The main causes of Urbanisation are

• Industrialization: More people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on account of improved employment opportunities.
• Commercialization:Better commercial opportunities and returns compared to rural areas.
• Social Benefits and Services: Urban areas provide better educational facilities, better living standards, better sanitation and housing, better health care, better recreation facilities, and better social life in general.
• Employment Opportunities: Services and industries in urban areas generate and increase higher value-added jobs, and this leads to more employment opportunities.
• Modernization and Changes in the Mode of Living: Availability of highly sophisticated communication, infrastructure, medical facilities, dressing code, enlightenment, liberalization, and other social amenities in urban areas make people believe that they can lead a happy life in cities.
• Rural-urban Transformation: Rural communities start to adopt the urban culture and ultimately become urban centres that continue to grow as more people move to such locations in search of a better life.

Further Reading:

• Geography Notes
• UN-Habitat: UPSC Notes