India, Nov. 3 -- India's urbanisation is extending beyond the boundaries of its recognised cities. It is taking shape in villages on the edges of cities, along industrial corridors, and in settlements where farms co-exist with factories, warehouses, and new housing. These places may not appear on the urban map, but they are already part of India's wider urban economic ecosystem. A 2026 analysis by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) found that peripheral areas accounted for more than 80% of built- up growth across 20 major cities between 2000 and 2020. In Kerala, a spatial analysis identified more than 500 functional urban or transitional settlements in 2025 - home to nearly 9.63 million people - that are currently exhibiting u...