From British East India Company to British Raj: A GIS-Based Morphological study of the British Colonial Towns in the Indian subcontinent (1750-1950)

Exploring the relationship between colonization and urbanization, the central thesis is that (1) in the early years of British colonization in the Indian subcontinent, new urban developments ensured segregation between 'colonizer' and 'colonized', with the subjugation of the latter, while (2) later urbanism became more integrated under British Imperial rule. To examine this, a novel approach is taken, analyzing urban forms of colonial administrative towns in India and their development trajectories. Using 'town-plan analysis', a method advanced by 'Conzenian' urban morphologists using cartographic evidence as a base, the thesis will geographically extend current Eurocentric historico-morphological studies to the Indian sub-continent.