Development Pattern of Urban Fringe in Kathmandu valley

Abstract

The recent rise in urban growth and decentralization of economic activities has made urban fringe topical issues in both local and international debates. There are lots of transformations in the urban fringe landscape in the last two decades that makes it highly vulnerable to risks as much as expected of the city itself owing to large agglomeration of people and economic activities in this area. Lack of depe1:_dable institutions and absence of government has caused problems on jurisdictional administration of these urban hinterlands.

Kathmandu valley, which is the most populous metropolitan region in Nepal, is the main political and administrative centre, a major tourist Centre and an economically strategic location in the country. High population growth, dramatic land use changes, and socioeconomic transformations have brought the paradox of rapid urbanization and environmental consequences to the valley. Along with new developments within the city fringes and rural villages, shifts in the natural environment and newly developed socioeconomic strains between residents are emerging. Such rapid demographic and environmental changes and weak land use planning practices in the past decades have resulted in environmental deterioration, haphazard landscape development, and stress on the ecosystem structure. Consequently, more and more agricultural lands and forest lands have been converted into urban areas and human settlements over the past few decades (Thapa & Murayama, 2009).

This research will discuss physical changes in the urban fringe of Kathmandu valley and the socioeconomic factors and other pressures underlying these changes. The rapid urbanization in Kathmandu is stretching municipal boundaries and converting open spaces and agricultural fields into concrete jungles. Between 1984 and 2000, agricultural land in the Valley decreased from 62 to 42%. If this trend continues, by 2025 there will be no agricultural fields left in this once fertile Valley" (Subba, 2008).The research explores the reasons for this type of development pattern and recommends the conservation of urban fringe through the adoption of proper planning approach involving a mixture of urban and agricultural land uses.