Urban Settlements in India
Geography › Settlements, Human Development and Planning · Topic 18.3
India's urban settlements range from ancient pilgrimage towns and medieval fort towns to colonial ports and post-independence planned cities. The Census defines urban areas as statutory towns, with a municipality or similar body, and census towns, with at least 5,000 people, 400 persons per sq km and 75 per cent of male workers outside farming. Cities are grouped into six size classes. Urbanisation was 31.16 per cent in 2011, and the cities face problems of housing, transport, waste and pollution.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Settlements, Human Development and Planning
At a Glance
- Urban share (2011) 31.16 per cent
- Towns (2011) 4,041 statutory plus 3,894 census towns
- Class I town One lakh people or more
- Million-plus cities 53 urban agglomerations in 2011
- Governance 74th Constitutional Amendment, 1992
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Settlements, Human Development and Planning
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the macro on settlements, human development and planning. The previous topic described the villages, and this one covers the towns and cities. The next topic begins the study of human development. Previous topic: Rural Settlements in India. Next topic: Human Development – Concept and Pillars.
How Did Indian Towns Evolve?
| Period | Towns | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient | More than 2,000 years old; religious and cultural centres, and traders’ towns; the Indus civilisation had cities at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro | Varanasi, Prayagraj, Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai |
| Medieval | About 100 existing towns; fort towns and capitals of kingdoms and principalities | Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Nagpur |
| Modern | European trading ports, then British administrative centres, hill stations and industrial towns; after 1947, planned capitals and industrial towns | Surat, Daman, Goa, Puducherry; Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; Shimla and Darjeeling; Jamshedpur; Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar; Durgapur, Bhilai |
After independence, many new towns grew as administrative capitals and steel towns, and satellite towns such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida grew around Delhi. More recent growth is in medium and small towns, and in census towns, which are villages that have become urban in character but are not yet governed by an urban local body.
How Does the Census Define and Classify Urban Areas?
- Statutory towns: all places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee; 4,041 in 2011.
- Census towns: places that satisfy three conditions: a minimum population of 5,000, a density of at least 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75 per cent of the male main working population in non-agricultural work; 3,894 in 2011, a number that rose sharply from 1,362 in 2001, showing rapid change in villages.
- Urban agglomeration: a continuous urban spread consisting of a town and its outgrowths, two or more contiguous towns, or a city and adjoining towns together.
| Class | Population |
|---|---|
| Class I (city) | One lakh or more |
| Class II | 50,000 to 99,999 |
| Class III | 20,000 to 49,999 |
| Class IV | 10,000 to 19,999 |
| Class V | 5,000 to 9,999 |
| Class VI | Below 5,000 |
A city of one to five million people is a metropolitan city, and a city with more than five million is a mega city in the Census classification; in international usage a mega city has more than ten million. In 2011 there were 53 million-plus urban agglomerations, of which Greater Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata were the largest. Urbanisation was 31.16 per cent in 2011; United Nations estimates now put it at over a third, and the next census will update it, as in India Census 2011 – Key Population Patterns. Towns are also classified by function: administrative (Delhi, state capitals), industrial (Jamshedpur, Bhilai), commercial (Mumbai), port (Visakhapatnam, Kandla), mining (Dhanbad), religious and tourist (Varanasi, Puri, Goa), and educational towns.
What Are the Problems and Policies of Urban India?
- Housing and slums: in 2011, about 6.5 crore people, about 17 per cent of the urban population, lived in slums.
- Transport and air pollution: congestion, a shortage of public transport, severe winter air pollution in the cities of the plains, as in Vertical Distribution of Temperature and Temperature Inversion.
- Water, waste and floods: shortage of water, lack of sewage treatment, mountains of solid waste, and urban flooding in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and other cities when rain meets blocked drains, as in Precipitation and Types of Rainfall.
- Urban heat island: concrete and lack of green space raise temperatures in city centres.
- Governance: the 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1992 gave constitutional status to urban local bodies, but many have weak finances and limited powers.
The policy response has included the Smart Cities Mission launched in 2015 for 100 cities, whose mission period was due to end in March 2025, the AMRUT mission for water and sewerage, the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban, metro rail projects in many cities, and the Urban Challenge Fund announced in the 2025 Budget to finance city projects through a share of private and market funding. Details of schemes keep changing, so their status should be checked. As an analytical point, India’s urbanisation is slow compared with its economic growth, and a large part of it is unrecorded because census towns and peri-urban villages are classified as rural, so planning for the ‘invisible’ urbanisation, with services, land use rules and local finance, is as important as the building of new cities.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Census definitions asked
- Governance 74th Amendment
- Problems Slums, air, floods
What Came Next?
The next topic begins the study of human development with its concept and pillars. Next topic: Human Development – Concept and Pillars.
Key People and Terms
- Statutory town Town with an urban local body
- Census town Town meeting census criteria
- Urban agglomeration Continuous urban spread
- Million-plus city City with a million people
- Slum Overcrowded substandard housing area
- Smart Cities Mission 2015 mission for 100 cities
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Census town: 5,000 people, 400 per sq km, 75 per cent non-farm male workers.
- Class I town: one lakh or more.
- 74th Amendment covers urban local bodies.
- 53 million-plus agglomerations in 2011.
- Urban share: 31.16 per cent in 2011.
Do Not Confuse With
- Statutory and census towns Legal status versus census criteria
- Metropolitan and mega city One to five million versus above five million
- City and urban agglomeration One local body versus continuous urban spread
Memory Hook
Ancient shrine, medieval fort, colonial port, planned capital; then a town is 5,000, 400, 75.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about urbanisation and its problems. These points add depth.
- Growth Census towns and peri-urban areas
- Problems Housing, transport, pollution
- Policy Local finance and planning
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the trends of urbanisation in India and the major problems of urban settlements, with a critical assessment of policy responses.”
How to Answer
- Evolution Ancient to modern.
- Definition Census criteria.
- Problems Slums, services, climate.
- Policy Missions and local bodies.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Census of India define urban areas?
The Census defines urban areas as statutory towns, which have a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified area committee, and census towns, which have a population of at least 5,000, a density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre and at least 75 per cent of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural work.
How are Indian cities classified by size?
The Census divides urban centres into six classes by population: Class I with one lakh or more, Class II with 50,000 to 99,999, Class III with 20,000 to 49,999, Class IV with 10,000 to 19,999, Class V with 5,000 to 9,999 and Class VI below 5,000. Class I towns are called cities.
What is an urban agglomeration?
An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread made up of a town and its adjoining urban outgrowths, two or more contiguous towns with or without outgrowths, or a city and adjoining towns together. Most metropolitan and mega cities of India are urban agglomerations.
What was the level of urbanisation in India in 2011?
In the 2011 census, 31.16 per cent of India's population lived in urban areas, about 377 million people, in 7,935 towns, of which 4,041 were statutory towns and 3,894 census towns. There were 53 urban agglomerations with a million or more people.
What are the major problems of urban settlements in India?
Major problems include a shortage of housing and the growth of slums, traffic congestion, air pollution, shortages of water and sewage treatment, solid waste, urban flooding, the heat island effect and weak finances of urban local bodies, which receive constitutional status under the 74th Amendment but have limited powers.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 A census town must have at least 75 per cent of male workers in non-agricultural activities.
Along with 5,000 people and a density of 400 per sq km.
2 A Class I town has a population of 10,000 to 19,999.
That is Class IV; Class I has one lakh or more.
3 The 74th Amendment deals with urban local bodies.
It was passed in 1992.
4 Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar are examples of post-independence planned cities.
They are administrative capitals.
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