What is a City?

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What makes a city, really? Definitions differ wildly, from population size to economic roles, even within a single country. But why does it matter how we draw these lines, and how does India’s complex system shape our understanding of urban life? These definitions influence how cities grow, govern, and serve their people every day.

Definitions of a “City” Vary by Country

Globally, there are many variations in defining a city because of the contextual differences in countries. While the categories of ‘urban’ and ‘cities’ are often administratively distinct from each other (which means that they may be defined as ‘urban’ yet administratively rural), cities are by default urban areas.

By looking at the different definitions of urban areas in the world, we can see how cities are imagined in different countries. Across the world, many cities use a minimum population criteria to define an urban area, but that size can range from 2,000 individuals in Argentina to 2,500 in the USA, to 20,000 individuals in Nigeria. Some countries also define areas as urban on the basis of the population density, the administrative setups, economic attributes, and urban characteristics.

“Urban” as Defined in India

The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India uses the following criteria for urban areas and then groups settlements in India into three categories: Rural Areas, Census Towns, and Statutory Towns.

While both Census Towns and Statutory Towns fulfil the trifold criteria, only the latter are recognised as urban by the respective state government and have municipal governments under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), while the former can be administered by rural governance bodies as well.

Definition of what is “urban” may vary even within the country

It is possible that the definition of urban areas differs within a country. In India, for example, while the national government defines urban areas, state governments have their own definitions, since local governments are under the states’ jurisdiction as per the Constitution of India. 

Most states in India use population as a criterion for urban areas. Some states also use other factors such as the percentage of non-agricultural workers, revenue generation, etc. The threshold population used by states vary widely from each other and reflect the differences in rates of urbanisation, population size, geographical features, etc. However, the majority of the nationwide statistics in India use the Census of India’s definition of urban to define urban areas.