• Urban growth and urbanisation in India have significantly changed sociologists’ focus since 1951.
• Sociologists now analyse not just changes in urban organisation, but also stratification, mobility in urban communities, and new emerging urban problems.
• Urbanisation refers to the movement of population from rural to urban areas, increasing the proportion of the population living in cities.
• From 1951 to 1999, the rate of urbanisation has been low, but the rate of urban growth (percentage increase in the size of urban populations) has been high.
• The percentage of urban population increased by 1.5 times from 1951 to 1991 (from 17.3% to 25.73%).
• The absolute size of the total population increased by 26 times from 356.9 million to about 940 million during the same period.
• Urban growth has significant implications, as rural-urban development cannot progress balanced.
• This imbalance leads to problems in socio-economic adjustment.

CONCEPTS OF URBAN, URBANISATION AND URBANISM

• The future of India is closely linked to both rural development and the growth of cities and metropolitan areas.
• Despite the challenges of urbanisation such as pollution, overcrowding, slums, unemployment, poverty, crime, juvenile delinquency, traffic control, violence, and sexual harassment of women, cities remain centres of civilisationand culture.
• Before studying rural-urban interactions and changes in urban social organisation, it is necessary to understand the concepts of urban, urbanisation, and urbanism.
• The term urban is used both demographically (focusing on population size, density, and type of work) and sociologically (focusing on heterogeneity, impersonality, interdependence, and quality of life).
• Key characteristics of an urban place include:
  • Population of at least 5,000.
  • Population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile (or 400 persons per square km).
  • 75% or more of the working population engaged in non-agricultural activities.
• The 1991 census defined urban areas as:
  • A population of at least 5,000.
  • 75% of the male population working in non-agricultural jobs.
  • A population density of at least 400 persons per square km.
  • A municipality/corporation/cantonment or notified area.
• Some criticisms of these criteria:
  • 12,000 places in India have more than 5,000 people, but only 3,245 are recognised as urban.
  • The population density required is considered too low.
  • 25% of towns still rely on agriculture as the main activity.
  • Female workers are excluded from the working population.
• An urban community is characterised by:
  • A heterogeneous population.
  • Predominance of non-agricultural occupations.
  • A complex division of labour.
  • High specialisation in work.
  • Dependence on formal social controls and formalised local government.
• Urbanisation is the movement of population from rural to urban areas.
• According to Anderson (1953), urbanisation also involves a change in the attitudes, beliefs, values, and behavioursof migrants.
• Urbanism is a way of life marked by:
  • Transiency (short-term relationships).
  • Superficiality (impersonal, formal relationships with few people).
  • Anonymity (lack of intimacy and knowledge of names).
  • Individualism (focus on personal vested interests).
• Louis Wirth (1938) identified four key characteristics of urbanism:
  • Heterogeneity of population.
  • Specialisation of functions.
  • Anonymity and impersonality.
  • Standardisation of behaviour.

RURAL-URBAN DIFFERENCES: DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Community refers to a quality of relationship producing a strong sense of shared identity among people in a fixed geographical area.
• Sociologists contrast rural as a community and urban as a society, differentiating traditional and modern societies.
• Louis Wirth distinguished urban from rural societies by population size, density, and heterogeneity, noting that city-dwellers experience more impersonal and superficial interactions.
• Max Weber emphasized the market-place function of cities, focusing on trading-commercial relations.
• Rural and urban communities can be distinguished based on several criteria:
  • Occupation: Rural communities focus on agriculture, while urban communities are engaged in manufacturing, trade, commerce, and services.
  • Size: Rural communities are small, with a majority having populations under 2,000, whereas urban communities are larger, often with populations exceeding 100,000.
  • Density: Rural areas have low population density (200–1,000 persons per square mile), whereas urban areas have higher density (more than 1,000 persons per square mile).
  • Environment: Rural areas are close to nature, while urban areas are surrounded by a man-made environment, leading to more isolation from nature.
  • Homogeneity: Rural areas are more homogeneous, while urban areas are more heterogeneous.
  • Social stratification: Rural areas are more stratified by caste, while urban areas are more stratified by class.
  • Mobility: Rural mobility is typically from villages to cities, while urban mobility is from one city to another.
  • Relations: In rural areas, relations are personal and durable, whereas urban relationships are more impersonal, secondary, and short-lived.
  • Infant mortality rate: Higher in rural areas (1.5 times higher than in urban areas).
  • Labour force participation: More prevalent in rural areas, with rural areas having a significantly larger workforce.
  • Working children: Rural areas have 10 times more working children than urban areas.
• According to Ferdinand Toennies, gemeinschaft relationships are typical of rural life, characterized by intimate primary relationships, tradition, and kinship. Gesellschaft relationships, typical of urban life, are formal, contractual, and impersonal.
• Durkheim’s mechanical and organic solidarity:
  • Mechanical solidarity in rural communities is based on homogeneity, tradition, and kinship. It has a simple division of labour, little specialisation, and low tolerance for individuality.
  • Organic solidarity in urban communities is based on interdependence of highly specialised roles, complex division of labour, and co-operation among various groups.