Abstract
Urbanisation is an index of transformation from traditional rural economies to modern industrial areas. It is increasing concentration of population in urban areas (Davis, 1965). Kingsley Davis has explained urbanization as process of changing from spread out pattern of human settlements to one of concentration in urban centres (Davis, 1962). When the urban growth becomes intense the areas surrounds the city start attract people to live. This is due to the fact that (a) the sub urban areas where the land and rental value become low when compared with city, and (b) to escape from city crowd, congestion, and pollution people prefer to move to suburbs even though less connectivity and availability of civic and other social infrastructure facilities. Chennai city is developed intensely in the core area, surrounded by rural and peri-urban areas that lack basic amenities (Ramachandra, 2016), The road network pattern in the peri-urban areas is essential not only to provide accessibility and mobility but also it is essential to provide basic utilities and services to houses and community facilities towards improving the liveability of the people. Urban planning should focus on operational and developmental perspective in order to achieve a balanced and equitable development both in the city and sub-urban areas. The operational planning is improvement of urban infrastructure, e.g. roads, traffic, transport etc. The developmental planning could emphasize on development of newly annexed urban areas. In general urban planning must aim at: a) Balanced regional and urban development (Mukherji, 2001), b) with a strong economic base, and c) Integration of rural and urban areas (Kundu, Sarangi and Dash, 2003). It is equally important to consider in urban planning that building sub urban transportation network is a lifeline for providing infrastructure such as street lights, drinking water supply, sewerage and drainage, pavements with walking and cycling facilities as well as street landscaping. The experience gained from the project “Grids of Roads” (GoR) is a unique initiative of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), the Govt. of Tamil Nadu in INDIA towards plan for the accessibility of roads and streets of the households living in the peripheral villages of the CMDA Area. GoR project includes intensive survey the nature of connectivity in terms of roads and streets exist in those villages and the possible development of further accessibility towards easy and smooth mobility. The development of residential layouts in the suburban areas becomes more disconnected as well as very much spatially scattered in nature. As a result the accessibility is an issue and hence failed to provide other basic infrastructure by the local government. The suburban communities living in the 29 villages in the southern periphery of the Chennai city has been considered for the study with full funding. This paper is based on the study of 29 villages mainly focus on the how it is essential to build a better road network system in the suburban areas (a) not only creating accessibility (b) but also to facilitate creation of basic civic and social infrastructure facilities to the households.
