A Policy to Address Urbanizing Kerala
Adv. M. Anil Kumar
Mayor, Kochi Municipal Corporation & Co-Chair, Kerala Urban Policy Commission
Urbanization has taken a unique form in Kerala as it is spread across smaller and intermediate towns. The Kerala Urban Policy Commission aims to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the state’s urbanization process.
Rapid urbanization is a feature of any developing nation especially fast-growing economies. It is the transformative process through which a growing population transitions from traditional rural societies to more advanced and modern urban centres. Currently, over half of the global population resides in urban areas. Urbanization, without doubt, provides opportunity for economic growth and subsequent developments but the unique challenges that it brings about needs to be properly addressed. In this context, it is essential to examine the specific urbanization patterns of Kerala and the need for a comprehensive urban policy for the state.
Kerala, An Ever Growing Town
As per the 2011 Census, 47.7% of Kerala’s population resided in urban areas, surpassing the national average. Kerala demonstrates a distinctive urbanization pattern. Contrary to other states where urban growth is concentrated in large metropolitan cores, urbanization in Kerala is more spread across smaller and intermediate towns showcasing varied settlement patterns. This unique trend is commonly referred to as the rural-urban KERALA CALLING 2025 FEBRUARY continuum. The out migration of youth from the state and in migration of unskilled workers from other states is also a developing pattern in Kerala which further affects the urbanization trend.
T he National Population Commission projects that by 2035, 92.8% of Kerala’s population will reside in urban areas. Effectively leveraging the opportunities this presents, while ensuring preparedness to rise to the occasion and address the complexities it entails, is essential. The impact of urbanization on the state’s economic, social, and environmental fabric is undeniable. Key issues such as urban mobility, climate change, and environmental sensitivity particularly for an eco-sensitive region like Kerala, disaster response preparedness, infrastructural and spatial developmental concerns will become more pronounced and challenges related to issues of pollution, water supply, waste management, housing, traffic congestion, sanitation, open green spaces, phenomena like urban heat islands and urban flooding, financial strain on urban local bodies will only exacerbate. A multidisciplinary approach that covers all aspects of urban planning, striking a balance between the rising levels of urbanization trends and sustainable growth, is necessary. It warrants the need for a comprehensive analysis that can lead to an urban policy for the state that can guide urbanization in a less challenging manner.
The National Population Commission projects that by 2035, 92.8% of Kerala’s population will reside in urban areas.
Urban Policy A Guideline
T he Kerala Urban Policy Commission aims to undertake a comprehensive analysis and deeper understanding of the state’s urbanization process with the help of ten thematic pillars: urbanization spatial planning and place-based design; people, culture, and heritage; habitat and built environment; sustainable infrastructure and basic services; health and well-being; climate resilient spaces; drivers of growth; urban economy and development; innovative and sustainable urban f inancing; and collective local governance. The urban policy is to guide the development activities in Kerala for the next 25 years. Kochi provides an example of a city that underwent rapid urbanization in a short span and the subsequent infrastructural, spatial, and environmental difficulties it continues to face in the absence of any directive to guide the process of urbanization. Being a coastal city, the consequences of climate change impacts are eminently felt and unsustainable growth only contributes to exacerbate the problem. Local bodies become the first stop in dealing with the situation. Urban governance requires f inancial support, human resource as well as operational freedom to be able to tackle the growing needs such a scenario presents in 40 terms of not only infrastructural developments but also delivery of services. Every local government needs an innovation centre to address these challenges outside of the existing conventional system. The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (c-hed) is such a model working as the research and development wing of the Kochi Municipal Corporation addressing pressing urban challenges in the sustainability forefront aiming to improve and enhance the liveability of the city.
The urban policy is to guide the development activities in Kerala for the next 25 years.
Malappuram, Kollam and Kozhikode were identified as three among the top ten fastest growing urban areas in the world according to the survey by The Economic Intelligence Unit. It highlights the rate and speed at which urbanization is taking place in the state and reflects the trend of growth in Kerala that is peri urban growth rather than urbanization strictly based on city centric development.
T he establishment of the Kerala Urban Commission in 2024 marks a significant moment, coming 38 years after the National Commission on Urbanization, chaired by Charles Correa. Kerala becomes the first state to formulate an urban policy with the setting up of the commission. The commission, chaired by Dr. Satish Kumar from Queen’s University, Belfast, is composed of experts with national and international experience. While fragmented efforts under various state and national policies have addressed specific aspects of urbanization, a holistic approach that considers its overarching impacts has been long overdue. The Kerala Urban Commission strives to develop an inclusive urban policy that not only addresses these multifaceted challenges but also serves as a model for other states to study and replicate.
Interim Report Submitted
T he interim report submitted by the Kerala Urban Policy Commission includes clear recommendations for the balanced progress of the rapidly urbanizing Kerala over the next 25 years. This is the first time in the country that such a report has been prepared by a government.
T he commission confirms that Kerala is witnessing a trend of urbanization where it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish where cities begin or where villages end. According to the spatial development trends assessed by the commission, this change is happening primarily in the direction of the Western Ghats to the east and towards North Malabar in the north, with new urban clusters emerging. These trends are projected to shape development until 2050.
Malappuram, Kollam and Kozhikode were identified as three among the top ten fastest growing urban areas in the world according to a survey.
T he commission has put forward several recommendations to support integrated planning. It evaluates that only by strengthening Kerala’s decentralized democratic institutions—its local self government bodies—can the issues and opportunities of urbanization be addressed. T he final report will be more comprehensive after considering the government’s feedback on the interim report. The recommendations provide a roadmap for Kerala’s urban development and governance to ensure sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience in the face of growing urbanization.