Development Pattern of Urban Fringe: A Case of Gaindakot as fringe of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

Abstract

The urban fringe areas go through lots of transformations due to urbanisation but lack of proper planning and policies in such fringe areas leads to haphazard and unplanned growth, placing enormous pressures on natural resources, existing services and infrastructures. Bharatpur Metropolitan City is one of the fastest growing cities in Nepal which serves as commercial centre of Chitwan district. The city has been growing bigger and it will have its impacts on its fringe areas. Since migration rate is increasing in Bharatpur, this is likely to spread urban sprawl in adjoining areas, Gaindakot municipality being one of them. This research uses multiple theoretical framework and qualitative research approach to find out the effects of urbanization on various aspects and the patterns of land use changes in Gaindakot with the increasing urbanisation over the years. This research attempts to analyse the changing pattern of land uses in rural settlements located in the fringes and make a link between the results to socio-economic developments. Managing rapid urbanization poses challenges that require urgent policy attention. Otherwise, this may lead to rapid and uncontrolled sprawl; irregular, substandard, and inaccessible housing development; loss of open space, and decreased liveability as in Kathmandu valley due to unplanned urban development.