NCERT solutions for सोशल सायन्स एक्सपलोरींग सोसाइटी इंडिया एण्ड बिऑन्ड पार्ट २ [इंग्रजी] इयत्ता ८ chapter 7 - India’s Urban Landscape [Latest edition]

How do cities become the centre of diverse economic activities?

In what ways can urbanisation impact people’s lives?

What kind of challenges do cities face in the 21st century?

How can effective urban planning improve life in cities?

Where do you live? Is it a village, town or city? In what ways can you differentiate between urban and rural areas? Write your observations and share with your classmates.

Shows the satellite view of a village and a city in Haryana, respectively. The larger blocks of green and brown land on the left in the village show open areas, whereas the grey built-up area on the right shows a complex network of buildings. What can you infer about the population density of the two regions? Why do you think such a difference exists?

Observe and compare the two satellite images of an area of Bengaluru (Fig.). They are from 2012 and 2025, respectively. What are your observations? What has changed? Guess what might be the causes for the change.

As a small group project, make a list of adults from different generations in and around your neighbourhood. Draft a questionnaire to enquire into their observations about their own village, town or city and how it has changed over the decades. What, in their view, are the key reasons that towns and cities have changed? If they have grown larger, what are the reasons for this? What do they miss about the ‘old days’ and what do they appreciate about the current time? Report on your project through a presentation to the class.

What were the reasons that Surat became a textile manufacturing and diamond-cutting hub? (Hint: Recall from your Grade 7 Chapter ‘Understanding Markets’.)

Can you name some towns and cities near you? Find out some interesting traditions, cuisines, and customs specific to those areas, and discuss them in class.

Observe the pictures in Fig. Do you notice the other side of the city? What could be the possible challenges faced by people living in urban slums?

What are some common features of cities?

Can you think of a city or town near you that has grown in population? What could be the underlying reasons for the urban migration?

With reference to the epigraph at the beginning of the chapter, who are the participants in the making of the city and what could be their contribution?

In what ways can urbanisation affect rural areas? 

Do cities also depend on rural areas? If yes, how?

In what ways can rural and urban areas help each other develop?

What is urban planning? 

What are the risks of ignoring sustainable urban planning as cities expand into villages and forest areas?

Observe your own neighbourhood. What signs of good or poor planning do you notice? How do they affect daily life for you and others?

Imagine you are an urban planner, what are the things you would consider to plan a city? Do groups like children, the elderly, and people with disabilities get easy access to parks, toilets, and public transport? What changes would you introduce to make it more inclusive?

Suppose your town, village or city has 100 people. Draw a rough map of the place on a graph paper. Imagine each square on the paper represents a specific area of the place, like residential neighbourhoods, parks, schools, factories, post offices and so on.

Now, distribute the 100 people throughout the area. You can decide where the people will live, whether they all live in the residential areas, or some live in the commercial or industrial areas. Write this number in each of the boxes.

In your depiction of the map, which areas are heavily populated and which are not? What were the reasons behind your choices of allocation of people?

Observe the satellite view of Mumbai and Gangtok, respectively. Find out their population density and likely reasons for the difference.

Find out how the city of Beijing, China, tackled the problem of air pollution.

Prepare a report outlining measures that can be taken in India to mitigate air pollution in cities.

Talk to a family or community member who has moved from a village to a city. Ask them the reason for the same and their experience, challenges and opportunities. How does city life compare to rural life?

Learn about urban planning in other cities around the world. In what ways can some of those aspects be adapted for a city near you?

Explore and suggest action points with respect to urban planning in cities to mitigate the challenges below and write a report. Two have been completed for you.

Waste Management: Conducting a ‘Segregate at Source’ awareness drive in residential areas with demos on dry/wet waste disposal and composting.

Traffic congestion: carpooling, high taxes on vehicle purchases, etc.

Inadequate safety of residents
Poor mobility within the city
Expansion of slums
Heat waves during summers

Find out about a slum rehabilitation program where people moved from slums to proper housing in your city. What do you think its possible benefits could be for the communities there?