Impact of Urban Sprawl on the Socio-economic Structure of the Inhabitants in Imphal Urban Agglomeration, Manipur, India

Abstract

Urbanization has brought about a monumental change in the structure of the existing urban landscape. Urban sprawling has often caused problems in the structural and spatial alignment that disrupts the planned and balanced growth of a city. The Imphal Urban Agglomeration (IUA), the primate city of Manipur, India has witnessed increasing urban sprawl since recent decades impacting the spatial structure, land-use alignment, and overall morphological organization of the city. The present study aims at an assessment of the impact of urban sprawling on the socio-economic structure of the original and the migrant inhabitants in the IUA. Both secondary data (Landsat 5 and Sentinel 2 satellite imageries) and primary data (household survey data) were used for the study. Urban sprawl in IUA was quantified using Shannon’s Entropy technique while primary data collected from original and migrant inhabitants were analyzed using descriptive statistics to assess the impact of urban sprawl on the socio-economic structure of the inhabitants. The findings reveal that increasing urban sprawl has led to uneven socio-economic development with different challenges for both original and migrant population. The study underscores the need for spatially balanced planning strategies to promote inclusive urban growth in the IUA.