Bangalore’s changing rural–urban fringe

Rural land surrounding rapidly growing cities is often at risk of being swallowed up as a city expands. This case study looks at how the growth of Bangalore, one of India’s largest cities, is changing the surrounding countryside and affecting the people who live there

Jane Ferretti and Kiran Sahi

Women and children collect water from a standpipe in a village near Bangalore

Bangalore, or Bengaluru to give its official name, is a city located on the Deccan Plateau 1,000 m above sea level in the southern part of the Indian peninsular. It is the capital of the state of Karnataka (Figure 1). The city’s population has grown from 1.5 million in the 1970s to over 10 million today, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Karnataka was under British rule from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The colonial rulers established churches, schools and hospitals, and laid the foundations for an English-speaking Indian community. Their presence also encouraged the development of roads and railways and helped Bangalore to become a centre for agriculture and later an important manufacturing and service centre.