In 2020, only four per cent of India's population lacked access to an urban centre — a densely populated built-up area — and three per cent could access only towns within an hour of travel, according to a study published in the journal Nature Cities.The research, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Italy, looked at over 30,000 urban centres around the world and, based on the number of people accessing them, classified them as one of four -- town, small city, intermediate city or large city.
While a town had about 20,000 people living there, accessing basic facilities, such as groceries and primary education, a large city housed more than a million people and offered the most diversified facilities, including an airport, according to the research.
Even with half the world's population living outside the urban centres, the authors found "substantial interconnectedness" as 92 per cent were able to access them in under an hour of travel, which could be seen as 'commuting distance'.Of the 92 per cent, 55 per cent were found to live in or near a town or a small city, while 37 per cent were found to live in or near an intermediate or a large city.
Further, in 2020, 41 per cent of the 7.8 billion world population could access multiple tiers (such as a town and a small city) within an hour's travel, while 57 per cent and 64 per cent (five billion) were able to reach multiple tiers by travelling for two and three hours, respectively. However, many locations close to a town or a small city can also access a higher tier within an hour's travel and, therefore, the authors summed up that two-thirds of the people around the world (five billion) live within an hour's travel from either an intermediate or a large city providing more specialised services.They added that "large cities are less relevant than smaller ones in regard to engaging populations outside their urban core". The study represented the "first systematic worldwide delineation of city-regions across multiple urban tiers," according to lead author Andrea Cattaneo, Senior Economist at FAO.
"This unprecedented dataset (spanning across 213 countries and territories) offers a powerful tool for understanding how societies are organised around urban centres, unlocking new insights for sustainable development strategies," Cattaneo said.
In a warmer world and with commuting on the rise, such studies are increasingly imperative for assuring energy-efficient and equitable transportation, as well as effective natural resource management," the lead author said.
