Metropolitan

CC-4-09-TH-REGIONAL PLANNING
METROPOLITAN CONCEPT AND URBAN

AGGLOMERATION
Dr.SAYANI MUKHOPADHYAY
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,DEPT OF GEOGRAPHY
Urban Agglomerations
Towns
For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area is as follows;
1. All places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified

town area committee, etc. 2. All other places which satisfied the following
criteria:
i) A minimum population of 5,000; ii) At least 75 per cent of the male main
working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and
iii) A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. km.
The first category of urban units is known as Statutory Towns. These towns are
notified under law by the concerned State/UT Government and have local
bodies like municipal corporations, municipalities, municipal committees, etc.,
irrespective of their demographic characteristics as reckoned on 31st
December 2009. Examples: Vadodara (M Corp.), Shimla (M Corp.) etc.
The second category of Towns (as in item 2 above) is known as Census Town.
These were identified on the basis of Census 2001 data.
Urban Agglomeration (UA):
An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a

town and its adjoining outgrowths (OGs), or two or more physically
contiguous towns together with or without outgrowths of such towns. An
Urban Agglomeration must consist of at least a statutory town and its
total population (i.e. all the constituents put together) should not be less
than 20,000 as per the 2001 Census. In varying local conditions, there
were similar other combinations which have been treated as urban
agglomerations satisfying the basic condition of contiguity. Examples:
Greater Mumbai UA, Delhi UA, etc
Out Growths (OG): An Out Growth (OG) is a viable unit such as a
village or a hamlet or an enumeration block made up of such village or
hamlet and clearly identifiable in terms of its boundaries and location.
Some of the examples are railway colony, university campus, port area,
military camps, etc., which have come up near a statutory town outside its
statutory limits but within the revenue limits of a village or villages
contiguous to the town. While determining the outgrowth of a town, it has
been ensured that it possesses the urban features in terms of infrastructure
and amenities such as pucca roads, electricity, taps, drainage system for
disposal of waste water etc. educational institutions, post offices, medical
facilities, banks etc. and physically contiguous with the core town of the
UA. Examples: Central Railway Colony (OG), Triveni Nagar
(N.E.C.S.W.) (OG), etc. Each such town together with its outgrowth(s) is
treated as an integrated urban area and is designated as an ‘urban
agglomeration’.
In the 2011 Census, 475 places with 981 OGs have been identified as
Urban Agglomerations as against 384 UAs with 962 OGs in 2001 Census.
Number of UAs/Towns and Out Growths (OGs):
Type of Towns/UAs/OGs
Number of towns
2011 Census 2001 Census
1 Statutory Towns 4,041 3,799

2 Census Towns 3,894 1,362
3 Urban Agglomerations 475 384
4 Out Growths 981 962
At the Census 2011 there are 7,935 towns in the country. The number of
towns has increased by 2,774 since last Census. Many of these towns are
part of UAs and the rest are independent towns. The total number of
Urban Agglomerations/Towns, which constitutes the urban frame, is
6166 in the country.
Population of UAs/Towns
1. The total urban population in the country as per Census 2011 is more than 377 million
constituting 31.16% of the total population.
2. Class I UAs/Towns: The UAs/Towns are grouped on the basis their population in Census.
The UAs/Towns which have at least 1,00,000 persons as population are categorised as Class I
UA/Town. At the Census 2011, there are 468 such UAs/Towns. The corresponding number in
Census 2001 was 394.
3. 264.9 million persons, constituting 70% of the total urban population, live in these Class I
UAs/Towns. The proportion has increased considerable over the last Census. In the remaining
classes of towns the growth has been nominal.
4. Million Plus UAs/Towns: Out of 468 UAs/Towns belonging to Class I category, 53
UAs/Towns each has a population of one million or above each. Known as Million Plus
UAs/Cities, these are the major urban centres in the country. 160.7 million persons (or 42.6% of
the urban population) live in these Million Plus UAs/Cities.18 new UAs/Towns have been
added to this list since the last Census.
5. Mega Cities: Among the Million Plus UAs/Cities, there are three very large UAs with more
than 10 million persons in the country, known as Mega Cities. These are Greater Mumbai UA
(18.4 million), Delhi UA (16.3 million) and Kolkata UA (14.1 million). The largest UA in the
country is Greater Mumbai UA followed by Delhi UA. Kolkata UA which held the second rank
in Census 2001 has been replaced by Delhi UA. The growth in population in the Mega Cities
has slowed down considerably during the last decade. Greater Mumbai UA, which had
witnessed 30.47% growth in population during 1991-2001 has recorded 12.05% during 2001-
2011. Similarly Delhi UA (from 52.24% to 26.69% in 2001-2011) and Kolkata UA (from
19.60% to 6.87% in 2001-2011) have also slowed down considerably.
Fig. The Four Expansion Stages of Urban Agglomeration Development
Top 10 Urban Agglomeration of India by Population 2011
Rank UA Population
1 Mumbai 1.84 crore
2 Delhi 1.63 crore
3 Kolkata 1.40 crore
4 Chennai 86.54 lakh
5 Bangalore 85.20 lakh
6 Hyderabad 76.75 lakh
7 Ahmedabad 63.61 lakh
8 Pune 50.58 lakh
9 Surat 45.91 lakh
10 Kanpur 29.20 lakh

Metropolis and Metropolitan Concept
The word metropolis was first used by Lewis Mumford (1938, 1966). It was
originally applied to the capital city of a state.
The modern metropolis is differ from the traditional city in the

following ways:
•It combines the function of central leadership of material production and

services.
•Its population is ten time larger than that of the biggest preindustrial
city.
•Under modern, fast transportation system, the metropolis is hundred
times larger in area than the biggest city of the former times.
• It is neither city or country but a complex urban districts an open area.
•Residential and work area have become segregated and are no longer
combined on one location
•Workers and residents have higher physical as well as occupational
mobility with a wider range of choice.
Berry and Horton, (1970) in their book Geographic Perspectives on Urban
System have tried to list some of the more important metropolitan
characteristics. These are as follows
• A centralising control over the activities of the surrounding region;
1
• A population much larger than ordinary cities;

2
• Segregation of place of work and residence with in the city;

3
• Segregation of residential areas according to class and status;

4
• Clear segregation of the functional zones like the CBD, industrial, residential and recreational areas.
5
• A tremendous proliferation of mass service;

6
• It covers a larger area than an ordinary city.

7
• It may include open land, parks and rural enclaves.

8
The Metropolitan Structure
1. The hard core • The Central Business District or CBD
2. The core city • The central city
3. The suburbs • The urban fringe
• The territory in which daily economics and social

4. The metropolitan activities of the local people carried on through a
area common system of local institution.
• Metropolis and smaller urban centres separated by

5. The metropolitan large rural tracts (not incorporated in the urban
region areas) but the region is economically controlled by
the metropolis.
Census Definition in USA
The 1910 and 1920 censuses of USA defined the Metropolitan District
are a city of over 200000 population and together contiguous civil
division in which population density >150 persons/sq.mile.
1950 US census new definition of Standard Metropolitan Area has

following criteria: central city with at least 50000 people, two
contiguous cities included, adjacent counties two cities with over
50000 people each with in 20 miles of each other, each county must
have either10000 non agricultural workers 10 per cent of non
agricultural workers of the area, peripheral county must be
economically and socially integrated.
In 1960 the US census introduced the term Standard Statistical

Metropolitan Area (SMSA). It has to satisfy the following criteria:
Cont...
❑ Population Criteria
1. One city with 50000 inhabitants or more or
2. Two cities having contiguous boundaries and combined population of
at least 50000
3. If two or more adjacent counties each have a city of at least 50000 in
habitants and the cities are with in 20 miles of each other.
❑ Metropolitan Character
1. At least 75 per cent of the labour force in non agricultural occupation.
2. 50 per cent population living contiguous minor civil division radiating
from central city (density 150 persons) or
3. The outlying county must be the place of employment of 10000 non
agricultural workers.
❑ Integration criteria
1. If 15 per cent of the workers living in the given outlying county work in
the county containing the central city or cities of the area;
2. If 25 per cent of those working in the given outlying county live in the
county or counties containing the central city or cities of the area.
Definition in India
In India, the Census Commission defines a metropolitan city as urban

agglomeration having a population of over four million. Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune,
Surat and Nashik are those Indian cities that have over 4 million people.
Calcutta Metropolitan
Three types as Calcutta Metropolitan District (CMD), Calcutta Metropolitan
Area (CMA), and Calcutta Metropolitan Standard Urban Area
(CMSUA)
The first attempt at delineation of the metropolis and its umland was made
by the Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Organisation (CMPO) which
was formed in 1961.
o Calcutta Metropolitan District (CMD)
The CMD delineated by the CMPO consisted of the following
1. 2 Corporations
2. 33 Municipalities
3. 37 Urban Units
o Calcutta Metropolitan Area (CMA)
1. Comparatively larger area than CMD
2. Delineated based on daily supply of perishable goods beyond the
district
3. It extended over 10368.4 sq.km
o Calcutta Metropolitan Standard Urban Area (CMSUA)
Defined by the 1981 census covered an area of 1488 sq. Km
1. 3 Municipal Corporations
2. 31 Municipalities
3. 3 Notified Areas
4. 70 Non- Municipal Urban Units
5. 390 Rural Mouzas
Delhi Metropolitan
❑ In 1962 two layers of influence had been found on the basis of

intensity of interaction, spatial affiliations ad linkages
(sundaram,1978).
1. The Metropolitan Area covering an area of 2073.68 sq.km including
certain parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
2. Town includes Ghaziabad, Loni, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh, Gurgaon,
Ballabhgarh and Narela.
3. The layer extended up to 15-20 miles from central city and exhibited
a close affinity and interlinkages of economies with the central city.
❑ The Metropolitan Region around Delhi also called the National
Capital Region
1. Second layer extending over an area of 32777.10 sq.km.
2. Including 25 tahsils outside the Union Territory of Delhi in the states
of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
3. Extended up to distance 70 miles.
4. This area supplies the central city with milk, meat, fresh vegetables
and perishable food items.
Conclusion
The previous section has highlighted the metropolitan structure of
Calcutta and Delhi. The identification of the metropolitan structure is
necessary for planning the future expansion of the city in both
economic and spatial terms.
The concentration of population towards metropolitan centres and its
diffusion to their peripheries has resulted in many complex problems
(Kundu et al 2002) such as land scarcity, inward and outward
mobility of labour, economic, social and spatial segregation of
population between the core and periphery. As the phenomenon of
peripheral development is recent in India as compared to 59 western
countries, less research is available in this field to explore and
explain the complexities of this process at the national or regional or
city level. (Sridharan, 2006)
REFERENCES:
Dickinson,R.E “City and Region”
Jones E “Town and cities
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204617300439
ttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204617300439
Roychoudhuri,J “Development and Regional planning”
Siddhartha.K and Mukherjee.S

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CC-4-09-TH-REGIONAL PLANNING

METROPOLITAN CONCEPT AND URBAN

1. All places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified

An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a

1 Statutory Towns 4,041 3,799

10 Kanpur 29.20 lakh

The modern metropolis is differ from the traditional city in the

•It combines the function of central leadership of material production and

• A population much larger than ordinary cities;

• Segregation of place of work and residence with in the city;

• Segregation of residential areas according to class and status;

• A tremendous proliferation of mass service;

• It covers a larger area than an ordinary city.

• It may include open land, parks and rural enclaves.

1. The hard core • The Central Business District or CBD

2. The core city • The central city

3. The suburbs • The urban fringe

• The territory in which daily economics and social

• Metropolis and smaller urban centres separated by

1950 US census new definition of Standard Metropolitan Area has

In 1960 the US census introduced the term Standard Statistical

In India, the Census Commission defines a metropolitan city as urban

❑ In 1962 two layers of influence had been found on the basis of

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