Urbanization- Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia

Urbanization- Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia

Table of Contents

Introduction to Urbanization and South Asia        

Urbanization        

South Asia        

Facts and Trends on Urbanization in South Asia        

Urbanization Challenges faced by South Asia        

Lack of Infrastructure and Services        

Housing        

Urban service facilities        

Transportation        

Education and Health        

Urban Poverty and Inequality        

Urbanization problems in Pakistan        

Urbanization Opportunities        

Role of Policy        

South Asia’s failure to capitalize on Urbanization opportunities        

Conclusion        

Bibliography        

Introduction to Urbanization and South Asia

Urbanization

Urbanization^[1] is an economic phenomenon which results in an increase in the percentage of people living in urban areas as opposed to rural areas. It is an ongoing process in almost every part of the world. The basic economic on human nature is that every person thinks and makes decisions rationally so that they may maximize their benefits. Similarly, those people employed in rural areas of a country think of seeking maximum benefit and aim to migrate to the cities to have access to better opportunities of success. This leads to many cities turning into mega cities and many rural areas into good urban cities.

Urbanization is measured by the percentage of people living in an urban area of a country. It has a dual aspect to its meaning, in terms of sociology and demographics. When people move to the cities the population levels rises in sheer number and in percentage terms for that area, this is demographics. When people move they undergo changes in their lifestyles and quality of living, this is the sociological aspect.

Therefore, urbanization is not a one-way process, but it is a two way process. Not only is it just a change in ones occupation as a farmer to a worker in manufacturing for example, but it also changes ones mindset, behavior, values, goals and even beliefs. Urbanization is so much more.

It is also important to understand that urbanization is not the only reason for an increased rural to urban migration but there are two other reasons for this:

1. the natural increase in urban population through higher birth rates/lower death rates in urban areas compared to rural areas
2. Increases in population density in particular locations that transform some rural areas into urban areas.

In turn urbanization can have a profound impact on the region or area in which it is occurring^[2]. There are huge inflows of the population into that area, with the population density becomes higher and hence the scarce resources to fail to satisfy the increasing demand. Ultimately, it puts pressure on the already existing resources like land, there is increase in unemployment, the living conditions worsen due to overcrowding which in turn leads to unemployment, crimes etc. The environment and surrounding area are also effected as waste and pollution is generated that in turn leads to the destruction of nature.

However, people still migrate because of their preset mind sets that shifting to cities will provide them with better opportunities in life. While others may just want to try their luck if the payoff is decent and the chances of finding a job are likely. It promises them an improvement in the quality of live that they will lead. As this individual has access to better infrastructure that was not available in rural areas, and generally resources are easily available.

South Asia

Before going into urbanization in South Asia it is important to understand few details about the location and demographics of these areas. South Asia lies in the southern region of Asia which mainly has these countries such as: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Approximately one fifth of the world’s population lives in South Asia. In terms of area the region is about 5.1 million km² (1.9 million mi²), which is 11.51% of the Asian continent or 3.4% of the world's land surface area. Fitting one fifth of the world’s population onto 3.4% of the world’s land is difficult. Overall, it accounts for about 39.49% of Asia's population (or over 24% of the world's population) and is home to a vast array of people and cultures. Just like any other country or region in the world South Asia is also affected by urbanization.

One can only properly measure urban sector and rural sector percentage when one knows how nations define an area to be urban or rural. Different nations in South Asia have different criteria on to differentiate between the two. But the most often used method is to do it by level of density of population and by the level of reliance on agriculture.

The definitions of urban settlements according to some major South Asian nations are as follows:

India^[3]: Urban areas can be classed into towns or places where there is a municipality or cantonment board. Moreover, there are some additional characteristics of urban area. If the area has a population of 5000 or more, and density of population of 400 people per kilometer and 75% of males working are not involved in agricultural activities. (MHDC, 2014)

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