Spatial Modelling of Urban Growth and Urban Influence: Approach of Regional Development in Developing Economy

Urbanization and regional development are closely associated. Allocation of higher and lower order facilities and specialization of business influence urban growth, which diffuses its benefits to the surrounding countryside. Subsequently, socio-economic development of the region comes into being. The continuous increase of urban size cannot be sustained; rather declining growth will certainly set in the long run. Optimum level of its growth depends on the capacity of an urban centre to provide required facilities to the people in fair manner. Hierarchical growth of urban centres in association with location of civic amenities induces regional development in hierarchical dimension, which is the common problem in developing economy. Subsequently, few of the urban centres are having large number of facilities while others are lacking corresponding to their population size. Formulation of pragmatic planning model is the rescue of wiping out such problems. It is an attempt to analyze the hierarchical growth of urban centres associated with their functional potentiality and diffusion of urban developmental impulses to the surrounding rural part. Further, it proposes a model for developing economy like India to solve the problem of regional variations of development. Besides, it examines the adequacy and inadequacy of facilities in the urban centres and puts forward planning recommendations, so that a balanced regional development would be achieved by not leaving any rural part out of the zone of functional influence of urban centre.