By: Dr. Pranab Kr. Das, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geography, Sree Chaitanya College, Habra
Metropolitan or Metropolis is a major city which has a congested city core and groups of suburbs, nearby cities or satellite cities, towns and built up semi-urban areas over which the major city exercises a commanding socio-economic influence. Literally, the metropolis is a Greek word means “mother city,” which have dependents scattered urban areas connected with the core area. Sometimes two major cities can create metropolitan areas, such as in the Tokyo-Yokohama (Japan), Kolkata-Howrah. Similarly, more than two metropolitans can come together and form a larger urban unit as in Greater London or Delhi NCR/NCT.
Dickinson has mentioned the ‘Metropolitan’ cities as “the large city, dominating a number of small towns and villages”. Based on this definition, we can say that ‘Metropolis/Metropolitan’ is a stage of the hierarchy of urban bodies. Evolution of metropolitan depends on its economic and functional diversities. Actually, the metropolitan economy is a universal feature of modern civilization. If we look carefully, the majority of the old cities are transformed as metropolitan cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Bananas, Tokyo, Dhaka etc. However, in recent time few newly constructed cities have also got the same status such as Dubai, Islamabad, Brasilia, Abu Dhabi etc. Sometimes the small town, semi-urban areas within a metropolitan unit may not completely depend on the core area, such as Manchester for London and Thane for Mumbai, Noida for Delhi. Hence, they are part of the metropolitan of the respective city because their influences are much inferior to their parent cities.
In our country, the population is the basic criteria for a metropolitan city. A city having one million populations is a metropolitan city in India. But only the population can’t be a criterion, it may be only a statistical phenomenon. In the developing nations, there are several one million cities which have nether regional or international importance.
Now there is a question, “When does a city qualify for the title for metropolis?” So, we have to take qualitative aspects. A city can be metropolitan with its distinct internationally reputed features, such as Surat is famous for cotton textile industry, Bangalore for IT, Pune for automobile industries, Los Angeles for Hollywood movies and Mumbai, Shanghai for business opportunities. Similarly, when a city is lived by a cosmopolitan population can have the same status with their vibrant demographic, ethnic and cultural variations. For example, Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Kolkata are globally famous for their cosmopolitan cultures.
Hudson mentioned that metropolis can be developed in a particularly favourable condition. Thus majority the Asian cities were developed based on agrarian economy and American cities on the industrial economy. However, in both situations trade and the business opportunity was key. In western countries either cities are new or old cities went under various reformations. So they have good infrastructures and civic amenities. But, in Asian cities, a large number of rural populations migrate to the city as informal labour. They work with poor wages and stay in inhuman conditions. They are the main driving force of the economy but far away from social recognition. There are plenty of facilities in the metropolis but the people, engaged in informal sectors cannot afford these facilities. So, there is a range of disparities within the metropolis. Hudson mentioned that “It brings to suffer from class struggle, from the increasing difficulty of integrating its diverse cultural elements.”
Definition of Metropolitan in Various Countries:
Various countries have specific definitions for the metropolitan areas based on statistical data and socio-economic features;
i. In Canada, metropolitans are known as Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA). It is an area consisting of one or more adjacent municipalities situated around a major urban core with at least 100,000 population and half of the population live within the urban core.
ii. In China, the National Development and Reform Commission (2019) defined metropolitan areas as “an urbanized spatial form in a megalopolis dominated by a super-city/s or megacity/s or a large metropolis playing a leading part, and within the basic range of 1-hour commute area
iii. Sweden defines a metropolitan area as a group of municipalities, based on statistics of commuting between central municipalities and surrounding municipalities and taking into account existing planning cooperation in the country’s three geographic regions.
iv. The United Kingdom metropolitan areas are known as ‘Travel to Work Areas’. The National Statics of U.K defines it as “at least 75% of an area’s resident workforce work in the area and at least 75% of the people who work in the area also live in the area.
v. In the U.S.A, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. The U.S. Census employs a unit called a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which includes either (1) a city with a population of at least 50,000 or (2) an urbanized area of at least 50,000 population with a total metropolitan population of at least 100,000 (75,000 in New England). An urbanized area is defined as having a population of at least 50,000, and a population density of at least 1,000 per square mile.
vi. In India, the Census Commission defines a metropolitan city as an area having a population of one million or more, comprised in one or more districts and consisting of two or more Municipalities or Panchayats or other contiguous areas, specified by the Governor by public notification to be a Metropolitan area. Where the city having over four million is known as Metro cities. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmadabad are the metro cities of India. There are 47 one million-plus cities in India as of 2020.
Characteristics of Metropolitan Cities:
In metropolitan areas, population amount and density both are high with respect to other regions of the country.
i. The magnitude of population density decreases towards the periphery.
ii. There are large demographic variations in the population of any metropolitan area.
iii. The metropolitan areas often act as a melting pot of different culture.
iv. The cultural diffusion and assimilation both are experienced in metropolitan cities and they become cosmopolitan.
v. There must be a core area in a metropolitan which commanding socio-economic influences over its peripheral areas.
vi. The core is well connected with its peripheral areas and surrounding areas.
vii. The core must be surrounded by groups of suburbs, nearby cities or satellite cities, towns and built up semi-urban areas.
viii. Economic activities that take place in the metropolitan area are heterogeneous.
ix. The metropolitan areas act as regional growth centers of a country.
x. These cities often act as industrial, trade centers.
xi. Metropolitan cities attract working-class people from various part of the country and abroad.
xii. Metropolitan cities are also an important hub of transport and communication. These cities have important railway junctions, bus stands, ports and airport. So, they often act as transit points. Such as Singapore, Dubi both are major transit points of Asia.
xiii. There are foreign embassies or consulate in the metropolitan cities and a large number of foreigners travels here for various purposes.
xiv. The metropolitan cities are also the hub of educational, research institutes and often act as the cultural hub of a country or region.
xv. These cities are equipped with modern facilities.
Problems of Metropolitan Cities:
The problems in metropolitan cities are diversified. However, problems are felt more in developing nations. Some common problems are;
i. Lack of accommodation and residential facilities for the unprivileged section,
ii. The problem of drinking water, sanitation in third world countries’ cities,
iii. Environmental degradation, mostly air, water and soil pollution.
iv. Huge rural-urban migration, give pressure on infrastructure and leads to population explosion.
v. The socio-economic disparity among the different classes within the city,
vi. The increasing rate of crime due to disparity among different socio-cultural groups;
vii. Lack of space for new infrastructures which may impact on the accessibility and transport.
viii. Slum problems and associated issues of health and hygiene,
ix. The increasing rate of unemployment and social instability,
x. Conflicts among heterogenic cultural groups,
xi. Huge population density may lead to pandemic or epidemic situations.
Geo-Synthesis 