This study was carried out on the Bangalore - Mysore highway. Eight taluks straddle the Bangalore - Mysore highway as well as areas adjacent to these, which have been influenced by the highway. It includes Mysore taluk of Mysore district, Srirangapatna, Mandya and Maddur taluks of Mandya district, Channapatna, Ramanagaram, Bangalore South and Bangalore North taluks of Bangalore district. This is one of the well-linked regions of Karnataka state and covers an area of 4,152 sq. km with about 1,013 settlements. This segment happens to be one of the prime urban corridors of the state. The cities like Mysore, Srirangapatna and Bangalore have been capitals of erstwhile kingdoms and so naturally development has its effect since historical time. However expansion of Bangalore in recent times, as a major economic centre with development of industries and commercial establishments has given impetus to the growth. Early 90's boom in the software sector with consequent infrastructure initiatives, has contributed to hike in population, mainly due to migration from other parts of India to Karnataka.  The radial sprawl due to Bangalore city's growth is seen curbing smaller villages on the periphery.  The details of the villages are shown in Appendix D. 

The present investigation analyses the growth pattern within a buffer of 4 km across the roads connecting Bangalore with Ramanagaram, Ramanagaram with Channapatna, Channapatna with Maddur, Maddur with Mandya, Mandya with Srirangapatna and Srirangapatna with Mysore (Figure 1). During the exploratory survey, it was found that there was a strong presence of sprawl within a buffer of 4 km around the highway and hence detailed investigations within a buffer of 4 km around the highway were undertaken.

Figure 1: Location of Study Area

This study was carried out in the region surrounding the highway between Tiruchirapalli, Tanjavore and Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India (Figure 2). The highway passing between these cities is the region for detailed investigation. A buffer region of 4 km on each side is marked as the specific area for thorough investigation.

Figure 2: Tiruchirapalli - Tanjavore – Kumbakonam – Thiruvarur with the Road Network

This study was carried out in the region surrounding the National Highway between Udupi and Mangalore, Karnataka, India (Figure 3). The National Highway (NH) no. 17 passes through Mangalore and Udupi. The distance between the two urban centres is 62 km. A buffer region of 4 km on each side is marked as the specific area for thorough investigation.  

The total study area is 434.2 sq. km. The annual precipitation in this area is approximately 4242.5 mm in Mangalore and 4128.1 mm in Udupi. The southwest monsoon during the months of June to October is mainly responsible for the precipitation. The next round of precipitation occurs in the months of November and December due to the northeast monsoon. The relative humidity is considerably high mainly due to the proximity of the region to the coast. Mean annual temperature ranges from 18.6 ^o C to 34.9 ^o C (Census of India, 1981).

Figure 3: Location of Study Area - Udupi Mangalore Segment

Since the region is in the coastal zone and the presence of a harbour from a long time, this region has been one of the major ports of coastal India. The entire region is very famous for financial institutions and hence has brisk economic activity as evinced from the growth of cities and infrastructure developments.

Mangalore is the headquarters of Dakshin Kannada district. Until recently Udupi was also in the Dakshin Kannada district, while now it is a new district. There are 39 and 35 villages in Mangalore and Udupi taluks respectively which fall under the study area, the details of which are shown in Appendix E.