Description
This paper analyzes the conditions of the five cities—Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, Kirtipur, Lalitpur, and Madhyapur Thimi— that comprise the Kathmandu Valley conurbation and exhibit the typical characteristics of the nation’s primate city (Bhattarai, 2003). It examines the patterns and causal processes of urban sprawl for the period 1955 and 2003 by utilizing both spatial and aspatial data. It analyzes the patterns of historical aspects of the Kathmandu Valley’s settlements that acquired the characteristics of a European feudal urban agglomeration in the mid-18th century, combining political, administrative, and craft production functions (Bhattarai, 2003). Our analyses reveal that since the early 1970s, the Kathmandu Valley has become structurally differentiated into two distinct urban ‘spaces’ (KVMP, 2001). The first ‘space’ is the traditional urban core characterized by narrow alleys, cul-de-sac streets, and loops serving the densely populated area. The second ‘space’ surrounds the city core, a less populated periphery, with uneven residential densities, ranging from dense concentrations (>700 people ha-1) to relatively open developments (10 person ha-1) with rural interstices.
Urban sprawl in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal from 1964-2003: a challenge for urban policy makers and planners
This paper analyzes the conditions of the five cities—Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, Kirtipur, Lalitpur, and Madhyapur Thimi— that comprise the Kathmandu Valley conurbation and exhibit the typical characteristics of the nation’s primate city (Bhattarai, 2003). It examines the patterns and causal processes of urban sprawl for the period 1955 and 2003 by utilizing both spatial and aspatial data. It analyzes the patterns of historical aspects of the Kathmandu Valley’s settlements that acquired the characteristics of a European feudal urban agglomeration in the mid-18th century, combining political, administrative, and craft production functions (Bhattarai, 2003). Our analyses reveal that since the early 1970s, the Kathmandu Valley has become structurally differentiated into two distinct urban ‘spaces’ (KVMP, 2001). The first ‘space’ is the traditional urban core characterized by narrow alleys, cul-de-sac streets, and loops serving the densely populated area. The second ‘space’ surrounds the city core, a less populated periphery, with uneven residential densities, ranging from dense concentrations (>700 people ha-1) to relatively open developments (10 person ha-1) with rural interstices.