Spatial Distribution of Human Development Indicators Using Census Data: Case of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration

The relation between HDI and urbanization is not a direct one and is dependent more on how the urban areas are managed. Thus, urban areas provide both opportunities for enhancing human capabilities and also points of deprivation and inequality. On one hand, metropolitan areas do provide better access to educational and health services, employment opportunities, higher wages, and basic services so it may have a positive effect on human development which forms a good argument to explore this aspect further. On the other hand, are these opportunities equally accessible to all in urban areas? Firstly, the growth of a metropolis does not always lead to economic growth and secondly, higher GDP does not always mean higher HDI. So, to understand the nature of metropolitan development it is crucial that the spatial variations in human development of its population are explored which indicates the socio-economic condition of the metropolis and its urban footprint.