Urban Transition in West Bengal, India

Abstract

Contemporary urbanization in India is in transition and this, along with the continuation of a ‘top heavy’ urban structure and gradual deindustrialization, is characterized by faster growth of informal employment, a declining trend of urban-ward migration of males, the slow down in the growth of cities and towns and the emergence of new urban centres. Given this immediate backdrop, this paper examines the contemporary processes and emerging forms of urban transition in West Bengal, with its longstanding history of ‘mono-centric’ urbanization. It reveals that urbanization in the state is no longer confined to a few pockets, as many new urban centres have emerged away from them and small towns are growing at relatively faster rates compared to the cities. But the underlying factors of this transition are not associated with the dispersal of economic activities and employment opportunities away from the metropolises. Furthermore, the study is sceptical about the significance of this emerging form of urbanization fuelled by the growth of small cities and towns which have a weak economic base, a crisis of urban governance and inadequate access to basic amenities.

Modeling an Indian megalopolis– A case study on adapting SLEUTH urban growth model

“…The urbanization pattern in this region is similar to McGhee's Desakota model (type 3). The region experienced high population growth, decline in the proportion of population engaged in agricultural activities, concurrent growth of small to medium-sized industries, and slower overall economic growth (Guin, 2017;Mondal, Das, & Dolui, 2015;Mukherjee, 2011;Sud, 2014). Unlike the Delhi and Mumbai urban agglomerations, the growth of Kolkata UA does not share the same degree of influence of colonial legacy (Guin, 2017).…”

“…The region experienced high population growth, decline in the proportion of population engaged in agricultural activities, concurrent growth of small to medium-sized industries, and slower overall economic growth (Guin, 2017;Mondal, Das, & Dolui, 2015;Mukherjee, 2011;Sud, 2014). Unlike the Delhi and Mumbai urban agglomerations, the growth of Kolkata UA does not share the same degree of influence of colonial legacy (Guin, 2017). However, more than 300 years of urbanization, projected high economic growth (Brar et al, 2014), and the potential threat of sea-level rise (Satterthwaite, 2007) provide an opportunity to explore the local and regional drivers of urbanization and the future patterns of urban growth.…”

“…Since the late 1970s, state government has focused more on land reforms and agricultural development rather than industrialization. As a result, urban and economic development is plagued by inefficient land governance, defunct industries, highly politicized labor unions, and an unfriendly political environment for businesses and new investors (Guin, 2017;Roy, 2009;Sud, 2014). In the last decade, political changes at the state-level initiated new reforms to attract investment but their impact is still unknown.…”

New urban geographies of West Bengal, East India

“…They are forced to quit farming, and pushed to take on alternative livelihoods in the rural nonfarm economy (also see Khasnabis, 2008). However, as Guin (2016) argues, many of these small urban spaces have a weak economic base and generally lack industrial sectors of any significance, making it difficult for former agrarian laborers to find suitable alternative employment.…”

From Large Villages to Small Towns: A Study of Rural Transformation in New Census Towns, India

“…Keeping in view this unfavourable condition for rural transformation, Kundu (2011), soon after the publication of the urban data of census 2011, argued that this unprecedented increase of CTs was attributed to artificial inflation by the census authority (i.e., 'census activism'). However, subsequent studies (Guin 2017;Guin andDas 2015a, 2015b;Mitra and Kumar 2015;Pradhan 2013) have found no reason to rely on the thesis of 'census activism' as a majority of the new CTs had met the census-laid criteria right back in 2001. In this backdrop, the present study, on the basis of a case study of a new CT, tries to throw some light on the processes of transformation of the villages which have got the status of CTs in the current census.…”