BharatNotes Urbanisation
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
India's rapid urbanisation — with the urban population growing from 17.3% (1951) to 31.1% (Census 2011) — has generated a 'dual city' phenomenon where gated enclaves of prosperity exist alongside vast informal settlements lacking basic amenities.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
urbanisation (n), urbanise (v), urban (adj), urbane (adj — of refined manners), urbanity (n)
Root
Latin urbanus = of the city (urbs = city) + -isation = process suffix (French -isation)
Etymology
From Latin urbanus; urbanisation as a sociological process concept developed in 19th-century Europe with the Industrial Revolution; in India, Census 2011 recorded 31.1% urban population, with the urban share rising from 17.3% (1951) as industrialisation and service-sector growth drew rural populations to cities
Memory Hook
URBAN + -ISATION: the process of becoming URBAN — the countryside converting to city life, one migrant at a time
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The rising share of a population living in urban areas, together with the changes in work, settlement and social relations that accompany it. For GS1 the distinction worth drawing is between urbanisation driven by economic pull and distress-driven migration, because they produce very different settlement patterns and service demands. Census definitions also matter, since what counts as urban is a statutory and demographic judgement rather than a fact of geography.
Don’t Confuse It With
Urbanisation is the increasing share of population in urban areas. Urban growth is the absolute increase in urban population, which can rise even if the share does not. Urbanism is the way of life characteristic of cities. Suburbanisation and peri-urban growth describe expansion at the city edge.
Hindi Meaning
शहरीकरण (shahrīkaran) or नगरीकरण (nagarīkaran).
Common Questions
- What is urbanisation?
- The process by which an increasing proportion of a population comes to live in urban areas.
- What is the difference between urbanisation and urban growth?
- Urbanisation is the rise in the urban share of the total population. Urban growth is the increase in the absolute number of urban residents.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Mains 2023 · GS1 · 15 marks — Indian Society
- Mains 2014 · GS1 · 10 marks — Indian Heritage & Culture
- Mains 2013 · GS1 · 10 marks — Indian Society
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Urbanisation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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