Urban Population Growth in Pakistan 1961-1972

Abstract

The growth of cities is a subject of increasing concern among social scientists and government planners in Pakistan as elsewhere in the developing world. Redistribution of the population from predominantly rural to increas¬ingly urban pattern of residence has far-reaching implications for the demographic, socio-economic, and political character of the nation. Indeed, the process of urbanization as it applies in the Third World nations is gene¬rating considerable debate among scholars, for there are important policy impli¬cations and divergent views regarding the consequences of urban growth. Ad¬vocates of urbanization, who see it as the key which unlocks economic development and modernization [6], are being challenged by others who view cities as neo-coloniaiistic structures which drain their regional hinterlands of scarce re¬sources [5] and provide a Western life-style for only the elite minority [13]. Meanwhile, government planners and policy makers have embarked upon pro¬grammes designed to foster urban growth and in some cases create new urban centres. The Agrovilles Scheme is such a programme under way in Pakistan [12].