Urbanization has been rapidly increasing in Indian cities, leading to uncontrolled expansion and the emergence of urban sprawl. As the sprawl patterns are wide-ranging in large metropolitans, it is essential to study the sustainability issues faced by mid-sized cities. Raipur, the city which came into existence due to its trade and commerce, is considered one of the major growth centers in the state. It is among the fastest-growing medium- sized cities, along with Lucknow, Bhubaneshwar, and Dehradun. The simultaneous occurrence of economic growth and slum formation in a city symbolizes a shared success story. Slums, far from being avoidable, are integral to a city’s progress. This paper investigates Raipur’s urban journey from the year 1600 to 2021 through a comprehensive analysis of historical records, maps census data, and planning documents, with a focus on patterns of urban growth and the transformation of slum settlements. Additionally, it explores the impact of urban development policies, unfolding their role in exacerbating urban sprawl and slum formation in Raipur UA. Also, the study identifies the key administrative Challenges in Governing Raipur’s Growth. Furthermore, this paper reveals how economic prosperity and urban development are closely linked, highlighting Raipur’s role in the growth story of cities of its size. The paper positions Raipur city as a representative case for understanding the growth dynamics and sustainability challenges faced by the mid-sized Indian cities. Also, situating Raipur within the broader context of India’s urban transition, the paper explores the close interlinkages between economic prosperity, spatial expansion and urban informality.

Keywords: Urbanization, urban sprawl, slum, growth, urban development, economic growth

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1. UN-Habitat. Sustainable urbanisation: Achieving Agenda 21. Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); 2002.
2. Roberts B, Kanaley T. Urbanization and sustainability in Asia. Philippines: Asian Development Bank; 2006.
3. Butsch C, Kumar S, Wagner PD, Kroll M, Lakshmi N, Kantakumar EB, et al. Growing ‘Smart’? Urbanization processes in the Pune urban agglomeration. Sustainability. 2017;1–21. doi: 3390/su9122335
4. Simorangkir YV, Octavia S, Raubaba HS. Slums as a result of urbanization. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2019;343(1):012230. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012230.
5. Al-Kofahi SD, Hammouri N, Sawalhah MN, Al-Hammouri AA, Aukour FJ. Assessment of the urban sprawl on agriculture lands of two major municipalities in Jordan using supervised classification techniques. Arab J Geosci. 2018. doi: 1007/s12517-018-3398-5.
6. Tang J, Di L. Past and future trajectories of farmland loss due to rapid urbanization using landsat imagery and the Markov-CA model: A case study of Delhi, India. Remote Sens. 2019;11(2):180. doi: 10.3390/rs11020180.
7. Rahaman M, Dutta S, Sahana M, Das DN. Analysing urban sprawl and spatial expansion of Kolkata urban agglomeration using geospatial approach. Appl Challenges Geospat Technol. 2018;205–221. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-99882-4_12.
8. Al-sharif AA, Pradhan B. Monitoring and predicting land use change in Tripoli Metropolitan City using an integrated Markov chain and cellular automata models in GIS. Arab J Geosci. 2014;4291–301. doi: 10.1007/s12517-013-1119-7.
9. Aithal BH, Vinay S, Ramachandra TV. Simulating urban growth by two state modelling and connected network. Model Earth Syst Environ. 2018. doi: 1007/s40808-0018-0506-1.
10. Seabrook J. Cities: Small guides to big issues. Pluto Press; 2007. doi: 2307/j.ctt183q5rr.
11. Agrawal V. Raipur as a new capital: Impact on population. Int J Eng Res Sci Technol. 2013:41–46.
12. State Urban Development Agency, Chhattisgarh. City Development Plan, Raipur City (2006–2013). 2006.
13. Shaw A, Satish M. Metropolitan restructuring in post-liberalized India: Separating the global and the local. Cities. 2007;24(2):148–163. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2006.02.001.
14. Chattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society | Government of Chhattisgarh. IT and ITeS Industry in Chhattisgarh [Internet]. 2017. Available at http://www.chips.gov.in/it-and-ites-policy-sector-profile.
15. Batra L. A review of urbanisation and urban policy in post-independent India. Econ Polit Wkly. 2009;44(22):49–63.
16. Rastogi A. India Infrastructure Report. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; 2006.
17. Chadchan J, Shankar R. An analysis of urban growth trends in the post-economic reforms period in India. Int J Sustain Built Environ. 2012;1(1):36–49. doi: 1016/j.ijsbe.2012.05.001
18. Kantakumar LN, Kumar S, Schneider K. Spatiotemporal urban expansion in Pune metropolis, India using remote sensing. Habitat Int. 2016;51:11–22. doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.10.007.
19. Chaudhuri G, Clarke K. Modeling an Indian megalopolis– A case study on adapting SLEUTH urban growth model. Comput Environ Urban Syst. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2019.101358.
20. Dutta V. Land use dynamics and peri-urban growth characteristics. J Land Rural Stud. 2013a;3(2):277–301. doi: 10.1177/0975425312473226.
21. Jana R, Sinha AK. Changing pattern of urban land use in Raipur city (Chhattisgarh State, India): 1976–2011. IOSR J Humanit Soc Sci. 2019;24(9):43–49. doi: 10.9790/0837-2409014349.
22. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Overview; 2008.
23. Kundu D. Urban policies in neo-liberal India. Adv 21st Century Hum Settlements. 2020;65–91. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-6709-0_3/COVER.
24. Goswami S, Manna S. Social aspects of environment: A study of slums of Raipur city. Man Life. 2010;71.
25. Goswami S. Health and child development paradox: Findings from Raipur slums. Glob J Hum Soc Sci Sociol Econ Polit Sci. 2012;12(14):57–67.
26. Chhattisgarh Housing Board. Overview of physical infrastructure in notified slums. Raipur: Chhattisgarh Housing Board; 2022.
27. Gupta R. The pattern of urban land-use changes: A case study of the Indian cities. Environ Urban Asia. 2014;5(1):83–104. doi: 10.1177/0975425314521539.
28. Census of India, 1941; Ramadhyani RK. Census of India, 1941. Vol. VIII: Central Provinces and Berar Tables [Internet]; 1942. Available from: https://dspace.gipe.ac. in:8080/xmlui/handle/10973/37329.
29. Chettry V. Geospatial measurement of urban sprawl using multi-temporal datasets from 1991 to 2021: Case studies of four Indian medium-sized cities. Environ Monit Assess. 2022. doi: 1007/s10661-022-10542-6.
30. Mohanta IK, Jhariya DC, Mawale YK. Monitoring and characterizing urban sprawl in Raipur urban agglomeration, India from 2005 to 2015 using geospatial techniques. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2022;1019(1):012032. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1019/1/012032.
31. Chettry V, Surawar M. Urban sprawl assessment in Raipur and Bhubaneswar urban agglomerations from 1991 to 2018 using geoinformatics. Arab J Geosci. 2020;1–17.
32. Mahadevia D. Branded and renewed? Policies, politics and processes of urban development in the reform era. Econ Polit Wkly. 2011;56–64.
33. Habitat International Coalition. Housing and Land Rights Network. Forced to the fringes: Disasters of “resettlement” in India. 2014.
34. Goswami S, Manna S. Urban Poor Living in Slums: A Case Study of Raipur City in India. Glob J Inc. 2013;13.
35. Kundu A. Trends and processes of urbanisation in India. Int Inst Environ Dev. 2011;6:60.
36. Raipur Development Authority. Master Plan of Raipur 2021; 2021.
37. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Habitat-III National-Report. 2016.
38. Agrawal V, Bandyopadhyay A. Identification of factors for growth of slum: Case study ‘Jyoti Nagar’ slum Raipur. IJIRST –Int J Innov Res Sci Technol. 2016.
39. Khaparde R, Suryawanshi D, Sharma ML. Socio-economic profile of the migrated labourers of Raipur and Durg disvison of Chhattisgarh state. Pharma Innov J. 2023;12(7):1471–1475.
40. Lone PA, Rather NA. Internal-migration of Chhattisgarh: Socio-economic aspect. IOSR J Bus Manag. 2012;4(3):46–49.
41. Gan X, Zuo J, Wu P, Wang J, Chang R, Wen T. How affordable housing becomes more sustainable? A stakeholder study. J Clean Prod. 2017;162:427–437. doi: 10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2017.06.048.
42. Adabre MA, Chan APC. Critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainable affordable housing. Build Environ. 2019;156:203–214. doi: 10.1016/J.BUILDENV.2019.04.030.
43. Wakely P. Partnership: A strategic paradigm for the production & management of affordable housing & sustainable urban development. Int J Urban Sustain Dev. 2019;119–125. doi: 10.1080/19463138.2019.1647016.
44. Monroy AM, Gars J, Matsumoto T, Crook J, Ahrend R, Schumann A. Housing policies for sustainable and inclusive cities. OECD Reg Dev Work Pap. 2020;46.
45. Waghmare M, Singhal S. Monitoring and evaluation framework for inclusive smart cities in India. Dev Pract. 2022;32(2):144–162. doi: 10.1080/09614524.2021.1907535.
46. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Census of India 1951. New Delhi: Government of India Press; 1951.
47. Contribution of Urban Informal Settlement Dwellers to Urban Economy in India. New Delhi: PRIA; 2013.
48. Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. XXI. 1908–1931 ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
49. Dutta V. Land use Dynamics and peri-urban growth characteristics. J Land Rural Stud. 2013b;3(2):277–301. doi: 10.1177/0975425312473226.

Urbanization has been rapidly increasing in Indian cities, leading to uncontrolled expansion and the emergence of urban sprawl. As the sprawl patterns are wide-ranging in large metropolitans, it is essential to study the sustainability issues faced by mid-sized cities. Raipur, the city which came into existence due to its trade and commerce, is considered one of the major growth centers in the state. It is among the fastest-growing medium- sized cities, along with Lucknow, Bhubaneshwar, and Dehradun. The simultaneous occurrence of economic growth and slum formation in a city symbolizes a shared success story. Slums, far from being avoidable, are integral to a city’s progress. This paper investigates Raipur’s urban journey from the year 1600 to 2021 through a comprehensive analysis of historical records, maps census data, and planning documents, with a focus on patterns of urban growth and the transformation of slum settlements. Additionally, it explores the impact of urban development policies, unfolding their role in exacerbating urban sprawl and slum formation in Raipur UA. Also, the study identifies the key administrative Challenges in Governing Raipur’s Growth. Furthermore, this paper reveals how economic prosperity and urban development are closely linked, highlighting Raipur’s role in the growth story of cities of its size. The paper positions Raipur city as a representative case for understanding the growth dynamics and sustainability challenges faced by the mid-sized Indian cities. Also, situating Raipur within the broader context of India’s urban transition, the paper explores the close interlinkages between economic prosperity, spatial expansion and urban informality.

Keywords: Urbanization, urban sprawl, slum, growth, urban development, economic growth

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. UN-Habitat. Sustainable urbanisation: Achieving Agenda 21. Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); 2002.
2. Roberts B, Kanaley T. Urbanization and sustainability in Asia. Philippines: Asian Development Bank; 2006.
3. Butsch C, Kumar S, Wagner PD, Kroll M, Lakshmi N, Kantakumar EB, et al. Growing ‘Smart’? Urbanization processes in the Pune urban agglomeration. Sustainability. 2017;1–21. doi: 3390/su9122335
4. Simorangkir YV, Octavia S, Raubaba HS. Slums as a result of urbanization. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2019;343(1):012230. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012230.
5. Al-Kofahi SD, Hammouri N, Sawalhah MN, Al-Hammouri AA, Aukour FJ. Assessment of the urban sprawl on agriculture lands of two major municipalities in Jordan using supervised classification techniques. Arab J Geosci. 2018. doi: 1007/s12517-018-3398-5.
6. Tang J, Di L. Past and future trajectories of farmland loss due to rapid urbanization using landsat imagery and the Markov-CA model: A case study of Delhi, India. Remote Sens. 2019;11(2):180. doi: 10.3390/rs11020180.
7. Rahaman M, Dutta S, Sahana M, Das DN. Analysing urban sprawl and spatial expansion of Kolkata urban agglomeration using geospatial approach. Appl Challenges Geospat Technol. 2018;205–221. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-99882-4_12.
8. Al-sharif AA, Pradhan B. Monitoring and predicting land use change in Tripoli Metropolitan City using an integrated Markov chain and cellular automata models in GIS. Arab J Geosci. 2014;4291–301. doi: 10.1007/s12517-013-1119-7.
9. Aithal BH, Vinay S, Ramachandra TV. Simulating urban growth by two state modelling and connected network. Model Earth Syst Environ. 2018. doi: 1007/s40808-0018-0506-1.
10. Seabrook J. Cities: Small guides to big issues. Pluto Press; 2007. doi: 2307/j.ctt183q5rr.
11. Agrawal V. Raipur as a new capital: Impact on population. Int J Eng Res Sci Technol. 2013:41–46.
12. State Urban Development Agency, Chhattisgarh. City Development Plan, Raipur City (2006–2013). 2006.
13. Shaw A, Satish M. Metropolitan restructuring in post-liberalized India: Separating the global and the local. Cities. 2007;24(2):148–163. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2006.02.001.
14. Chattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society | Government of Chhattisgarh. IT and ITeS Industry in Chhattisgarh [Internet]. 2017. Available at http://www.chips.gov.in/it-and-ites-policy-sector-profile.
15. Batra L. A review of urbanisation and urban policy in post-independent India. Econ Polit Wkly. 2009;44(22):49–63.
16. Rastogi A. India Infrastructure Report. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; 2006.
17. Chadchan J, Shankar R. An analysis of urban growth trends in the post-economic reforms period in India. Int J Sustain Built Environ. 2012;1(1):36–49. doi: 1016/j.ijsbe.2012.05.001
18. Kantakumar LN, Kumar S, Schneider K. Spatiotemporal urban expansion in Pune metropolis, India using remote sensing. Habitat Int. 2016;51:11–22. doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.10.007.
19. Chaudhuri G, Clarke K. Modeling an Indian megalopolis– A case study on adapting SLEUTH urban growth model. Comput Environ Urban Syst. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2019.101358.
20. Dutta V. Land use dynamics and peri-urban growth characteristics. J Land Rural Stud. 2013a;3(2):277–301. doi: 10.1177/0975425312473226.
21. Jana R, Sinha AK. Changing pattern of urban land use in Raipur city (Chhattisgarh State, India): 1976–2011. IOSR J Humanit Soc Sci. 2019;24(9):43–49. doi: 10.9790/0837-2409014349.
22. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Overview; 2008.
23. Kundu D. Urban policies in neo-liberal India. Adv 21st Century Hum Settlements. 2020;65–91. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-6709-0_3/COVER.
24. Goswami S, Manna S. Social aspects of environment: A study of slums of Raipur city. Man Life. 2010;71.
25. Goswami S. Health and child development paradox: Findings from Raipur slums. Glob J Hum Soc Sci Sociol Econ Polit Sci. 2012;12(14):57–67.
26. Chhattisgarh Housing Board. Overview of physical infrastructure in notified slums. Raipur: Chhattisgarh Housing Board; 2022.
27. Gupta R. The pattern of urban land-use changes: A case study of the Indian cities. Environ Urban Asia. 2014;5(1):83–104. doi: 10.1177/0975425314521539.
28. Census of India, 1941; Ramadhyani RK. Census of India, 1941. Vol. VIII: Central Provinces and Berar Tables [Internet]; 1942. Available from: https://dspace.gipe.ac. in:8080/xmlui/handle/10973/37329.
29. Chettry V. Geospatial measurement of urban sprawl using multi-temporal datasets from 1991 to 2021: Case studies of four Indian medium-sized cities. Environ Monit Assess. 2022. doi: 1007/s10661-022-10542-6.
30. Mohanta IK, Jhariya DC, Mawale YK. Monitoring and characterizing urban sprawl in Raipur urban agglomeration, India from 2005 to 2015 using geospatial techniques. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2022;1019(1):012032. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1019/1/012032.
31. Chettry V, Surawar M. Urban sprawl assessment in Raipur and Bhubaneswar urban agglomerations from 1991 to 2018 using geoinformatics. Arab J Geosci. 2020;1–17.
32. Mahadevia D. Branded and renewed? Policies, politics and processes of urban development in the reform era. Econ Polit Wkly. 2011;56–64.
33. Habitat International Coalition. Housing and Land Rights Network. Forced to the fringes: Disasters of “resettlement” in India. 2014.
34. Goswami S, Manna S. Urban Poor Living in Slums: A Case Study of Raipur City in India. Glob J Inc. 2013;13.
35. Kundu A. Trends and processes of urbanisation in India. Int Inst Environ Dev. 2011;6:60.
36. Raipur Development Authority. Master Plan of Raipur 2021; 2021.
37. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Habitat-III National-Report. 2016.
38. Agrawal V, Bandyopadhyay A. Identification of factors for growth of slum: Case study ‘Jyoti Nagar’ slum Raipur. IJIRST –Int J Innov Res Sci Technol. 2016.
39. Khaparde R, Suryawanshi D, Sharma ML. Socio-economic profile of the migrated labourers of Raipur and Durg disvison of Chhattisgarh state. Pharma Innov J. 2023;12(7):1471–1475.
40. Lone PA, Rather NA. Internal-migration of Chhattisgarh: Socio-economic aspect. IOSR J Bus Manag. 2012;4(3):46–49.
41. Gan X, Zuo J, Wu P, Wang J, Chang R, Wen T. How affordable housing becomes more sustainable? A stakeholder study. J Clean Prod. 2017;162:427–437. doi: 10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2017.06.048.
42. Adabre MA, Chan APC. Critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainable affordable housing. Build Environ. 2019;156:203–214. doi: 10.1016/J.BUILDENV.2019.04.030.
43. Wakely P. Partnership: A strategic paradigm for the production & management of affordable housing & sustainable urban development. Int J Urban Sustain Dev. 2019;119–125. doi: 10.1080/19463138.2019.1647016.
44. Monroy AM, Gars J, Matsumoto T, Crook J, Ahrend R, Schumann A. Housing policies for sustainable and inclusive cities. OECD Reg Dev Work Pap. 2020;46.
45. Waghmare M, Singhal S. Monitoring and evaluation framework for inclusive smart cities in India. Dev Pract. 2022;32(2):144–162. doi: 10.1080/09614524.2021.1907535.
46. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Census of India 1951. New Delhi: Government of India Press; 1951.
47. Contribution of Urban Informal Settlement Dwellers to Urban Economy in India. New Delhi: PRIA; 2013.
48. Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. XXI. 1908–1931 ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
49. Dutta V. Land use Dynamics and peri-urban growth characteristics. J Land Rural Stud. 2013b;3(2):277–301. doi: 10.1177/0975425312473226.