NCERT Class 8 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 07 Indias Urban Landscape PDF Download

Chapter 7: India's Urban Landscape

[Figure 7.1: Urban landscape with buildings, metro train, and transportation infrastructure, See in your textbook]

The Big Questions

1. How do cities become the centre of diverse economic activities?
2. In what ways can urbanisation impact people's lives?
3. What kind of challenges do cities face in the 21st century?
4. How can effective urban planning improve life in cities?

Introduction

India has a rich urban legacy, from Harappan cities such as Dholavira, Kalibangan or Rakhigarhi to historical ones such as Vijayanagara, Varanasi, Ujjain and many others, most of which are still flourishing today. You have visited these in the chapters of the theme 'Tapestry of the Past'. Today, cities are areas that have a concentration of human populations, different kinds of businesses and occupations, government institutions, and often elaborate transportation and communication systems. These areas are also referred to as 'urban', and have elected local bodies responsible for the development of infrastructure and other amenities of the area.

Rural areas, on the other hand, consist of villages that usually have lower populations, close-knit communities, a larger number of agriculture-based occupations, fewer businesses, and generally, less elaborate transport and communication systems compared to cities. These areas are governed by gram panchayats, as you have read in the Grade 6 chapter, 'Grassroots Democracy - Local Government in Rural Areas'. The exact definitions of cities and villages, as well as urban and rural, differ across the world. For instance, in Denmark, a place becomes urban if its population exceeds 220; in Japan, 50,000; and in India, 5,000.

Let's Explore

Where do you live? Is it a village, town or city? In what ways can you differentiate between urban and rural areas? Write your observations and share with your classmates.

[Figure 7.2: Dholavira: Spread over 48 ha with residential areas, fortifications, streets, complex water structures and large community grounds, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

Notice that what counts as "urban" varies around the world. India's definition of 5,000 people means many Indian towns are urban by Indian standards but would be considered rural in Japan. When comparing countries' urbanisation rates, always check their definitions first - the numbers look very different depending on where you're measuring.

Population Density in Cities

Imagine you invite a few friends for a get-together at your home; you will have plenty of space to move around. But if 30 people squeeze into the same space, it feels crowded, right?

This distribution of the number of people within a specific area reflects how densely or sparsely crowded a place is. So, experts known as demographers, assess the number of people living per unit of area, called population density. This is usually expressed as the number of people per square kilometre.

Population density = total population of a region / area of the region (in square km)

Think About It

Fig. 7.3 shows the satellite view of a village and a city in Haryana, respectively. The larger blocks of green and brown land on the left in the village show open areas, whereas the grey built-up area on the right shows a complex network of buildings. What can you infer about the population density of the two regions? Why do you think such a difference exists?

[Figure 7.3: Satellite images of a rural and an urban area in Haryana, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

Population density is a fraction: divide the total number of people by the area in square kilometres. A city with 1 million people spread over 100 square km has a density of 10,000 people per square km, while a village with 5,000 people spread over 50 square km has only 100 people per square km. The formula is the same; just be careful with your division.

Key Points

• Cities are areas with concentrated populations, diverse businesses and occupations, government institutions, and complex transport and communication systems, governed by elected local bodies.
• Rural areas consist of villages with lower populations, close-knit communities, more agriculture-based work, and simpler infrastructure, governed by gram panchayats.
• The definition of urban and rural differs globally: India considers a place urban at 5,000 people, while Japan requires 50,000 and Denmark only 220.
• Population density measures how many people live in a given area and is calculated by dividing total population by area in square kilometres; cities have much higher population densities than villages.

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