Urban Development & Smart Cities

Cities are regarded as ‘engines of growth’ for every economies including India. To meet this, the Govt. of India has started Smart Cities Mission to improve the ease of living particularly for the poor, women, elderly and differently abled people.

A city can be stated as agglomeration of innovative ideas, technologies, but in recent scenario the cities of India bring a host of environmental and infrastructural challenges, from pollution to lack of civic amenities like drinking water, sewage, housing and electricity, which disproportionately impacts the more vulnerable poor population. For addressing these issues, the Government has taken various steps to improve urban infrastructure which is discussed below.

Status of Urbanisation in India

• There was a significant rise in urbanisation from 2001 to 2011 where the percentage of urban population jumped from 27.8% to 31.15%—India is expected to continue with the trend till 2030.
• While an estimated 180 million rural people lived around India’s 70 largest urban centres in 2011, Mckinsey Global Institute estimates that this number may jump to about 210 million by 2030.
• India’s urban system consists of 7,933 cities and towns as of 2011 with a population of 377.16 million.
• It is now the second largest in the world rising from 5,161 towns and cities in 2001 with a total population of 286.1 million.
• Over the last few decades, India’s urbanisation has witnessed major shifts such as rising population share of metropolitan cities and a sharp jump in the population of census towns whose share in urban population has risen from 7.6% in 2001 to 14.5% in 2011.

What is Urbanisation?

Urbanisation in India is officially defined by two metrics:

(a) Administrative Definition

• It considers the population living in areas governed by urban local bodies such as municipal corporations, municipal councils or notified town committees.
• These urban settlements governed by urban local bodies are referred to as ‘statutory towns’.
• Using the administrative definition, India was approximately 26% urban in 2011. State governments determine the administrative status of a settlement.
• By default, all settlements are rural and become urban only after the state government converts them, following a requisite legal process.
• While there are guidelines for classifying a settlement as urban, these are not binding on state governments.

(b) Census Definition

• Under this definition, the population living in statutory towns described above as well as census towns together constitutes the urban population.
• ‘Census towns’ are a category created by the census that fulfil the following three criteria: population of at least 5,000; density of at least 400 persons per square kilometer, and at least 75% of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural activities.
• India stood at 31.2% urban in 2011 according to the census definition.

India’s Current Approach to Urbanisation

India’s current approach to urbanization is focussed on several objectives:

• Urbanization must generate growth and enhance economic productivity and competitiveness
• It should be inclusive and sustainable
• It should aim at preservation and revitalization of history, culture and heritage
• It should contribute to the development of rural areas and strengthen rural urban interdependencies

Inclusive Cities

• More than half the world’s population now lives in cities, and this proportion will continue to increase rapidly to reach 70% by 2050.
• To make sure that tomorrow’s cities provide opportunities and better living conditions for all, it is essential to understand that the concept of inclusive cities involves a complex web of multiple spatial, social and economic factors:
  • Spatial Inclusion: urban inclusion requires providing affordable necessities such as housing, water and sanitation. Lack of access to essential infrastructure and services is a daily struggle for many disadvantaged households;
  • Social Inclusion: an inclusive city needs to guarantee equal rights and participation of all, including the most marginalized. Recently, the lack of opportunities for the urban poor, and greater demand for voice from the socially excluded have exacerbated incidents of social upheaval in cities;
  • Economic Inclusion: creating jobs and giving urban residents the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of economic growth is a critical component of overall urban inclusion.

New Urban Agenda Adopted at Habitat III

The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat-III) was held in Quito, Ecuador in October, 2016, with delegations adopting the New Urban Agenda – a new framework that lays out how cities should be planned and managed to best promote sustainable urbanization.

• The “New Urban Agenda” signed under Habitat III conference, was aimed at implementing the targets of Goal 11 in the Sustainable Development Goals, which specifically deals with long-term, integrated urban planning and design, and sustainable financing frameworks and the cooperation of all levels of government, with the participation of civil society and stakeholders.

Future Challenges

• As per the United Nations (2018) estimates, the population is set to increase in India between 2015 and 2030 in urban areas and the addition may be around 416 million people.
• Aligning urban land markets to the forces of India’s urbanisation remains a challenge. The urban land in India currently accounts for 3.1% of the country’s land area and presents a complex situation where high urban densities co-exist with sub-optimal utilisation.
• While the overall supply of urban lands has risen over the period 2001–11, but, the supply still lags behind the demand.