Introduction
Urban sprawl is a worldwide phenomenon. In developed countries about 3,000 sq Km area of agricultural land is covered every year by urban growth. Japan has lost about 7.3 percent of its agricultural land to buildings and roads. European countries like Norway and the Netherlands have lost 1.6 percent and 4.3 percent respectively. (O.E.C.D. 1979). Similarly Allen, (1980) reported that the U.S.A. and Canada have lost 4,800 Sq km. of prime cropland under roads, building and reservoirs and other non-farm uses. In India also 180,000 sq km (5.5 percent of the total area) is under other non-agricultural uses, which only includes land under industrial uses, residential, commercial, transportation and vacant land. Deshpande (1992) has recognized the process of urban sprawl like the “floating water” which occupies every place available for its spread. Prakash (1985) has identified sprawl as “haphazard physical explosion”, while Markedly has described it as not only “haphazard” but as “disorderly and discontinuous development”. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word sprawl is defined as ‘to spread out or stretch out (something) in a wide or straggling manner’. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines sprawl as follows: ‘ To stretch out awkwardly or to spread ungracefully, e.g., the city sprawls for miles in each direction’. Awkard and irregular spatial growth of a town or city mainly due to increase in population can be termed as urban sprawl. Hence, any area, which is under the jurisdiction of a municipal corporation, cantonment, or any notified town, and exceeds its administrative boundary and grows outward without any check, is considered to be a sprawl. The area, which the increasing population occupies, will indicate the nature and type of sprawl.
Changing land use and population at or close to the city center have been long–standing geographical features, stimulated by the high value of land and the resulting need for constant readjustments in building and land use, as associated human activities attempt to extract the maximum benefit out of extensive central locations. But changes on the edge of the city although less concentrated and involving less dramatic social issues, gather greater importance, since a larger area of land is involved and day to day lives of more people are likely to be affected. In addition, many geographical changes at the urban periphery are associated with the transfer of land from rural to urban purpose, which may be a more fundamental alteration than many other land use changes, which take place in urban areas. Certainly, it is accompanied by a much sharper increase in land value than produced by any other urban land use change.
Much has been written on the urban sprawl by researchers from various disciplines. Mujtaba (1994) has described the process of urban sprawl in Hyderabad city using remote sensing approach to identify type and directions of urban sprawl. He observed that the rate, at which a particular area grows i.e. sprawls, is not the same. There are several factors, which govern the rate and are also responsible for the growth to continue in a particular direction. The ‘traffic node’ is assumed to be the most important factor for the beginning of a settlement. The impetus generated due to installation of any industry is next important factor in growth of city. Commercial activity -the third important factor in identifying the type and direction of growth of urban areas, and the physical factors of the region like rivers, plains, hills etc are equally important factors for determining the direction of sprawl.
Raipur is the State Capital of Chhattisgarh. Raipur Municipal Corporation is the core town forming Raipur Standard Urban Area. It is situated in Raipur tehsil of Raipur district with a population of 6,05131 (2001). It is observed that it urban area has extended to 64.29 sq. km in 2001 from 25.17 sq. km in 1971. The change in areal extend of the municipal corporation of Raipur has come due to the inclusion of the part of the eight villages viz Mathpurena (0.01 sq. km), Mowa (2.00 sq km), Bhanpur (1.20 sq km), Amlidih (1.50 sq .km), Labandih (2.00 sq km), Telibandha (2.00 sq km), Khamtari (0.30 sq k.m.) and Tatibandh (0.25 sq. km) vide Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Notification dated 21st Feb 1977. This areal extension has been incorporated in the census record of 1981.It clearly indicates that a portion of eight villages had, in fact, been merged with the city and had become a part of the expanding urban sprawl. Number of town’s has also increased from 3 in 1971 to 20 in 1991. The changes in composition of main workers were also alarming. The percentages of persons engaged in primary activities are 16 percent, 8.9 percent and 4 percent in the census years 1971,1981,1991 respectively. The figures for secondary activities for corresponding years were 20 percent, 29 percent and 32 percent while in territory activity 65 percent, 63 percent and 68 percent people were engaged in the same census years. Raipur being such an urban center has recently got the administrative function of the state capital. Hence, expanding very fast in almost all directions.