A city is a relatively large, dense and permanent concentration of people of socially heterogeneous castes. Sociologists compare urban and rural life on the basis of changes in working conditions and social relations. There is a lack of close relationships in urban social relations.
In India, increasing population, industrialization and progress have played an important role in the process of formation of cities. This process of becoming a city is not very old but in a way it is the latest process.
Meaning of Urbanization
The process of becoming a city from a village is called urbanization.
The meaning of urbanization is clear in such a way that the increase in the density of population is not only an indicator of urbanization, but there is change in social and economic relations, change of informal relations in formal relations, transformation of primary groups into secondary groups is also an indicator of urbanization.
Those who are already cities cannot be called urbanization. Urbanization refers to those places where the process of becoming a city is going on.
To understand the meaning of urbanization better, we will know the definitions of urbanization given by different scholars.
Definition of Urbanization
According to Srinivas, “Urbanization does not mean only increase in population in a limited area but also change in socio-economic relations."
According to Kingsley Davis, "Urbanization is a definite process, a cycle of surrounding by which a society is transformed from an agricultural to an industrial society."
According to Marvin Olson, "Urbanization is a process by which the size and strength of the community of a society increases."
According to Max Weber, "urbanization is a dependent factor of culture."
According to G R Madan, "Urbanization means change in the thoughts and behavior of the individual and change in their social values."
According to Ashish Bose, “Urbanization is the increase in urban population in proportion to the total population over a period of time."
According to Pocock, "Urbanization is such a process under which rural people come to the city and due to the influence of cities, there is a change in the ethics and behavior of their rural life."
According to the United Nations, “By which the population gathers in size groups larger than a certain fixed size. It is called urbanization."
According to Davis, "Urbanization is a definite process, urbanization is the cycle of change by which a society is transformed from agricultural to industrial." In the presented definition, it has been clarified that industrialization takes place due to urbanization and a society starts being called industrialized from agricultural. The second thing which is more important is that urbanization continues to be cyclical in a certain manner.
The same thinker has further written that, "Urbanization is a fundamental stage of human social evolution." It is an evolutionary process. This is the reason why the process of urbanization is changing from simple to complex. Although the process of urbanization started 5,500 years ago, people had never imagined its form as it is today. The specialty of today's urbanized society is that most of the people in towns and cities are becoming increasingly crowded. On historical basis it can be said that urbanization and the emergence of cities have happened simultaneously. Whether the process of urbanization is working or not is determined by that part of the total population that is living in cities. If the number of people who live in cities increases, then it can undoubtedly be said that the process of urbanization is working. Davis is of the opinion that if the density of population increases in a place where 1 lakh or more people live, then it should be considered as an indicator of urbanization.
Characteristics of Urbanization
The main characteristics of urbanization are as follows:
- Urbanization is the process of becoming a city.
- In the process of urbanization, new cities are formed and metropolises are born.
- The process of industrialization starts happening.
- Centralization of industries is visible in big cities.
- During the process of urbanization, the people living in the cities imbibe the urban lifestyle.
- More people live in less space.
- People of different cultures, languages and religions start living together.
- Informal relations start getting reflected in formal relations.
- The ratio of the number of educated is more than in rural areas.
Causes of Urbanization
Following are the reasons for urbanization:
Role of agrarian society
The development of Indian urbanization cannot be explained by ignoring rural facts. From economic point of view, cities were established only when there was development and progress in agricultural business. The increase in agricultural production fulfilled the essential needs of the people. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to qualitative changes in the field of agricultural production. Machines started being used intensively in agricultural production, which led to development in the means of irrigation. Many types of research started, the aim of which was how to produce more and better crops on time for the increasing population.
Suitable climate
India is a rich country in terms of climate. Nature has made it great in many ways. Flowing rivers, mineral deposits and high mountains all over India are its intact wealth. The fertile land is its heritage.
Development of means of transport
The means of transport have an important role in the development of urbanization. The development of commercialization, markets and different types of mandis is not possible in the absence of means of transport. Technological development has enriched the means of transport. Now waterways are not the only means of doing our business, but there are also railways, airplanes, huge water ships, trucks etc. Earlier there was lack of transport facilities but now with the facility of telephone, fax, e-mail, online payment, it has become easy to do business from thousands of miles away.
Increase in willingness to do business
Commercial trend is important in the background of development of cities. More and more people want to establish themselves in the city because they have the facility to do business. In the modern era, cities have become centers of trade.
Attractiveness of Urban Amenities
The village is the center of inconveniences. Where even kerosene oil is not available to the villagers, even the most essential needs of life are not fulfilled. Even if a person dies, there will be no doctor, medicine or hospital available to him.
Schools are found far away in villages where there is no good system of education. On the contrary, in the cities, the best schools, colleges, universities and centers of technical knowledge, medical colleges, engineering colleges, and innumerable institutions, associations, committees which do social service work in some form or the other are available here. All these facilities encourage villagers to come to cities.
Feeling of being Rich and Prosperous
While the city is the center of trade, it also presents many options for earning livelihood to the human society.
World of Dreams
For the people of rural society and backward areas, the city is beautiful and attractive like a folk tale. A person has countless expectations from the city. He wants to fulfill his desires and ambitions here. With similar dreams, 5 to 7 lakh people come from outside every day to metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. That is why the population is continuously increasing in all small and big cities.
Livelihood Centers
In rural society, a person works only in works related to agriculture and remains uneducated and even after being educated, he does not get opportunities there. On the contrary, there are innumerable options to earn livelihood in the city. One can easily find some work there. This is the reason that the boundaries of the city are continuously increasing.
Center of Entertainment
Man in the village has nothing in the name of entertainment. Cinemas, theatres, cultural programmes, T.V., radios, transistors etc. are such things in the cities which entertain the person. Apart from this, there are things like good parks, zoos, historical and religious places, children's play places, which one likes to visit again and again, so a person wants to leave the boring life of rural society and live permanently in the city.
Dissemination and Promotion of Education
The rural youth who come to towns, cities and metros to get education do not want to return to the village at any cost, whereas in the cities they have to face problems along with many facilities. The attraction of city life continuously inspires a person to come to the city. Similarly, the process of urbanization continues to progress in a strong manner.
Center of Politics
Cities are the center of political activities and capitals are located in metropolitan cities. Ministers, MLAs, MPs live here. Leaders of the ruling party and the opposition party are also available here and their main offices are also here. History is witness to the fact that capitals have been a powerful medium of urbanization. This is also a strong reason for the increase in the population of the cities.
Sense of Security
The feeling of insecurity prevalent in rural society today is not as great as in cities. In ancient times, villages were considered the center of security, but now murder and robbery are common there. Police and security forces reach the incident site hours after the incident occurs. On the contrary, there is more security for the life and property of the citizens in the city. There is a crowd of police, administrators, MPs, ministers etc. in the city. That's why the administration remains tight and sound.
Effects or Consequences of Urbanization
Urbanization has affected the society in many ways. There is hardly any area which has not been affected by urbanization. The impact of urbanization can be seen through the following heads:
Economic Effects of Urbanization
The foundation of modern cities has been laid on economic resources. Economic development and progress impacts the entire life of a person. Industrial progress has made man progressive, individualistic, ambitious and opportunistic. The economic effects or consequences of urbanization are as follows:
Growth and Progress in Business
The city is the center of business and industries. Here a person has many options for earning a living. He can do job and business anywhere. Most of the people give priority to business here. The main reason for this is that the consumers of the goods which are produced here are also available there.
Money is Life
The city rotates on the axis of the money and the person revolves around the money. From morning till night a person wants to work here and earn more and more money. Here money is everything. Urban relationships are built and broken on money. Therefore here it is not the person who is important but the money. Here a person of good character is ignored and smugglers, black marketers and criminals in white are respected.
Economic Reversal
The city is the center of speculators. The businessman here changes from king to pauper and from pauper to king in a moment. As a result, dishonesty and black marketing have been encouraged in the cities, along with this there has also been an increase in unemployment and economic crimes. Due to high ups and downs in business, the traders here have become highly corrupt.
Production and Wide Market
The main objective of traders is to maximize production and earn maximum profit. For this, they also try to expand the markets so that the consumption of their goods can be maximum.
Economic Disparity
The town is the center of the uneven village. Here lakhs of people live in slums which are no less than hell, and there are some who live in air-conditioned palaces. Lakhs of people are able to fill their stomach after hard work and there are few people who drink liquor worth thousands every day. Here one person lives in a house with 20 rooms and there are also cases where 20 people live in one room. There are millions of people who do not have clothes on their body and there are some who wear expensive clothes several times a day. Here, due to poverty, unemployment, starvation and lack of medical treatment, the poor die and the rich man turns his back and goes away. Because money is important in his life, not the person. Exploitation is their biggest religion, hence the city is a cancer of inequalities.
Impact on Rural life
Urbanization has affected the rural life. Rural people are getting attracted towards the city for the facilities like city and industry oriented businesses, education etc.
Diversification and Specialization of Occupations
Not every person can do every work in cities. There are different types of machines for each job. They can be operated only by a person who has received training in operating those machines. In this way, to work, a person has to acquire special competence in a single type of work. While machines have created the ability to do the work of ten people, they have also provided new types of jobs to operate different types of machines.
Role of Capitalism
The biggest feature of the city is that property is worshiped here. The biggest deity of the city is money. In its absence, neither big factories can be opened nor workers can be recruited in mills etc. Here a person is respected by weighing his property on the scale. The richer one is, the more respect he deserves and the higher position he is given in the society.
Social Effects of Urbanization
The social effects of urbanization are as follows:
Dissolution of Joint family
The rate at which the population is increasing in rural society. The means of livelihood are not increasing here in that proportion. That's why more people are coming from the village to the city in search of livelihood and they are also settling here. In this way the joint family which is the specialty of the rural society is disintegrating.
Change in the status of women
Changes have started coming in the status of women due to the effect of urbanization. She is no longer confined to her gender roles inside the house. Rather, she has started living financially as well. Now the participation of women is increasing in fields like education and politics.
Wide area of socio-cultural contacts
The city is a bunch of different cultures. People of many religions, castes, sects etc. live together here. Which affects each other. Here the effects of language, food, clothing, lifestyle etc. on a person can be seen. For example, the influence of Punjabi culture can be seen on a person belonging to any caste religion in Delhi. Similarly, the influence of Bengali culture in Calcutta and Maharashtra culture in Gujarat can be easily seen on the individual.
Change in Social Values
As a result of urbanization, social values have started changing. It is a social effect of urbanization. There is a continuous decrease in the spirit of collectivism in individualistic life values. There is a lack of morality and faith in life and the feeling of selfishness is increasing.
Decline of Orthodox Religion
The importance of religion is deteriorating in modern society. People of different castes and religions work together in a factory mill and factory. They eat while sitting at one place, live in one locality or colony. Therefore, religious fanaticism is ending in the city. The people here are becoming progressive. He neither wants to be associated with conventions nor blindly accepts superstitious traditions.
Loss of Family Control
In a joint family a person cannot do anything as per his wish. He does what the joint family wishes. The family has complete control over the person. Neither the joint family nor the community has control over the individual in the city. Where a person is free in his actions, he does what he feels is good.
Changes in social relations
Social relations in the city are largely formal. No one has attachment to anyone here. All are imprisoned in the circle of their selfishness and ambition. The relations here are like unknown travelers, who travel together, eat together, and once the journey is over, they again become strangers to each other. Here one neighbor does not know the other neighbor and even if he knows, he is just limited to hi hello. In the social relation of the city, there is more show off and formality and attachment and belongingness are only nominal.
Tolerance
The city is the center of facilities and problems, here the person remains alone in the crowd and also faces the biggest problems alone. Here happiness and sorrow live together like sunshine and shade, it makes a person tolerant.
Commercialization of Entertainment
Buying and selling of entertainment takes place in cities. The person gets entertainment in proportion to the amount he spends here. Hotel, club, cinema hall, theatre, dance hall, circus etc. are its examples. In the name of entertainment, there is more nudity and obscenity here, hence obscenity is sold in the name of entertainment. Here people are seen going crazy over the dance of a naked girl, and people are enthralled with Kathak and Bharatnatyam. We have got this nudity from these commercial entertainment centres. Their impact can be easily seen on young men and women.
Artificiality in Life
Due to urbanization there is no reality in life today. Before urbanization, man used to believe in high thoughts of simple life but his inclination is increasing towards artificiality. Artificiality has now come into human life, now he has started believing more in show and grandeur.
Lack of Sense of We
Due to urbanization, our spirit has started decreasing. Urbanization has given rise to individualism. Every person here thinks only about his own interest.
Political Effects of Urbanization
Urbanization has also had an impact in the political field, which can be known from the following facts:
Political Awareness
The rural man remains almost ignorant of the political activities of the country and the world. The political awareness that should have arisen in it has not arisen even today. This is basically due to its environment, on the contrary, the people of the city are aware of their rights and duties. They participate in political activities and struggle for their rights. Political awareness is so high in the city that processions, strikes and bandhs take place over trivial matters. They know how to fight against injustice. All this is the result of political awareness
Activism in Political Field
The people of the city openly participate in political activities. The city residents are more active in building the country. He freely expresses his views on national and international problems. Here both men and women participate in politics. There are many women MLAs, MPs and ministers in the political field. All this is due to active participation in the political field.
Problems of Urbanization
Urbanization created urban society. It is surrounded by many problems. Some or the other social problems always persist in all societies, but there is considerable variation in the social attitude towards them and their nature itself. Some problems are very serious and some are of general nature. Following are the main problems of urban society:
Slums and Housing problem
The credit for creating many problems in the city goes to industrialization and urbanization. Poor rural people are coming in large numbers to cities and especially to industrial cities in search of their livelihood. He gets some or the other employment here to fill his stomach, so he leaves the village and comes to the city, but he cannot find a place to live. He doesn't even get enough space where he can cook, sleep at night and spend his free time. The shortage of land in the city is very high, so the cost of land in the cities is very high. A poor laborer and a salaried person does not have enough income to buy land and build his house, and even if he somehow buys a piece of land, it is beyond his power to build a house on it. From morning till evening he is engaged in fulfilling the essential needs of his life. He has neither money nor time, so that he can build his house. That's why he lives in a hut, closet or hut made of bamboo thatch. Workers live in cities by building hundreds of houses in this way. Life can be spent here in any way. There is no such thing as accommodation facilities here. These are the places where filth is permanent. These are the hell, stigma and curse of the city. Thus, scarcity of land in the city or its high cost, whether for purchase or for living on rent, both are beyond the capacity of the poor laborer and unemployed person. Therefore, people are forced to live in slums. It is estimated that about 17.5 million people live in slums.
Problem of Personal Disintegration
Industrialization gave rise to urbanization. With the development of industrialization, there has been a great increase in economic disparity. As a result, not only the people engaged in cottage industries and handicrafts became unemployed, but lakhs of them have become necessary to work as laborers in factories or farms. This situation encourages personal disintegration by disturbing the mental balance of the individuals and creating economic difficulties in front of them. Due to industrialization, due to increase in business fluctuations, today's industrialist can become bankrupt in no time. It is very natural for such persons to have personal disintegration. Apart from this, due to strikes, lockouts and industrial disputes in factories, many people are deprived of wages. This situation also increases personal disintegration.
Problem of Begging
The problem of begging in cities is also important. Beggary as a form of personal disintegration indicates the complete failure of a person to cope with his environment, whereas this problem is considered a symptom of social disintegration because seeing hundreds of thousands of beggars on the streets, any person can easily assume that We can guess how unbalanced, disorganized and lawless that society is. Probably that is why A.M. Vishwas has said, "We can best evaluate the social condition of any place or city on the basis of the number of beggars roaming there." Even today in India, there are a large number of people who do not see begging as a problem on the basis of religious superstitions and evil practices, but often boast of its usefulness in the context of charity and help. Such people forget that due to beggary, millions of women and children in our country have to live such an inhuman, despicable and disgusting life. They forget how the problem of beggary today is a major cause of child abduction, economic crimes. And is encouraging the problem of unethical trade. They do not even notice how begging is posing a serious threat to our economy by making millions of people of the country useless and unproductive. If beggary is evaluated in the context of these dangers, it turns out to be a serious socioeconomic problem.
Prostitution
In modern cities, sexual relations between men and women are becoming increasingly free. Today sexual relations are not considered bad. Young men and women want to have sexual relations freely. This is the modern form of prostitution, which is born from materialistic civilization and culture. Money has more importance in this civilization. The society respects the one who is rich. The result of this is that today those women who are quite educated, do this business in an educated and civilized manner, because they do not sit in brothels professionally, but for some time they work in special places like big hotels, restaurants or They meet at a secret place and take money or desired gifts from their customers.
Problem of Juvenile Delinquency
On the one hand, many countries of the world are constantly progressing and progressing, and on the other hand, juvenile delinquents are increasing rapidly. It is a matter of great surprise that today people in the world are much more wealthy and educated than before. He can spend crores of rupees to solve social problems. Not only does he try to give the highest education to his children, but he also tries to give them all kinds of facilities, so that they can progress. But even after so many facilities and efforts, the number of child criminals is increasing. Seeing their increasing number, sociologists, social reformers and state governments are worried and sad.
The characteristics of the scientific and mechanical age have changed not only the traditional values, beliefs, conditions, roles of the society but also the social system, organization and structure. The fabric of many things and relationships related to human life has also been disrupted. The fabric of many things and relationships related to human life has become disintegrated. The problem of juvenile delinquency has become more serious in countries that have made great progress in the industrial sector than in agricultural and semi-developed countries. In the industrial sector, where progress is being made in the economic structure, the process of urbanization is increasing there. Socio-economic values are changing due to the effect of urbanization. Due to these changes, juvenile delinquents are increasing in the cities.
Problem of Poverty
Poverty is a socio-economic problem. It is an economic problem because economic deprivation gives rise to poverty, whereas it is a social problem because the conditions arising from it most adversely affect social life. The low economic condition of some people does not give rise to the problem of poverty, but when a large section of people in a society fails to fulfill the minimum needs of life even after making all kinds of efforts, then we call this situation 'poverty'. Today the problem of poverty has become serious in cities.
Drinking
Alcohol has never been considered appropriate in our Indian culture. Alcoholism was prevalent in ancient India also, but after the arrival of the British, the prevalence of alcohol increased in the society. The British made liquor a medium for their economic gain.
Alcohol is such a bad habit that it affects the health of the person who drinks alcohol and due to this habit, the whole life of that person gets disturbed. Excessive drinking impairs memory and the ability to suppress one's desires. A person who drinks alcohol becomes a toy in the hands of others.
From the increasing number of liquor shops in the cities, the crowd there in the evening and at night, the deaths due to drinking of poisonous liquor and the crimes committed due to drinking, it can be easily guessed that the problem of alcoholism is increasing in our cities has taken a serious form.
Conclusion
In conclusion, urbanization is the process of people moving from rural areas to urban areas. It is a global phenomenon that has been occurring for centuries, but it has accelerated in recent decades. There are many causes of urbanization, including economic opportunities, better education and healthcare, and access to amenities.
Urbanization has a number of characteristics, including a high population density, a diverse economy, and a mix of land uses. It also has a number of effects, both positive and negative. Positive effects include economic growth, increased innovation, and improved access to services. Negative effects include pollution, traffic congestion, and social inequality.
There are a number of problems associated with urbanization, including poverty, crime, and environmental degradation. These problems can be addressed through careful planning and management. Urbanization is a complex phenomenon with both positive and negative aspects. It is important to understand the causes, effects, and problems of urbanization in order to manage it effectively.
Here are some additional thoughts on the future of urbanization:
- Urbanization is expected to continue in the coming decades, as more and more people move to cities in search of opportunity.
- This will put a strain on resources, such as water and food, and will also lead to increased pollution and traffic congestion.
- It is important to plan for sustainable urbanization, which means developing cities that are efficient and environmentally friendly.
- This can be done by investing in public transportation, green spaces, and renewable energy.
Urbanization is a major challenge of our time, but it is also an opportunity to create more sustainable and equitable societies. By understanding the causes, effects, and problems of urbanization, we can better manage this process and create a better future for all.
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