With rapid urbanization, 50 percent of India’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050
Queen’s Road on Back Bay, Bombay (now Mumbai), 1950; (Photo: Getty Images)
IIndia is the second largest urban system in the world, accounting for 11 percent of the total global urban population. The population of urban India is more than the total population of USA, Germany, Japan and UK. The United Nations estimates that around 416 million people will be added to Indian cities between 2018 and 2050, with the share of the urban population – which was 17 per cent in 1951 – rising to 50 per cent by 2050. More than the amount of population, the importance of cities lies in their contribution to economic development. Urban India occupies only 3 percent of the country’s land, but it generates a massive 60 percent increase in GDP.
IIndia is the second largest urban system in the world, accounting for 11 percent of the total global urban population. The population of urban India is more than the total population of USA, Germany, Japan and UK. The United Nations estimates that around 416 million people will be added to Indian cities between 2018 and 2050, with the share of the urban population – which was 17 per cent in 1951 – rising to 50 per cent by 2050. More than the amount of population, the importance of cities lies in their contribution to economic development. Urban India occupies only 3 percent of the country’s land, but it generates a massive 60 percent increase in GDP.
Aerial view of the Queen’s Necklace at Marine Drive, Mumbai, August 2021
Yet, most of the Indian cities and towns are expanding in an unplanned and unscientific manner. However, recent efforts by the central government have ensured that almost the entire population in recognized urban areas have access to basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water and sanitation, and urban mobility is gradually improving with metro rail in many cities. It is happening, the living conditions have been extremely bad. Poor. In the Economist’s Global Liveability Index, 2022, Indian cities ranked 140th out of 173 cities assessed were at the bottom.
Most Indian cities to be livable require a two-pronged approach – planning-based development and remedial measures for areas that have developed violating norms.