Urbanisation and its Trends in India –A Case of Gujarat

Abstract

Urbanisation is considered to be an index of transformation from traditional rural economy to modern industrial one. It is a long term process. Urbanisation is a product of demographic explosion and poverty induced rural-urban migration. It has been observed that the pace of urbanisation has always faster than the pace of population growth. The rapid growth trends are observed, particularly in a metropolitan city in India and also in Gujarat. Gujarat has been one of the most urbanised states in the country with 46 percent population resides in urban areas. Due to faster growth of the economy of state, urbanisation leads to widening gap between demand and supply of essential goods, services and infrastructure. This entire problem makes Gujarat’s cities and town polluted, unlivable, inefficient and vulnerable to disasters. Policy relates to proper urban planning where city planning will consist of operational, developmental and restorative planning. There is the need to balance the process of urbanisation with proper development center in an integrated manner; people should get maximum social economic benefit rather than financial gain only.

Keywords: Urbanisation, Trends, Challenges, Gujarat

JEL Classification: J10, R00, R12