Effect of Urban Sprawl on Human Habitation in Urban Fringe and Peri-Urban Areas in Kolkata Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Urban sprawl outside large cities expands the city itself and brings the demand for extending infrastructure and services towards adjacent municipal and panchayat areas. It also affects the housing condition of peri urban areas including local land market. The paper tries to analyze the urban sprawl in terms of increase of demand and prices of real estate properties and rising incapability of affording proper housing in smaller towns at the outskirts of Kolkata, leading to fresh slum conditions, in the peri-urban areas. It also tries to mark some strategies to ensure planned expansion of urban areas. At present, population of Kolkata Metropolitan Area is growing at a very fast rate, creating sprawl effect of human habitation in the adjacent rural land. Demand for land within the fringe areas especially in small and peri-urban centres of the KMA is growing. As more and more people are choosing to live in areas adjacent to the main city core, land value is increasing and rising beyond affordable limits of local people. This situation is explained through a study on floor area affordability of people in Madhyamgram - Barasat area and in different regions of the KMA. An analysis of BPL population in slum areas and non-slum areas in the KMA have also been done, and it is found that there is possibility of existence of more BPL population outside the existing slum areas. Government initiatives of providing affordable shelter to slum dwellers may leave a large percentage of urban poor, and they will be forced to live in slum like conditions. Present demand and supply scenario of housing is such that there would be natural tendency of creation of new slum areas i.e. habitation in degraded environmental conditions, in small towns and peri urban areas because even MIG population would also find hard to afford proper shelter at market prices. Planning strategies for combating urban sprawl in peri urban areas are thus prerequisite before framing any housing policy and program. 2. reGIonAl PersPeCtIVe of eXPAnsIon of KolKAt A MetroPolIt An

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