URBAN GROWTH IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION OF INDIA: TESTING THE DIFFERENTIAL URBANISATION MODEL

Abstract

ABSTRACTRecent research on the differential urbanisation (DU) model has examined the successive stages of concentration and dispersal of population in a set of hierarchy of cities at the national scale in many countries. Delhi, the capital city of India, and its adjoining areas, have experienced dramatic growth in recent years. In order to mitigate the adverse impact of growth, a National Capital Region (NCR) was delineated for co‐ordinating growth related activities within the region. Based on the postulates of the DU model, we explore the urban structural pattern of the NCR over the past three decades. Our empirical findings of the growth of cities and towns within the core and periphery of the NCR support the usefulness of the DU approach in assessing the urban regional development patterns. Urbanisation trends, as observed in the hierarchical restructuring of population would have implications for regional development policies and programmes.