KOCHI: Kerala is urbanising at an unprecedented pace. Considered India’s fastest urbanising state, Kerala’s transformation is rapid and unique, with the urban population projected to soar to a staggering 96% by 2036, reveals the Economic Review 2024.
The review states that between 2001 and 2011 the state saw a significant acceleration in urban growth. By 2011, nearly half of Kerala’s population (47.7%) lived in urban areas. In 1981, there were only nine urban agglomerations in the state, but by 2011, this number increased to 19.
The data reveals a remarkable 366% growth in census towns in Kerala between 2001 and 2011. While there were 99 census towns and 60 statutory towns in 2001, the numbers surged to 461 census towns and 59 statutory towns in 2011.
Malappuram district shows the highest urban population growth, followed by Kollam, Thrissur and Kasaragod, according to the 2011 census. Malappuram was in fact tagged the fastest growing urban region in the world in a survey done by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, in 2020. Kozhikode and Kollam were ranked fourth and tenth respectively.
In India, urbanisation is defined in two ways: administratively and census-wise. Administratively, an area is considered urban if it falls under an urban local self-government (LSG) or meets state-defined thresholds for population size, density and economic activity.
According to Neema G Krishna, a researcher with the Banaras Hindu University’s geography department, unlike typical urbanisation driven by migration or population growth in cities, Kerala’s urbanisation is down to the increase in the number of urban areas as a result of the expansion and development of urbanism across its geographical landscape, leading to the reclassification of previous rural areas as urban.
“Kerala’s urbanisation is unique, forming a continuous urban belt rather than concentrated city clusters. Small and medium-sized towns are scattered every 12-15 km, blending with rural areas,” Neema points out. State Planning Board member Ravi Raman notes that Kerala is moving closer to becoming a single, sprawling city-state. “The metropolitan scale is being redefined, bridging regional and spatial divides,” he says.
At the same time, Mathew A Varghese, director of the Centre for Urban Studies at M G University, says that the reclassification of census towns has led to artificially deflated rural population growth rates, even resulting in negative growth in some areas.
‘Kerala’s cities are intertwined with its identity, dissolving rural-urban divide’
The surge in urban population can be attributed to the proliferation of census towns, he points out. “As rural areas transform, they acquire urban characteristics because of increased population density and shifts in livelihood patterns,” Varghese says.
A census town is defined as an area with over 5,000 residents, a population density of 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75% of its male workforce employed outside agriculture.
Ravi Raman highlighted Kerala’s unique vision for the future. “Kerala is reimagining the city of tomorrow, ensuring migrants have equal access to urban spaces. Unlike other Indian states, Kerala’s cities are deeply intertwined with its identity, effectively dissolving the rural-urban divide,” he says, adding that Kerala’s urbanisation experience stands out from other states where the process is often marred by contradictions.
Varghese cautions that the emphasis must be to understand the more qualitative features of urbanisation, like ecological transformations, social-gender mobilities, and the emergence of outlooks, the composite effect of which could be called urban.
“The state offers a regionally balanced model of urbanisation with minimal rural-urban distinctions. However, addressing geographical disparities and rising urbanisation sustainably is crucial, especially amid increasing environmental concerns,” Neema adds.
