Introduction:

Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural areas to urban areas, the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas, and the ways in which each society adapts to this change.

Urbanization is a universal process implying economic development and social change. Urbanization also means, “a breakdown of traditional social institutions and values”. However, in India, one cannot say that urbanization has resulted in the caste system being transformed into the class system, the joint-family transforming into the nuclear family, and religion becoming secularized.

Body:

Impact of Urbanization on humans:

• Urban poverty:
  • With increasing urban population, the urban poverty has also become widespread.
  • As the India Urban Poverty Report, 2009 suggests, there is “urbanization of poverty” with the ratio of urban poverty in some of the larger states being higher than that of rural poverty
• High urban unemployment
• Growth of slums:
  • According to 2001 Census, the total slum population is 42.6 million representing 15% of the total urban population in the country and 23.1% of the population of cities and towns reporting slums.
  • 38% of the total slum population reside in the million plus cities.
  • The main reasons for slum proliferation is uncontrolled, unplanned and non-inclusive pattern of urbanization
• Inappropriate planning has led to high costs of housing and office space
• Critical infrastructure shortages and major service deficiencies: erratic power and water supply, poor solid waste management system, poor sewerage system
• Inadequate transport systems: Poor investment in transport sector has led to unsustainable levels of private vehicle use
• Deteriorating environment: Example: According to the recently released data by World Health Organization, 14 Indian states are among Top 20 worldwide with worst air quality profiles

Impact of Urbanization on animals:

• Urbanisation leads to habitat fragmentation, where larger continuous habitats are divided into smaller unconnected patches.
• It also causes habitat loss, through an increase in roads and buildings that are not producing any biomass. This exposes wildlife to new man-made stress.
• Physiological and ecological constraints affect organisms directly, but also change host-parasite and predator-prey interactions.
• During the process of urbanisation some animal species will disappear from the newly urbanised habitat.
• For example, birds that feed on specific natural food sources will fly to other areas to search for food.
• Species that cannot move as fast as urbanisation is expanding will disappear.
• Prolonged chronic physiological stress caused by air, noise and light pollution, or low food quality could affect susceptibility to parasites and disease.
• Animals’ body condition and immune function can be altered as a result.
• Urban stressors like air pollution, can have unexpected effects on free living animals.

Case study: Take the pollution transmitted by industrial areas of Johannesburg, South Africa. It elevates sulfonate concentrations in fog. This affects the ability of the feathers of the endangered Blue Swallow, Hirundo atrocaerulea to repel water. But the water-repellent plumage is crucial for the species, because Blue Swallows preferably hunt in fog. If the feathers are wet, they can’t fly very well. So, air pollution could actually decrease their capacity to forage.

A study on Blue Tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, in Algeria looked into lead contamination in urban environments and how environmental pollutants might affect breeding performance. They found higher lead concentrations in urban birds, but no direct effect of elevated lead levels and nestling conditions. But vandalism was responsible for a low breeding success, which shows the direct effect of human disturbance on urban birds.

Way forward:

• Create employment in rural areas: Diversification of rural agrarian economy to reduce distressed migration. In this case, the MGNREGA has played a vital role in reducing rural-urban migration
• Development of infrastructural facilities in rural areas: Focus on PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Area), Shyama Prasad Mookherji RURBAN Mission
• Modern framework for spatial planning of cities and standardized designs for public utilities
• Inclusive urbanization: There should be focus on the needs of the urban poor and other vulnerable groups for housing, education, health care, decent work and a safe environment.
• Environmentally Sustainable urbanization: Successful management of urban growth, integration of green spaces, wetlands, proper waste management
• Proper transport planning; Investment in public transport sector
• Ensuring better infrastructural facilities- water, sewage, power
• Proper implementation of major urban government policies like AMRUT, JNNURM, Housing for All by 2022, Smarts City Mission, National Urban Livelihood Mission
• Ensuring Good Urban Governance by:
  • Fiscal decentralization and flow of adequate funds; proper regulation of municipal bonds
  • Empowerment of municipal corporations and municipal councils
  • transparency and accountability
  • Citizen participation

Conclusion:

Cities are living ecosystems. They need to be managed accordingly. Rather than going by populist measures or sticking to the original master plans, local solutions to local problems, innovative, in situ and tailor made solutions should be evolved, adapted and adhered to. Authorities need to be willing to learn, evolve and discard if necessary.