Pace of urbanization in Nadia district - An experience of 30 years

Abstract

Urbanization is one of the oldest and most traditional processes of change that has helped shape the societies around the world. Urbanization is not merely a modern phenomenon, but a rapid and historic transformation of human social roots on a global scale, whereby predominantly rural culture is being rapidly replaced by predominantly urban culture. Urbanization is arguably the most dramatic form of highly irreversible land transformation. The term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing. Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Among the most significant changes now affecting mankind of developing countries is the ever-increasing level of urbanization as well as the number of urban centres. Thus the number of urban centres is necessarily a factor in the study of urbanization and national development as well. While urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon, it is exceptionally dynamic in India, where unprecedented urban growth rates have occurred over the last 30 years. West Bengal is a key human resource in India, with the state being fourth most populous and second most densely populated regions in India. Nadia is one of the historical urbanized districts of west Bengal. In the present work the urban scenario of Nadia in last 30 years has been attempted to examine. To investigate the impact on urbanization different quantitative and qualitative techniques have been adopted.