A 'city' is the highest form of human settlement with high population density and comparatively high quality services, facilities, roads, markets, education, health, and development infrastructure. A city is the engine of economic growth. Dense population density alone is not enough to be a city.

Adequate urban infrastructure, abundance of non-agricultural economic activities, opportunities for trade, industrialization and employment, proper land use, well-organized built-up areas and easy transportation system are the characteristics of cities.

According to the basis adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, an area with a population of 50,000 and a minimum population density of 1,500 per square kilometer is called an 'urban center' and an area with a population of 3,000 and a minimum population density of 300 to 500 per square kilometer is called a 'semi-urban center'. In the context of Nepal, a 'city' is defined as a settlement with a population of at least 5,000, a population density of 10 people per hectare, at least 50 percent of the population above the age of 10 (excluding students), engaged in non-agricultural activities such as industrial, commercial and other services, and with gradual physical development and expansion.

Due to the current social, economic, and political environment of Nepal, urbanization is increasing due to market and city-centered internal migration from remote villages in search of education, health, employment, and security. Remittances received from foreign employment have also become a reason for urbanization. As of 2068 BS, there were 58 municipalities, and currently there are 293 municipalities. The population of municipalities is 66.01 percent of the total population.

Since most of the rural areas are formed, the population of municipalities cannot be called urban population. The current urban population is 27.07 percent and the urban-oriented population is 39.75 percent. From this, the intensity of urbanization in Nepal can be estimated. There is a great disparity in physical and social infrastructure, service facilities, and opportunities in the existing municipalities.

Our urban infrastructure is not sufficient to address the needs of the growing population. Narrow roads, inadequate urban infrastructure, very limited open spaces, disorganized sewage systems, lack of scientific and proper management of waste, pollution and deteriorating urban environment are the problems of urbanization in Nepal.

Overcrowding, urban poverty, disorganized informal settlements encroaching on river banks and public areas, and the inability of development structures to be disability and senior citizen friendly are also the inequalities of our urbanization.

In order to properly manage the current disorganized urbanization, the planning, development and management of a comprehensive balanced urban system that includes market centers, small towns, medium-sized cities and large urban centers is important in this context. In coordination and cooperation of all three levels of government, cities should be made a center of attraction in the future by increasing access to urban services and facilities. Efforts have been made for systematic urbanization by developing cities not only as areas of organized settlement but also as centers of economic activity, further strengthening the rural-urban interconnection.

The modern settlement development plan in Nepal was started from Rajbiraj in Saptari. In the 1960s, efforts were made for more planned settlement development while strategically relocating families displaced by natural disasters from hilly districts to the Terai. Local planning was started in Nepal with the Physical Development Plan of Kathmandu Valley in 1969. After the 1980s, structural plans for some urban centers were prepared and implemented. Planned cities like Mahendranagar, Tikapur, Birendranagar, Kohalpur, Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Damauli, Bharatpur, Hetauda, ​​Lahan, Duhabi, Biratnagar, Dharan were built. In the case of Kathmandu Valley, the ‘Kathmandu Valley Long-Term Development Plan (Soch 2020)’ was formulated in 2001. Urbanization was managed and expanded through development programs such as service facility development-guided land development programs and land consolidation.

Keeping in view the rapid urbanization happening globally, the National Urban Policy 2064 was implemented in Nepal with the objective of achieving a balanced form, improving the urban environment, and making urban management effective. For the implementation of local plans, Municipal Development Committees in various districts of the country and, in the case of Kathmandu Valley, the ‘Kathmandu Valley Development Authority’ for coordinated and integrated urban development are active.

Meanwhile, a campaign to build new cities was launched in 10 places along the Mid-Hill Highway to control internal migration in big cities and strengthen urban-rural interconnections. Land development programs and urban infrastructure were started in accordance with the goal of systematic urbanization to accommodate at least one lakh people in each of those cities.

After the establishment of the Ministry of Urban Development in 2069 BS, studies, research, planning and implementation work focused on the urban area are being carried out. With the implementation of federalism, the increasing responsibility of the local level and the involvement of the provincial government have been implemented to further manage urbanization. The 'Intensive Urban Development Program' was implemented in the old cities of the Terai bordering India, where the population density was high but the infrastructure was weak. This program, which was initially launched in the border towns, was very effective. The urban population benefited from the construction of wide and blacktop roads, bus parks, and markets.

A few years ago, when the monsoon floods came, the city markets, which were submerged for 2/4 days, were able to drain water within a few hours after the implementation of the program. After the success of the program, the program was expanded nationwide. Considering urban planning as an integral part of urban development, integrated urban development plans have been prepared for 185 municipalities. 58 municipalities had already prepared plans. Work is underway to prepare plans for 50 more municipalities.

With the support of the donor Asian Development Bank (ADB), urban infrastructure (roads, drains, solid waste treatment plants, drinking water, sewage systems and treatment plants) has been constructed in Dharan, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Birgunj, Siddharthanagar, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar and other municipalities through the Urban Environmental Improvement Project, the Mid-City Integrated Urban Environmental Improvement Project, the Integrated Urban Development Project and the Regional Development Project.

With the support of the World Bank, the implementation of various phases of the Urban Governance Improvement Project has not only built urban infrastructure but also enhanced the capacity of municipalities and promoted good governance. Employment creation and urban revitalization work has been implemented in Lalitpur Metropolitan City and 17 other municipalities by building infrastructure with the participation of the local community.

Commendable work has been done in urban development in the main cities of the Terai. Road construction, beautification of river banks, and sewerage construction work in the corridors of the Bagmati and its tributaries by the empowered Integrated Bagmati Civilization Development Committee are noteworthy. The river corridor roads built by the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority have made a great contribution to Kathmandu's traffic management.

It is also a fact that urban development has been contributed to by organizing settlements through various land development programs. Efforts have been made to organize the city by implementing standards related to housing and settlement development. Alternative financial management for urban infrastructure development has also been done through the Urban Development Fund. Despite all the efforts and implementation of the programs mentioned above, the specified goal of organized urban development in major cities in Nepal has not been fully achieved.

Coordination between the bodies involved in providing urban services and facilities has not been achieved to provide urban services in an integrated manner. It is difficult to provide urban infrastructure and services by relying solely on the limited resources of the government. There is a huge gap between the budget required for the construction of infrastructure necessary to address the growing urban population and the available budget. Municipalities have also not been able to increase their internal income. Financial management in infrastructure is becoming challenging as the limit of loans taken from the Urban Development Fund is linked to the internal income of the municipality. There is a situation where people's representatives are hesitant to take loans even for plans that provide quick and good returns for fear of being accused of burdening the municipality with debt.

Alternative investments including public-private partnerships have not been utilized. There is a challenge to make urban infrastructure disaster-resilient. The 'New City Project', announced in the 2067/68 policy and program and implemented since 2071/72, has not been able to gain the expected momentum in the projects implemented in 10 locations on the Mid-Hill Highway (Phidim, Basantapur, Khurkot, Baireni Galchhi, Dumre, Burtibang, Chaurjahari, Rakam Karnali, Sanfebagar and Patan Baitadi).

The project, which aims to accommodate at least 100,000 people in each city, has been facing problems due to delays in the land development program, low budget availability, and difficulties in mutual coordination and collaboration between the concerned bodies. Not even one of the 10 cities has been developed as a model.

Initially, only 10 locations on the Mid-Hill Highway were designated, but later Bheriganga (Surkhet) and Bhingri (Pyuthan) were added. Later, 15 cities on the Postal Highway and 5 cities in the Terai Madhesh were added, bringing the number of new cities to 27. More municipalities were added in the name of building a 'smart city', but resources were not added. The human resources to implement them were also not added. As a result, not a single city was fully prepared. Among the projects implemented with the support of ADB and the World Bank, the process of acquiring land for the solid waste management project remained challenging, leading to delays in the project. Projects included in the integrated urban development plans that had been prepared and are being implemented in all 293 municipalities could not be implemented due to lack of budget.

The government, analyzing the low impact of urban development programs focused on a particular municipality on other municipalities and its negligible contribution to the overall urban system, changed the model of urban development focused on each municipality and introduced the concept of regional urban development. This model of regional development by making an integrated plan for the markets and urban centers located within an hour's drive of a highway is called the 'corridor development' model.

The objective was to prioritize investment in the Biratnagar-Itahari-Damak-Dharan corridor, Birgunj-Pathlaiya-Hetauda corridor, Lumbini-Siddharthnagar-Butwal corridor, Nepalgunj-Kohalpur-Surkhet corridor, Dhangadhi-Attariya-Godavari corridor and strengthen rural-urban relations and interconnection. Accordingly, the Eastern Corridor and Bhairahawa Corridor have been studied with the help of ADB. However, the large budget required for the development of the integrated corridor has not been implemented due to the challenges of managing it.

The government has issued the National Urban Policy 2081 to address the changing nature of urbanization with the restructuring of the state and the implementation of federalism, the role of local and provincial governments, the status of various documents related to disasters and the environment approved by the government, and the lessons learned from past efforts. Municipalities have an important role and responsibility in systematic urban development. To prevent migration from rural settlements in the mountains and hilly areas to cities, it is necessary to build basic infrastructure in those places, while infrastructure expansion is necessary in cities with high population pressure due to migration.

Thus, due to the pressure of double investment, it is seen that alternative sources need to be sought for financial management in urban infrastructure. It seems that the private sector should be involved in the development of drinking water, sewage treatment, transportation systems, bus parks, and market centers in a cost recovery model. The government needs to create an investment-friendly environment for this. Resources should be used economically so that there is no duplication between the programs of the agencies involved in urban development.

निर्मित संरचनालाई विपद्–उत्थानशील बनाई दिगो सहरी विकासतर्फ लगानी केन्द्रित गर्नुपर्ने आवश्यकता छ । सहरी विकास, भवन र बस्ती विकाससम्बन्धी मापदण्ड कडाइका साथ कार्यान्वयन गरी सफा, सुन्दर र पर्याप्त खुला क्षेत्रसहितको सहर निर्माणका लागि हाम्रा आगामी प्रयास केन्द्रित हुनुपर्नेछ । सहरी यातायात प्रणाली न त भरपर्दो छ न सहरी वातावरणमा यसको सकारात्मक प्रभाव छ । ध्वनि प्रदूषण, भीडभाड, धूवाँ र अनियमित समयतालिका हाम्रा सहरी यातायात प्रणालीका विशेषता रहेका छन् । सहरी सडकजस्ता पूर्वाधार मात्र होइन, धेरै यात्रु बोक्न सक्ने ठूला सार्वजनिक सवारीसाधनलाई प्रोत्साहन गर्नुपर्छ ।