Understanding Urbanization Patterns and Demographic Shifts in Vaniyambadi Town: A Spatial Approach

Abstract

During the last several decades, the urbanization trends in worldwide push the people into the urban areas due to large number of opportunities i.e., educational, employment, better quality of life, and land use in these areas experienced significant changes and restructuring. This paper delves into the nuanced interplay between demographic shifts and the spatial structure of urban settings, employing Vaniyambadi Town as a case study. Through a combination of demographic analyses, spatial modelling, and field surveys, we systematically explore the transformations in population dynamics and its impact in the spatial structure of the town. Based on a site survey, this paper analyses the spatial characteristics of land use change in Vaniyambadi town. The results reveal a reduction in agricultural land from 44% in 1984 to 24.62% in 2023 and further to 14.76% in 2043. This reduction is primarily attributed to population growth, the establishment of settlements, mixed residential usage, and has led to a significant loss of cultivated land, indicating increasing land scarcity in the future.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Demographics profoundly shape the dynamics of land use changes in cities. The preferences of different demographic groups, influenced by factors like age, income, and lifestyle, impact residential choices and drive alterations in residential land use. Population growth or decline directly correlates with shifts in demand for housing, infrastructure, and amenities, influencing the overall urban landscape. Economic characteristics, including income levels, dictate the demand for commercial and industrial spaces, thus molding the city's commercial land use. Cultural and lifestyle preferences of specific demographic segments contribute to the development of distinct districts, such as entertainment or cultural hubs. An aging population, on the other hand, may prompt the need for healthcare facilities and senior housing, reshaping land use patterns. Demographic factors also influence transportation needs, affecting infrastructure development around transit hubs. Educational demands, driven by changes in the age distribution of the population, impact the necessity for schools and universities, influencing land use accordingly. In essence, understanding demographic trends is crucial for urban planners as they strive to align land use patterns with the evolving characteristics and preferences of the city's population, ensuring a responsive and sustainable urban environment. In the case of Vaniyambadi town, diverse methods such as arithmetic increase, geometric methods, incremental increase, and growth rate methods are employed for population projections. State Government’s masterplan document of 1984 & 2005 for Vaniyambadi town and author’s field survey for existing land use map of 2023 were taken for the analysis and the proposed land use map prepared for the year of 2043 to foster the sustainable development. Demographic analysis extends beyond mere size and density to encompass crucial factors such as age structure, sex ratio, literacy rate, and workforce participation rate. The sex ratio, indicating the number of females per 1,000 males, emerges as a pivotal metric for predicting population dynamics. Disparities in sex ratios can influence social and economic aspects, potentially influencing population growth or decline. Literacy means a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate (Census of India).

II. STUDY AREA

Tirupathur district, formed in 2019 by trifurcating Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, India, encompasses the town of Tirupathur as its headquarters. The district's topography in Vaniyambadi reveals an average altitude of 354 meters (1161 ft), as shown in Fig.1 with the main wind current flowing in a north-easterly direction and lies in the Eastern Ghats region and on the banks of the Palar River.

The temperature trend, as depicted in the maximum temperature diagram, suggests potential warming in Vaniyambadi due to climate change as shown in Fig.2. Settlement evolution in the region traces back to 1000 AD when settlements emerged along a river, expanding southward for agriculture and trade. By 1100 AD, a temple became the central point, while the British era in 1850 AD marked profound changes with the Industrial Revolution. Factories and railway development fueled growth, with the settlement expanding southward along railway lines, capitalizing on economic opportunities as shown in Fig.3. This historical evolution reflects the intersection of geography, climate, and economic shifts shaping the dynamic development of Tirupathur district.

IV. RESULTS & DISCUSSION

The above (Table.3) provides the statistical analysis of land use changes in Vaniyambadi municipality. It shows the decrease in agricultural area while built - up area increases rapidly between 1984 and 2023. The built – up area increases from 22.48% in 1984, 32.34% in 2005 and 33.55% in 2023 in the total land area in Vaniyambadi town. Agricultural area reduced enormously from 44% in 1984 to 17.68% in 2005 and 24.625 in 2023. Industrial area increases from 4.90% in 1984 to 14.16% in 2005.

Mixed residential & commercial area also increases gradually. River flowing area remains same in the past decades. This is due to the rapid population with unplanned growth. It is observed that the huge agricultural lands are converted into built - up land & industrial land. In Vaniyambadi, more numbers of leather and tanning industries are setup after 1985 hence, the development of industrial happens largely. Based on the employment opportunities more settlements were created within the Vaniyambadi municipal boundary. Then, the restrictions on industries due to pollution level, the tanning industries were reduced notably after 2005.  As a result, Demographic changes impacts spatial structure of this town. It shows that the literacy rate increases in Vaniyambadi , the agricultural depended labours are decreases (Ttable.2 shows the  main workers percentage in lesser than  the marginal workers ). Commercial and mixed residential developments were increased due to the development of residential settlements based on the population growth.

Conclusion

The statistical analysis of land use changes in Vaniyambadi municipality reveals a significant shift over the decades, characterized by a substantial decrease in agricultural land and a rapid expansion of built-up and industrial areas. This transformation, driven by unplanned urban growth and the establishment of leather and tanning industries post-1985, has reshaped the town\'s spatial structure. Demographic changes, including rising literacy rates and a decline in agricultural-dependent labor, have accompanied this shift. Despite concerns over pollution leading to restrictions on industrial activities, commercial and mixed residential developments have increased to accommodate population growth. Overall, the findings emphasize the complex interplay between economic development, environmental sustainability, and demographic shifts in shaping the urban landscape of Vaniyambadi.

References

[1] Tanima Bhowmik, Arnab Chowdury (2023). Understanding Demographic Dynamics: A Case of Chinhat, Lucknow. International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET. [2] Vaniyambadi Municipality - https://www.tnurbantree.tn.gov.in/vaniyambadi/ [3] Ambur Municipality - https://www.tnurbantree.tn.gov.in/Ambur/ [4] Thirupathur Municipality - https://www.tnurbantree.tn.gov.in/Thirupathur/ [5] District Census Handbook, Vellore - https://censusindia.gov.in [6] Vaniyambadi masterplan document 2005

Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Prathap. P, Rangarajan. R, Sudhan Srinivas N. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.