Conceptual Framework
The level of urbanization refers to the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities, while urbanization is considered to be an important process of socio-economic development and cultural transformation. All over the world cities and towns are expanding by natural increase and in migration. Urbanization occurs because people move from rural areas (countryside) to urban areas (towns and cities). It usually occurs more when a country is still developing.
The process of urbanization expresses itself through a distinct set of land use and type of human behavior. It brings about phenomenal socio-economic transformation in the surrounding rural areas. The propagation of urban influence is not uniform. It has marked differential radial tendency measurable in terms of demographic component and land use assemblages. The future prospect of the city or town depends on that belt where the operational part of the process of urbanization has already commenced during the preceding two decades. The inexorable growth of urban population in the coming decades presents a rare opportunity to assure acceptable standards of living for the urban people.
Urban encroachment is a process of acquision and occupation of lands for the expansion of urban activities/ functions. Such encroachment adds to the town / city area which has been taken over from the surrounding rural lands. The acquired land is generally utilized for non-agriculture purpose. The land left unutilized is generally devoted to crops meant for city markets such as vegetables and cash crops. In this process periphery of the city had been continuously advancing, bringing the villages of rural areas in the urban fold. The expansion of the city has turned many nucleated settlements with farming as their dominant economic activity into villages absolutely dependent on the city.