Urban Sprawl in Delhi: Cause and Consequences

The nature of urban sprawl in India is strikingly different from Western countries The phenomena of urban sprawl can be witnessed in the peripheral villages of Delhi. The urban expansion of Delhi has led to engulfment of surrounding village lands for the urban development process. Unlike the US or European countries, the urban sprawl phenomena in Delhi is separated from city by rural areas, rather it shares common boundaries. Hence the distance factor is missing between the Western sprawl and Indian sprawl. Agricultural areas are turned into a residential or commercial area. Problem is with the unplanned and haphazard urban growth and development in the villages. These villages are also known as urban villages. These are marked with high density of lower economic population, mainly migrants in form of tenants, unplanned buildings, narrow roads and by-lanes, lack of proper sanitation and drinking water, low cost business activities, informal or unregistered business and manufacturing activities, etc.