SPATIO‐FUNCTIONAL DETERMINANTS OF SMALL TOWNS: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED INDIAN SMALL TOWNS

Abstract

To investigate the growth dynamics of small towns in India, we examine functional and spatial determinants . Urban growth is a concentration of the population in response to the availability of diverse amenities and facilities in urban centers. Subsequently, the urban population is distributed among settlements of varying sizes. Although the share of the urban population accounted for by small towns (less than 20,000) in 2011 in India was 12.83%, their relative share of proposed capital expenditure in urban infrastructure for 2012–2031 is estimated at only 6.8%. This calls for a major policy shift toward the development of small towns. The significant growth of small towns and their increasing decadal growth rate and percentage share in the total urban population of India calls for a substantiation of their significance. Because any settlement is usually concentrated on its center, which can be described by both functional and spatial determinants, the spatio‐functional determinants of small towns are investigated to determine their centrality.