IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF PUNJAB

As the population grows, cities are expanding rapidly, often at the expense of rural areas and traditional livelihoods. Urbanization is one of the major challenges for growing economies, as unplanned urbanization leads to severe issues such as pollution, climate change, traffic congestion, deforestation, and particularly social disparities including inequality, inadequate access to education and healthcare, and the proliferation of informal settlements. This study will focus on urbanization and its impact on social development in Punjab, examining Punjab-specific indicators such as literacy rates, poverty incidence, access to healthcare, gender parity in education, employment rates, human development index, and social inclusion metrics like access to sanitation and housing in informal settlements. We will use secondary data from national and international sources spanning 1990 to 2024. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and Error Correction Model (ECM) will be applied for econometric analysis. This study will also incorporate a climate change index to assess how climate dynamics interact with urbanization and social development processes. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights into how unplanned urbanization influences social mobility, community cohesion, and access to essential services. By identifying key drivers of social development amid urban growth, this study will contribute to the literature on sustainable urban planning and inclusive policies. The outcomes will offer evidence-based recommendations to policymakers for designing strategies that promote equitable social development, mitigate urban inequalities, and enhance resilience to climate challenges.