Question.
Discuss the factors responsible for the origin and growth of towns. (UPPSC, 2020, 15 marks)
Answer.
Towns are urban areas and they are also the driving force for the growth and development of the country where mainly industry and service activities take place.
Following are the major factors responsible for the origin and growth of towns.
- Locational advantage of the area
- Historical factor
- Development of transport and communication
- Discovery of surplus or new resources
- Agglomeration of firms
- Rising population density
Locational advantage of the area:
- Some geographic areas have location-specific advantages such as natural protection from floods and storms, resource benefits such as availability of water and land, access to trade routes, etc.; All these are factors that enable the origin and development of the town.
- The local advantage of the area pulls resources from the surrounding area, which gives rise to the towns.
For example, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Kochi have developed because of their locational advantage.
Historical factors:
- Historical factors such as religious importance, colonial characteristics, etc. lead to the origin and development of towns.
For example, the development of the city of Varanasi, Agra, and Kancheepuram are some examples of this.
Development of Transport and Communication Network:
- New towns often arise along with newly developed transport and communication networks and older cities expand.
Discovery of surplus or new resources:
- Cities originate and develop by finding new resources like coal or industry or investment.
- For example, Dhanbad city developed due to coalfields, Bokaro steel city, and Bhilai developed due to the establishment of steel industries.
Agglomeration of Firms:
- Cities expand from clusters of firms.
Rising Population Density:
- Some areas are not characterized by urban activities such as manufacturing and service, yet they are called towns because of the high population density there, they are declared as towns (census towns).
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