A careful study of the data gathered through the census helps us a lot in understanding the trend of urbanisation. It can be examined as under:

(i) The process of urbanisation was sluggish in India after 1800.

(ii) In the nineteenth century and first two decades of the twentieth century the proportion of the urban population to the total population of India was very low and stagnant.

(iii) Between 1900 and 1940, there was a 13% increase in the urban population whereas during the same period, there was a 10% increase in the population of the whole country.

(iv) The data helps us in the enumeration of people according to their age, sex, caste, religion and occupation.

(v) The British lived in the White areas whereas the Indians lived in the Black areas. The white areas stood for cleanliness and hygiene. On the other hand, the black areas signified chaos, anarchy, filth and disease.

The British had white skin. So they were often called the ‘white’. They suffered from the white man’s burden and considered themselves as superior to others. On the other hand, the blacks had brown or black skin. So they were called as the ‘black’ such as the Indians or Africans. Thus white signified the superiority over the black.

According to the British, the black areas symbolised chaos and anarchy, tilth and disease. On the other hand, the white areas stood for cleanliness and hygiene. In Black areas, epidemics like cholera and plague often spread. So the British took stringent measures to ensure sanitation and public health. They wanted to prevent diseases of the black areas. So they ensured underground piped water supply. They also introduced sewerage and drainage system. In other words, the British paid a lot of attention towards sanitary vigilance.

Thus white towns were those parts of the colonial cities where the white people lived. The cantonment areas were also developed at safe places. They had wide roads, barracks, churches and parade ground. Besides they had big bungalows in big gardens. In fact, the White Town symbolised settled city life. But in the Black Town, the Indians lived. They were unorganised. They were source of filth and disease.

The important Indian traders settled in colonial cities like Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. They were most rich as they served as agents or middlemen. They built large traditional courtyard houses in the Black Town. They also bought up large tracts of land in these cities. They made investments for the future. They wanted to impress their English masters by giving lavish parties during festivals. They also built temples to establish their status and prestige in society.

(a) In 1756, Sirajudaula the Nawab of Bengal sacked the small fort which the British traders had built to house their goods. Consequently when Sirajudaula was defeated in the Battle of Plassey, the British built a new fort. Fort William would not be easily attacked.

(b) Around Fort William, a vast open space was left which came to be known as the Maidan or garermath. This was done so there would be no obstructions to a straight time of fire from the Fort against an advancing enemy army. Soon the British began to move out of the Fort and built residences along the periphery of the Maidan. This was how the English Settlement in Calcutta started taking shape. The vast open space around the Fort became Calcutta’s first significant town planning measure.

(c) Lord Wellesley was concerned about the conditions that existed in the Indian part of the city the filth, overcrowding and the poor drainage. He wrote a minute (an administrative order) in 1803 on the need for town planning and set up various committees for this purpose.

(d) It was believed that creating open places in the city would make the city healthier. Consequently many bazaars, ghats, burial ground and tanneries were cleared or removed.

(e) After Wellesley’s departure, the Lottery Committee carried on with the work of town planning. In its drive to make the Indian areas cleaner, the committee cleared the river bank of encroachment and pushed the poor to the outskirts of Calcutta.

(f) The outbreak of cholera and plague epidemics in the 19th century gave a further impetus to town planning. The government believed that there was a direct link between living conditions and the spread of disease. Densely built up areas were regarded as insanitary as it obstructed sunlight and circulation of air.