The essence of this chapter for last-minute revision: the meaning of a human settlement, all four rural settlement types with their regions, the Census 1991 urban definition, the ancient-medieval-modern town timeline, Table 2.1’s urbanisation figures, and the nine functional categories of towns. The full notes, with the complete explanation, are available separately.
1 Definitions to learn by heart
A Human Settlement is a cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live; the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base.
A village is a sparsely located small settlement specialising in agriculture/primary activities. An urban settlement is a larger, less numerous settlement specialising in secondary and tertiary activities.
An urban place needs: a municipality/corporation/cantonment board/notified town area committee · minimum population 5,000 · at least 75% of male workers in non-agriculture pursuits · density of at least 400 persons per sq km.
Functional classification of towns = grouping towns by their dominant or specialised function (administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, garrisson, educational, religious/cultural, tourist), even though every town performs several functions in practice.
2 The four rural settlement types, in one table
| Type | Key feature | Found in |
|---|---|---|
| Clustered (agglomerated/nucleated) | Compact, closely built-up; rectangular/radial/linear street pattern | Fertile alluvial plains, north-eastern states; security in Bundelkhand & Nagaland; water scarcity in Rajasthan |
| Semi-clustered (fragmented) | Land-owning community central, lower strata on outer flanks | Gujarat plain, parts of Rajasthan |
| Hamleted | Fragmented units, common name (panna, para, palli, nagla, dhani) | Middle-lower Ganga plain, Chhattisgarh, lower Himalayan valleys |
| Dispersed (isolated) | Isolated huts/hamlets, extreme terrain fragmentation | Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala |
Three factor-groups decide the type: physical (terrain, altitude, climate, water) · cultural/ethnic (social structure, caste, religion) · security (defence against theft/robbery).
3 Evolution of towns in India: a timeline
| Period | Feature | Example towns |
|---|---|---|
| Prehistoric | Indus valley civilisation towns | Harappa, Mohanjodaro |
| Ancient (2,000+ years) | Religious/cultural centres | Varanasi, Prayag (Prayagraj), Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai |
| Medieval (~100 towns) | Fort towns, HQ of principalities/kingdoms, built on ruins of ancient towns | Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Nagpur |
| Modern (colonial) | Coastal trading ports → 3 British nodes → post-1850 industrial towns | Surat/Daman/Goa/Pondicherry → Mumbai/Chennai/Kolkata → Jamshedpur |
| Modern (post-Independence) | Administrative HQ, industrial centres, satellite towns | Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur · Durgapur, Bhilai, Sindri, Barauni · Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Gurugram (around Delhi) |
4 Urbanisation in India: Table 2.1, in full (1901-2011)
| Year | Towns/UAs | Urban Population (thousands) | % Urban Population | Decennial Growth % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,827 | 25,851.9 | 10.84 | — |
| 1911 | 1,815 | 25,941.6 | 10.29 | 0.35 |
| 1921 | 1,949 | 28,086.2 | 11.18 | 8.27 |
| 1931 | 2,072 | 33,456.0 | 11.99 | 19.12 |
| 1941 | 2,250 | 44,153.3 | 13.86 | 31.97 |
| 1951 | 2,843 | 62,443.7 | 17.29 | 41.42 |
| 1961 | 2,365 | 78,936.6 | 17.97 | 26.41 |
| 1971 | 2,590 | 1,09,114 | 19.91 | 38.23 |
| 1981 | 3,378 | 1,59,463 | 23.34 | 46.14 |
| 1991 | 4,689 | 2,17,611 | 25.71 | 36.47 |
| 2001 | 5,161 | 2,85,355 | 27.78 | 31.13 |
| 2011* | 6,171 | 3,77,000 | 31.16 | 31.08 |
Total urban population grew 11-fold during the 20th century; urbanisation was only 31.16% in 2011 (low vs. developed countries), and its growth rate has slowed in the last two decades. Note: the % urban population and the number of towns/UAs both actually dipped slightly in 1911 versus 1901, not a perfectly steady rise.
5 Smart Cities Mission
- Objective: promote cities with core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life for citizens.
- Features: smart solutions to reduce disaster vulnerability, use fewer resources, provide cheaper services.
- Focus: sustainable and inclusive development, compact areas as a replicable “lighthouse” model for other cities.
6 Functional classification of towns: all nine categories
| Category | Example towns |
|---|---|
| Administrative | Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai |
| Industrial | Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai |
| Transport (ports / inland hubs) | Kandla, Cochin, Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam / Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi, Katni |
| Commercial | Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna |
| Mining | Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli |
| Garrisson Cantonment | Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur |
| Educational | Roorki, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, Prayagraj |
| Religious and cultural | Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Ujjain |
| Tourist | Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udagamandalam (Ooty), Mount Abu |
Every town performs several functions; it is classified by its dominant one. As specialised cities grow into metropolises, functions become so intertwined that they cannot be placed in one class: they become multifunctional.
- Human settlement = grouping of people + apportioning of territory (resource base)
- Four rural types: Clustered, Semi-clustered, Hamleted, Dispersed
- Census 1991 urban definition: 5,000 population · 75% male non-agri workers · 400/sq km density
- Harappa & Mohanjodaro · Ancient: Varanasi · Medieval: Delhi/Agra · Modern industrial (1850+): Jamshedpur
- Three British nodes: Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata · Post-Independence: Chandigarh · Satellite towns: Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Gurugram
- 2011 urbanisation = 31.16% · 11-fold rise in 20th century · growth slowing in last two decades
- Nine functional categories: administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, garrisson, educational, religious/cultural, tourist
- Cities become multifunctional as they grow into metropolises