URBAN IZATION, HIERACHY OF SETTELEMENTS AND ISSUES OF URBAN

DEVELOPMENT

Prof. Dr. S. Shabih-ul-Hassan ZaidiB.Sc. CRP (UET, LHR); M.Sc. HSP (AIT, Bangkok);

Ph.D. URP (Birmingham University, UK)Ex-Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning

University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore

Urbanization Defined“Urbanization is defined as a process or

phenomenon by which urban fraction of population increases (and consequently the rural fraction of population decreases) in a region or country.”

Thus urbanization phenomenon is represented by a change in the rural-urban divide of population in an area.

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Urbanization in Pakistan Year Urban Rural

1947 15.0% 85.0% 1951 17.8% 82.2% 1961 22.5% 77.5% 1972 25.4% 74.6% 1981 28.3% 71.7% 1998 32.5% 67.5% 2011 36.5% 63.5% Future Estimate: 2051 50.1% 49.9%

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Population of major cities of Pakistan

Sr. No. Name of CityPopulation

Average Annual Growth Rate1981 1998

1.KARACHI 5,208,132 9,339,023 3.49

2.LAHORE 2,952,689 5,143,495 3.32

3.FAISALABAD 1,104,209 2,008,861 3.58

4.RAWALPINDI 794,834 1,409,768 3.43

5.MULTAN 732,070 1,197,384 2.93

6.HYDERABAD 751,529 1,166,894 2.62

7.GUJRANWALA 600,993 1,132,509 3.79

8.PESHAWAR 566,248 982,816 3.29

9.QUETTA 285,719 565,137 4.09

10.ISLAMABAD 204,364 529,180 5.76

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Factors contributing towards Urbanization

Natural Increase of Population: It takes place due to the excess of births over deaths in an area. Its contribution to the total magnitude of urbanization in an area is 70%.

Rural-Urban Migration: It is the shifting of people (permanently) from rural areas to the urban areas. This factor contributes up to 22% in urbanization.

Reclassification of Rural areas into Urban: A) The rural areas grow to become urban areas and their population is counted as urban population in the ensuing census.B) The growth and sprawl of cities engulfs the villages surrounding them and the population of these villages is counted as urban in the ensuing census. This factor causes 8% of the total magnitude of urbanization in an area.

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Hierarchy of Settlements Hamlets (25 -100 Persons*) Village (101 – 5,000) Urban Village /Rurapolis (5,001 – 10,000) Town (10,001 – 25,000) City/ Polis (25,001 – 500,000) Metropolis (500,001 – 10,000,000) Megalopolis (10,000,001 – 50,000,000) Ecumenopolis (City without limits)*The Population figures are tentative based on

experience in Pakistan and Asia.04/19/23 6Urbanization and Hierarchy of

Settlements---Dr. S.H. Zaidi

GROWTH OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

The human settlements continuously grow to achieve their next higher position in the hierarchy of settlements. Thus hamlets grow to become villages which become urban villages or rurapolis and then grow into towns and cities. When two or more cities grow to join each other, it becomes a metropolis. The joining of two or more metropolises makes a megalopolis. Doxiadis had a hypothetical vision of the whole world becoming one city in the far future by joining the megalopolises.

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Advantages of Urbanization The development of a country depends largely on

industrialization. Urbanization promotes establishment of industry because it requires many different types of skills which may not be available in a village having a small population.

The cities are the engines of economic growth and they attract human capital and talent by offering a range of lifestyle amenities, higher wages and better health and education facilities.

Urbanization helps the poor villagers to come out of the trap of poverty which is rampant in rural areas.

Urbanization helps in the growth of knowledge and knowledge based economy in the cities.04/19/23 8Urbanization and Hierarchy of

Settlements---Dr. S.H. Zaidi

Problems due to Urbanization Housing deficit and proliferation of sub-standard housing

(Slums and Katchi Abadis) in the urban areas. Pressure on Public Facilities such as Schools and Hospitals. Pressure on Utility Services such as Electricity, Gas,

Sewerage and Water Supply. Environmental Degradation of urban areas. Problems of Law and Order and security in the large urban

centers. Crime and Juvenile Delinquency is increased in cities. Traffic, Parking and Transportation Problems in cities. Encroachments on roads, open spaces and parks. Poverty and Unemployment in urban areas. Problems of Social Adjustment in urban areas for rural

migrants.

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Urban Primacy andMega City Trends

There is a common trend of developing one large city (usually a capital city) in a number of developing countries. This city is known as primate city.

The Primacy Index is defined as the ratio of the largest city population with the population of the second largest city.

The Primacy Index in Thailand is 1:10 where Bangkok is the primate city and Chiang Mai is the second, while it is 1: 1.5 in Pakistan where Karachi is the primate city and Lahore is second.

The mega cities represent acute urban sprawl which results in a number of problems such as inaccessibility of city center and other public facilities, higher transportation costs, traffic jams, lack of administrative control and poor law and order situations.

The trend of mega city development is very high in Asia. Pakistan is also facing this trend. Thus people from rural areas (and even small towns) move directly to the large urban centers. It means fast growth of metropolises and stagnant small cities.

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Urban Sprawl Causing Increased Use of Fuel/ Gasoline

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HOW TO CONTROL THE PACE OF URBANIZATION A: Controlling Excess of Births over Deaths:

Birth control: Use of contraceptives. Avoiding early marriages: restrictions on

early marriages. Avoiding Polygamy. Economic Measures: Tax on births say

after two children. Education and awareness campaigns

through mass media.

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HOW TO CONTROL THE PACE OF URBANIZATION

B: Reducing Rural-urban migration: Provision of employment opportunities in

rural areas. Provision of basic infrastructure and

amenities in villages. Facilitating commuting of rural dwellers for

jobs, education and shopping purposes to the nearby towns by provision of roads e.g. farm to market roads.

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HOW TO CONTROL THE PACE OF URBANIZATION

C: Reduction in the reclassification of rural areas into urban

Preservation of fertile agricultural land

through law. Maintaining green belts around cities. Development of New Towns and shifting

of over-spill population from mother cities after a threshold level of population is reached. 04/19/23 14Urbanization and Hierarchy of

Settlements---Dr. S.H. Zaidi

Ebenezer Howard’s Idea of Garden City and Satellite Towns - 1902

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HOW TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS DUE TO RAPID URBANIZATION

Be ready for the rise of population and incoming migrants from rural areas. For example, provide reception areas for incoming population.

Plan for future growth of towns and cities in the form of housing schemes, industrial estates, planned shopping centers, parks etc.

Improve existing slums and squatter settlements.

Apply strict development control measures. Apply environmental control measures. Involve people in the planning and

programming for the provision of housing, infrastructure and public facilities.

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HOW TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS DUE TO RAPID URBANIZATION ….Contd.

Introduce income generation programs, through micro-credit schemes, to eradicate poverty.

Plan employment opportunities according to growth of population in all urban areas.

Develop information and resource centers to keep administrators and planners informed.

Prepare Master Plans, Local Plans and implement them in letter and spirit.

Provide good governance.

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CITY CHARACTERISTIC

S

“Cities are People”_T.J. Kent

It means that the cities are human settlements and they have to

provide all the basic necessities of human beings. Thus our

development activities should be people centered.

CITY CHARACTERISTIC

S“Cities are Complex, Dynamic and Living

Organisms”-C.A. Doxiadis

It means that cities are composed of a number of land uses (i.e. many different inter-related activities are

carried out in a city); the population of cities is changing (increasing) making them dynamic organisms, and that cities are populated by human beings (living

creatures) who have different cultures, mores, folkways, taboos, customes and varied requirements of living,

working and leisure time

CITY CHARACTERISTIC

S“Cities have physical, social, economic and political

dimensions”-Shlomo Angel

It means that cities are composed of physical infrastructure i.e. buildings, utility services and

amenities; they have to cater for the social life of their citizens; they have to provide economic

opportunities; and they are governed by a political system

CITY CHARACTERISTIC

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“Rapid Urbanization causes most of the Problems in the Third World Cities”

-S.H. Zaidi The rate of urbanization being faced by most of

the developing countries such as Pakistan is very high. The Western (developed) countries did not face such a rapid urbanization. The process of

urbanization in the developed countries was slow (over a long period of time) and thus it was

manageable.

CITY CHARACTERISTIC

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“The pace of Development of cities is slower than the pace of Urbanization in

the Developing countries”-S.H. Zaidi

The development planning and implementation machinery in Pakistan and other developing countries suffers from a lack of resources,

technical manpower and administrative strength to cope with the rapid urbanization. Thus rate of

urbanization outpaces the rate of development in the cities.

CITY CHARACTERISTIC

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“National prosperity is nothing more than the sum of the economic performances of individual cities in a country.”

-Jane Jacobs

CITY CHARACTERISTICS

“Cities…… exist to eliminate transportation costs for goods, people and ideas”.

-Glaeser and Kahn

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CITY CHARACTERISTICS

"We make our cities and then our cities make us."

-Winston Churchill

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Our Goal: To improve the quality of life in our cities

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THANK Y OU 04/19/23 27Urbanization and Hierarchy of

Settlements---Dr. S.H. Zaidi