Summary
Summary 'Assess the challenges of rapid urban growth in the less developed world'
- Module
- Globalisation
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
12/12 essay on rural to urban migration in Lagos.
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Assess the challenges of rapid urban growth in the less developed world (12). Beplace-specific
Lagos is Nigeria’s financial capital and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, mainly due to
intranational migration and rapid urban growth. Its urban population has grown from 500,000 in 1953 to
14.3 million as of 2020 and is still growing. This evidences why it is a good location to assess the challenges
of rapid urban growth in the less developed world.
The socio-economic challenges that are caused by rapid urban growth are the most significant type of
challenges, this is due to them being the most widespread and impacting people’s lives the most. In Lagos,
there is a substantial lack of affordable housing due to the extremely high demand, caused by rapid urban
growth. The firm Mercer found that Lagos ranked 30th for most expensive cities to live in for expatriates.
This high demand and subsequent lack of housing is the cause of many of Lagos’ challenges and problems.
Roughly 500,000 people enter Lagos every year in the search for work and a place to live, causing a 2.5
million person housing deficit. This then leads onto 70% of the population living in ‘informal settlements’,
mainly slums. This in itself is an issue and causes a challenge as it is an extremely low standard of living
with poor infrastructure, sanitation, and education, and is significant due to the great number of people it
affects. As well as poor housing, another socio-economic challenge in Lagos is the low wages and the
problems that come with this. Surprisingly, Lagos’ unemployment rate is relatively low. In 2020 it has an
unemployment rate of around 7.96%, for comparison the US had an unemployment rate of 7.9%,
pre-Covid 19. The problems arise from the issue of a ‘wage puzzle’, this is where there is little
unemployment but low wages. These low wages cause standards of living to drop even further for the
occupants of Lagos, a significant challenge, and lead to crime rates increasing. Lagos is one of the most
dangerous cities to visit in Africa and there are many loosely organised gangs who sell drugs, extort money
from people, and act as informal security guards. This level of crime is another significant challenge as it
leads to people feeling unsafe and them suffering. All of these socio-economic challenges are the most
significant as they affect the entire makeup of the city and also have the greatest impact on people’s lives, in
comparison to political and environmental challenges
Environmental challenges caused by rapid urban growth are also significant, although less significant than
socio-economic challenges as these challenges negatively impact a large majority of people’s everyday lives.
Socio-economic issues such as crime and poor sanitation are much more likely to pose a risk to people than
Lagos’ environment, although it is still a significant challenge due to it causing long-lasting issues. One
main environmental challenge caused by rapid urban growth is air pollution. A recent World Bank survey
found that air pollution in Lagos caused 11,200 premature deaths in 2018. This air pollution is primarily
caused by rapid urban growth. With more people living in Lagos the number of vehicles has quadrupled in
the last decade. These vehicles are often over 15 years old and have outdated emission technologies and fuel
with high sulfur levels. Industry has also grown due to population increase, and over half of Lagos’ power
supply relies on backup generators which generate large amounts of hazardous and dangerous chemicals
and release them into the air. This shows that air pollution is a significant challenge for Lagos and is caused
by rapid urban growth. Another environmental challenge in Lagos is water contamination. Rapid urban
growth has led to an increase in industrialization and urbanisation. This means that more solid waste is
being dumped into water bodies and the city’s overwhelmed and outdated sewage systems, unable to cope
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