—> Urban growth: the process of urbanisation and its causes and consequences in
countries at different stages of development.
Urbanisation: the increase in the proportion of a country’s population that live in towns and
cities. The main cause is rural-urban migration (belief that they will have better work, better
standard of living). Strongly linked to economic development and industrialisation. Can lead
to severe economic and social problems.
(Shanghai = perfect example of the new and recent vs the slum areas and poverty).
HIC: High Income Country
MIC: Middle Income Country
Urbanisation took place in North America and in the richer countries of Europe earlier.
90% of the population in these areas live in towns and cities (western, HICs)
1850 and 1950 = urbanisation was at its peak in the more industrialised countries. Began
during Industrial Revolution but has now slowed or stopped.
Megacities
In 1900, only Paris and London had a population of over 1 million. Today, there are over 400
cities with a population over 1 million. Tokyo-Yokohama is the largest urban area with a
population of over 35 million. A megacity has a population of over 10 million (they are
based purely on their size, their development doesn’t define them or not as a Megacity). This
can include large conurbations. Why can figures concerning Megacities be so confusing?
- population to size ratio (density)
- the area included - how far do you go into the peripheries?
- movement of people
- changes of employment
- construction of new buildings
- what type of population are you dealing with
- many people might be living there unofficially (refugees, immigrants, slum dwellers)
Causes
- Natural population growth
ex: increase in healthcare and welfare means that the fatality rate decreases but the natality
rate is still high
lack of contraception & the fact that cities are occupied by younger groups of people that will
be having children
- rural-urban migration: push factors (makes you want to leave somewhere)
ex: decrease in agricultural jobs, poverty in the rural areas, hard labour, lack of development
in the rural areas, less access to healthcare… the migrants don’t know what is in the cities,
they think that the cities will be really clean and nice.
- rural-urban migration: pull factors (makes you want to go to that place)
ex: job offers, promise of a better wage, better living conditions better paid jobs, informal
sector jobs (selling fake bags and sunglasses, prostitution), begging
Consequences
- difficulties coping with rapid population growth
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