Defining the RUrban - a case of Hyderabad

Defining the RUrban – taking a case of Hyderabad Large parts of rural areas in India are not stand-alone settlements but part of a cluster of settlements, which are relatively proximate to each other. These clusters typically illustrate potential for growth, have economic drivers and derive locational and competitive advantages. Hence, making a case for concerted policy directives for such clusters. These clusters once developed can then be classified as 'Rurban'. (SPMRM, National Rurban Mission Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India). Is it possible to preserve the essence of rural community life with focus on equity & inclusiveness while providing urban facilities? As the word rural by definition means non-urban, is the Rurban model more applicable for the secondary cities or suburban towns? Hyderbad presents us with a situation where an Outer Ring Road (ORR) is created to contain the urban development but placement of Information Technology Investment Regions (ITIR) along the ORR and even in areas nearby the river Musi possess serious threats to the existing villages in this area. The paper aims to take a real life situation along the ORR and derive the forces of growth and a possible ideal model for the Rurban. The age old transect from natural zone to the urban core zone is to be questioned in this current era urbanisation and we are definitely in need of an answer that balances the extremities of rural and urban. Between 2000 and 2014, the proportion of the global urban population living in slums dropped from 28.4 per cent to 22.8 per cent. However, the actual number of people living in slums increased from 807 million to 883 million. They can become the target population for suburban towns or secondary cities if these are equipped to provide a sustainable model with more production, more employment more equitable distribution of income and focussing the poor. Development is, ultimately, the progress of human freedom and capability to lead the kind of lives that people has reason to value. (Sen & Dreze, 2013) A rurban model appropriate for today’s context can be a tool to generate that value for the public.