth is dominated by informal labour, including construction, home-based work, and platform employment.
- New power hierarchies are emerging around land, labour, and credit control.
- This reflects urbanisation of rural poverty, not inclusive or equitable growth.
Policy and Governance Gaps
- Flagship urban missions remain biased towards large cities.
- AMRUT largely excludes small towns from substantive infrastructure funding.
- Water and sanitation systems rely on temporary, fragmented arrangements.
- Tanker economies expand, groundwater depletion increases, and ecological stress intensifies.
- Municipalities remain underfunded, understaffed, and weak in planning capacity.
- Planning is consultant-driven, with minimal local participation.
Way Forward
- Politically recognise small towns as India’s primary urban frontier.
- Adopt context-specific planning, integrating housing, livelihoods, transport, and ecology.
- Strengthen municipal capacity with resources, autonomy, and transparency.
- Regulate platform economies and digital infrastructure to protect labour rights and local value retention.
