Urban

Introduction

    Urban can refer to towns, cities, and suburbs. An urban area includes the city itself, as well as the surrounding areas. Most inhabitants of urban areas have non-agricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of human structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways.

    UNO defines a permanent settlement with a minimum population of 20,000 as an urban place. But several countries have their own minimum population such as: -

• Botswana (5,000)
• Ethiopia (2,000)
• Argentina (2,000)
• Israel (2,000)
• Czechoslo­vakia (5,000)
• Iceland (200)
• Norway (200)
• Portugal (10,000)
• Japan (50,000)
• Australia (1,000)
• India (5,000), etc.

    Thus, we can see here that every country has its own way of defining the urban by its population which is as minimum as 200 to as much as 10,000.

But, the UN Demographic Year Book concludes: “There is no point in the continuum from large agglomerations to small clusters or scattered dwellings where urbanity disappears and rurality begins the division between urban and rural popula­tions is necessarily arbitrary.” A review of the problems of rural and urban centres as revealed by the Census Reports of various countries identifies a few bases for reckoning a place as urban.

These are:

• A place designated by administrative status
• A minimum population
• A minimum population density
• A concept of contiguity to include or exclude under suburban area or loosely scattered settlement
• A proportion engaged in non-agricultural occupations
•  A functional character.

 

In case of our country (India), the census of 1981 has identified the following places as urban:

• Centres having Municipality, City Board, Cantonment Board/Notified Town Area
• A minimum population of 5,000
• 75 per cent males engaged in non-agricultural activities
• A minimum population density of 400 persons per square km or 1,000 persons per square mile.

Distinguish between urban and rural society:

Sl No.	Rural Society	Urban Society
1.	The rural society is mostly dependent on primary activities i.e.  agricultural, mining, fishing etc.	The urban society is dependent on secondary and tertiary activities i.e. industry, research, trade and commerce etc
2.	In this society, there is low population density and no. of populations is less.	In this society, there is high population density and no. of population is very much.
3.	The settlement is mostly dispersed.	The settlement is always compact.
4.	Life in rural society is very simple and reflected in the way of living, dressing, food habits, shelter and manners etc.	Life in urban society is not simple but very complex and complicated.
5.	The people in the society had Homogeneity and thus enjoyed more or less the same social status.	The people in the city belong to different castes, creeds, religions and cultures, thus do not enjoy the same social status.
6.	In the rural society there was very little scope for occupational mobility.	In cities there are many occupations, so occupational mobility is as well as frequent.
7.	Here the family played a very significant and predominant role. Its hold very strong bonding.	In the cities hold of families is not strong.
8.	There is no fast change and as such no necessity for social adaptability.	There must be fast mobility and adaptability to suit ever changing fast life.
9.	In the rural society culture was very deep-rooted. Everyone loved culture and cultural heritage above everything else.	In the cities it is different to find pure culture.
10.	In a rural society there is no division of labour.	In an urban community there is always division of labour and specialisation in job allotment.
11.	Rural society did not give due and proper respect to the womenfolk.	In urban communities women enjoys comparatively high social status.
12.	In this society people loved nature and natural bounties. They were religious minded and afraid of gods and goddesses.	In cities, people have no time to stand and gaze at the nature. They are not religious minded but more materialistic.
13.	There were very few chances of providing employment and incentives to the unemployed by the society.	The cities provide both incentive and employment to the people and thus frustrated villages find solace in the cities which respects ability and judges their worth.