Statistical Analysis of the Urban Population and its Amenities in Multiple Ring Buffers of Largest Cities in Different Regions of India.

Abstract

In this paper Walter Christaller’s Central Place Theory is used to examine the spatial relationship between urbanization and infrastructure across five regions of India: NCR, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central (Mitra, Mukherji, and Bose, 1980). Using the largest city in each region as the core, multiple ring buffers (0–50 km, 50–100 km, and beyond 100 km) were generated using ArcGIS 10.8.1. The study analyses city size classes and infrastructure indicators such as number of latrines, electricity connections, and hospitals within these buffers using Census 2011 data from District Census Handbooks and HL-14 tables. Statistical methods including descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses were employed.
Findings reveal regional disparities in infrastructure quality. The National Capital Region (NCR), Southern, and Eastern regions exhibit better infrastructure within the 50 km ring, while the Western region shows higher quality beyond 100 km. The Central region displays mixed outcomes across all rings. A strong positive correlation is observed between urbanization and infrastructure within the 0–50 km and 50–100 km rings, but the correlation weakens positively beyond 100 km. Regression analysis identifies latrines, electricity connections, and hospitals as significant predictors of urban growth, with exceptions: electricity is not a significant factor in the 50 km and beyond 100 km rings of NCR and in the Southern region’s 50–100 km ring. This study underscores the spatial variation in urban infrastructure development and its alignment with urban population distribution in India.