Issues Related to Urban Development in Hilly Areas: A Literature Review

Hills located in the Himalayas of India are confronting a recently arising issue of spontaneous development. Anthropogenic and technical changes in the past have prompted many ecological and physical issues. Nowadays, development in the hills is a troublesome action, taking into account that mountain areas are for the most part or even incredibly vulnerable and frequently have delicate ecosystems. Also, the panoramic beauty of the hills adds to the potential of these areas, but the construction activities here are leading to damage not only to the aesthetics but also to the climate of the hills. The complications have come up related to the planning of the areas due to the increase in the density, urban population, land scarcity, limited natural resources, and disaster-prone areas, and with such problems, urban development in these vulnerable areas is leading to various challenges, i.e., haphazard development, deforestation, infrastructure crises, climatic change, change in land use, etc., leading to the unsustainability of the hilly areas. These vulnerable hilly areas are going through rapid urbanization for the last three decades which may lead to the transition of the various hilly areas. Along with these issues, there are three emerging issues in the hills related to spatial planning which are listed in the study, i.e., geo-environmental constraints, carrying capacity of the area and lack of contextual development. The paper seeks to identify various issues and problems leading to inappropriate urban development in hilly areas. The methodology opted in the study is based on the literature review of various studies. A semi-structured interview is also conducted with various officials of the town planning department, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh, to understand the current practices, lacunas, problems, and issues in the current practice of urban development in hilly areas. The study concludes with the identification and impact of issues directly and indirectly related to urban development in hilly areas.