Urbanisation: Problems and Remedies · UPSC Civil Services

What the official syllabus says

UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination, Paper II: General Studies I.

Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

This page covers urbanisation, its problems and remedies.

Topics in detail

Urbanisation in India

Definitions in the Census: statutory towns, census towns, urban agglomerations
Trends and pace of urbanisation; the largest cities; regional differences
Causes: rural–urban migration (push and pull factors), natural increase, reclassification
Patterns: metropolitan growth, small towns, peri-urban areas, subordinate urbanisation
The city in Indian history: ancient, medieval and colonial towns

Problems of urbanisation

Housing shortage and slums
Water supply, sanitation and solid waste management
Urban transport, congestion and air pollution
Urban floods and the urban heat island
Informal work and the urban poor; street vendors
Crime, social isolation and the changing family
Weak urban governance and municipal finances
Encroachment on farmland, wetlands and lakes
Segregation: gated communities beside slums; exclusion of migrants from services

Remedies and programmes

The 74th Constitutional Amendment (1992) and urban local bodies
Missions by type: urban renewal (JNNURM, 2005), Smart Cities, AMRUT, PMAY-Urban, Swachh Bharat (Urban)
Urban planning: master plans, transit-oriented development, mass rapid transit
Affordable housing and slum upgrading
Sustainable and resilient cities: green buildings, waste-to-resource, climate adaptation
Developing small and medium towns; rural–urban linkages
Stronger municipal finances: property tax reform, user charges, municipal bonds
Inclusive cities: services for migrants, rental housing, protection of street vendors, safe public spaces

Overlaps

Urban local government is part of General Studies II; infrastructure and investment models of General Studies III.