HUDCO - ConsolidatedThis publication is a part of the three-phase study which looks at the status of demography, economy and social structures, basic infrastructure and housing across various size classes of urban settlements in India. It is a consolidation of the three-phase study on metropolitan cities, Class I cities (excluding metropolitan cities) and towns based on an analysis of 2011 Population Census data.
The central message of the report prepared by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), New Delhi, under the HUDCO Chair project is that the growth rate of cities of different size classes have shown diverse growth pattern and dynamism although urban India has registered a slight increase of 0.03 percent growth in the past decade. The Class I cities have registered decline in their demographic growth and witnessed increased peri-urban growth. There was concentration of jobs in this class and the level of socio-economic development was better as compared to the smaller towns. ‘Towns’ as a group have registered an increase in their demographic growth rates in the past decade due to the phenomenal increase in the number of census towns during 2001-11. The quality of housing and infrastructure is poor in this size class as compared to the Class I cities. Adequate investments have to be made in these towns to improve the overall socio-economic condition and that of housing and basic infrastructure in particular.