CAUSES OF GROWTH OF URBAN POPULATION
Urbanization, being a process of population concentration, is caused by all those factors which change the distribution of population by size of locality. Thus, all those factors which make people move from places of lower population concentration to places of higher concentration, lead to urbanization. In practice, it refers to growth of urban population in relation to rural population ( Box 7.1 ) and is dependent on the definition of urban and rural localities. One may say that urbanization is caused primarily by migration of people from rural to urban areas (or smaller town to large cities). This assumes that the natural growth rate of urban and rural areas is similar because urban areas have better health facilities as well as lower fertility. However, sometimes, this is not the case and urbanization may also be caused by differences in natural growth between urban and rural areas. In India, in the past, natural growth in urban areas has been a major factor in the country's urban growth ( Box 7.3 ). Yet, as a rule, natural growth and the rural to urban migration are two main sources of growth of urban population and increase in level of urbanization. In addition, urban areas and city limits expand and as time passes they tend to incorporate a few villages on the outskirt, leading to an increase in urban population. Sometimes, urban population also grows due to graduation, i.e., growth of population of localities which are classified as rural in one census and as urban in the subsequent censuses. Lastly, a change of definition of urban areas may also increase or decrease the urban population. Therefore, whenever we analyse the trend in urbanization, it is important to ask whether the definition of urban population has remained unchanged.
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