Mapping Socio-Spatial Characteristics of Malappuram, Kerala, India

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 3, (2020), pp. 11232 - 11241 Mapping Socio-Spatial Characteristics of Malappuram, Kerala, India Dr. Nisar Khan1*, Aamir Khan2, Ajay Singhal2, Ankita Mangalik2, Sana Zehra2 1Department of Architecture Jamia Millia Islamia email: [email protected] 2Independent Researchers *Corresponding Author Abstract The objective of this exercise was to prepare city level maps for the city of Malappuram to document the social and economical characteristics in spatial dimension. Cities are not uniformly distributed with respect to var- ious socio-economic aspects and thus illustrate diversity at urban scale. Mapping this diversity helps in understanding the pattern of urbanisation for that city and helps in taking informed decisions for its future development and planning. In this article five maps namely; evolution of city, morphology, ward wise population density, distribution of religious groups and occupation pattern are provided along with their explanation for the city of Malappuram. These maps are based on field surveys conducted in the year 2015. Keywords: Maps, Socio-Spatial, Diversity, Urban Pattern, Malappuram 1. Introduction Malappuram is a city located in the southern state of Kerala, India. The city of Malappuram is located about 50 kms south-east of the coastal city of Calicut. With a city population of 101,386 persons, Malappuram barely crosses the population threshold to qualify as a city. (Census 2011a) While the city is one of the smallest by the population size in the country, the urban agglomeration of Malappuram hosts a comparatively large population of 1,699,060 persons. (Census 2011b) This type of regional distribution of urbanisation is typically seen in the state of Kerala where the hierarchy of urbanisation is found to be comparatively balanced. (Natarajan 2008) Located in the hilly terrain, the city of Malappuram presents many reasons to study it for its socio- economic aspects and urbanisation pattern. One of the reasons is the regional urbanisation as mentioned earlier, another one is its literacy rate which at 94% is higher than the national average of 85%. Another very significant aspect is the sex ratio in Malappuram which is 1102 females per 1000 males. Although the sex ratio for the state of Kerala itself is considerably higher at 1084 females per 1000 males than the national average of 926 females per 1000 males; it may be noted that the Malappuram betters the state average as well. (Census 2011b) Further, the city is also distinct for its considerably higher Muslim population which is not a common occurrence in the country where Mus- lims form about 14% of the national population. In the following sections these socio-economic distinctions of the city of Malappuram are studied and depicted in the city level maps. The objective of this exercise is to highlight the spatial dimensions of the socio-economic patterns and variations as manifested in the Indian cities. 2. Methodology This exercise was conducted in an exploratory mode beginning with the study of the available secondary information and supplementing that with the filed surveys. The secondary information and field surveys were collated and corroborated together and later plotted on the Maps. ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 11232 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 3, (2020), pp. 11232 - 11241 2.1 Secondary Study The exercise started with the historical study of the city from secondary sources. The objective of this study is to understand the emergence and growth of the city. Many historical sources like, books, articles and websites mentioned about the archeological findings in the region, expansion of the Mysore kingdom, British occupation, Mappila revolt etc. Also, the history of coastal trade in India helped in understanding the significance of Malappuram as a strategic military and trade centre. This information was further 1corroborated by knowing the date of construction of major landmarks like religious structures, police headquarter and mu- nicipal buildings etc to complete the evolution story. Historical study was followed by the the collection of demographic data. Census 2011 data, electoral lists were used for the same. Other sources like Master Plan and websites of the government agencies were explored to add to the information on demographics, trade and commerce etc. Research articles and books about the trade and commerce in the region, specially the Gulf migration were referred to know about the income profile of the city. 2.2 Base Map preparation Base map was prepared using high resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth. Preliminary understanding about the urbanisation and morphological aspects was also developed from the satellite images. Using the historical satellite imagery from Google earth urban expansion was determined. The base map was prepared using AutoCad software and major physical features like roads, open spaces, green areas, built areas, river, lake etc were drafted. Multiple layers and attributes were assigned to these features in the softwares. Polylines were used to enable hatching at a later stage. 2.3 Field Surveys Field-surveys were carried out to collect ground information about social aspects, trade and commercial activities, informal activities, urban poverty, gender employment, location of slums, housing conditions etc. Obser- vation technique was used and photographic documentation was carried out to record the observations. 2.4 Mapping the Socio-Economic attributes The findings of the field-surveys were corroborated with the secondary data and were plotted on the base maps prepared earlier. The mismatch between secondary data and field-surveys was reconciled by giving preference to the situation on the ground. 3. Socio-Spatial Mapping 3.1 Map 01: Evolution of the City It is always interesting to know the origin and growth of a city over the period of time. Usually historical information about a city is found in the form of the written text but when this history is plotted on a map; the pattern of the urban expansion becomes visible and highlights the possible factors influencing it. This spatial information helps in determining the future direction of growth of the city and facilitates in taking informed decisions by planners and administrators. For Malappuram, Map-01 titled ‘Evolution of the City’ depicts the evolution and expansion of the city from prehistoric period to the present times. There are four layers namely; Ancient-Medieval, British, Post-Independence and Contemporary depicted through grades of brown colour in Map-01, where darker shade represents ancient-medieval layer while lighter representing the contemporary layer. Ancient history of Malappuram can be determined by the findings of rock-cut caves found in Melmuri, Ponmala, Oorakam and Kodakkal areas. The presence of rock-cut caves is common in the north Kerala and some parts of south Karnataka. (Kumar 2006) Due to the findings of the rock-cut caves in Malappuram region, ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 11233 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 3, (2020), pp. 11232 - 11241 it is speculated that the area was inhabited during ancient period in the form of scattered settlements that could have been trade or military posts. (Gurakkal 1999) In the medieval era the city was ruled for about 800 year by Zamorin rulers of Calicut. During the Zamorin reign the city served as a military post. The city was conquered by Haidar Ali, ruler of Mysore and his son Tipu Sultan built a military fort on top of the hill, along the Banks of Kadalundi River. (Sastri 1958) In 1800 the city was handed over to the British as part of Treaty of Srirangapatnam and subsequently became part of Madras state. British reinforced the military worthiness of the city by building Haig Barracks in the fort of the Tipu Sultan. (DTPC 2020) The city witnessed a major rebellion against the British rule called as Mappila Lahala or Malabar rebellion in 1921. The rebellion led to the establishment of Malabar Special Police in the city indicating the strategic significance of the city to the British to control the trade and military in the Malabar region. Among the major landmarks during the British period is Kind Edward Fraser Library on the Jubilee Road, Anglo Indian Vernacular School built in 1882 and Muslim High School built in 1936. After the independence the British part of the city was converted into administrative area where district ad- ministration offices are located. The city grew along the highways and included the suburban settlements of Melmuri where new residential areas like Salath Nagar have come up. (DTPC 2020) 3.2 Map 02: Morphology Morphology of a city helps in understanding its form and topographical features. Every city is unique in its morphology due to the geographical setting it is built upon. As the city expands with time (as explained in the previous section) its form also changes. With the study of the morphology, determining the factors behind the growth pattern becomes obvious. It also helps in identifying the suitable sites for the future development of the city. The morphology of Malappuram is depicted in the Map-02 and explained below. ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 11234 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 3, (2020), pp. 11232 - 11241 Malappuram literally means settlement on the hill top. It is a city located in the hills of Malabar region. The morphology of the city is dictated by the hill topography, course of Kadalundi River and the alignments of the major highways. The Kadalundi river forms the southern periphery of the city acting as a natural barrier to the urban expansion in that direction. The size of the city is 33.62 sq.km. with urban population of 101,330 and population density of approximately 2083 persons per sq.

Load more