Causes of Urban Sprawl: A comparative study of Developed and Developing World Cities

The urban population of the world is increasing rapidly. This rapid increase of population is causing urban sprawl especially in the cities of developing world. Urban sprawl is mostly a result of unplanned, unorganized and haphazard urban development. It is an undesirable form of urban development as it is unsustainable. The present paper analyses the causes of urban sprawl so that urban sprawl could be checked and managed at the right time. The study reveals that causes of urban sprawl in the cities of developed and developing world is quite different. It has been found that in developed world sub-urbanization is a major cause of sprawl whereas in the developing world, uneven/regional disparities in development, rapid urbanization and emergence of cities as islands of development are major cause of urban sprawl. A survey carried out in Noida city in Uttar Pradesh confirms that cause of urban sprawl in developing world is different from developed world.