Urbanisation: the rise in the proportion of people living in towns and cities, defined as urban areas. Urban Growth: the increase
in size of urban areas, covering more land. From 2007, the world’s urban population exceeded the world's rural population. In
1950 33% of the world’s population lived in urban areas, whereas in 2015 55% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By
2050, It is predicted 70% will be living in urban areas.
High rates of urbanisation are leading to the creation of megacities (urban are w/ 10m+ inhabitants). Tokyo is the world’s most
inhabited city with a population of 38 million people. Factors affecting rate of urbanisation is rural-urban migration,
industrialisation, and natural increase. A factor that decreases urbanisation in HICs is counter-urbanisation and better
transportation that allows people to commute between urban and rural areas for work daily.
Urbanisation occurs differently in different cities:
High income The UK began to urbanise in the late 1800s when lots of people moved from farms in the countryside into cities
countries to work in the cotton and textiles industries.
(HICs) In 1950, 79% of the UK population lived in towns or cities. In 2013, 83% of the UK population lived in towns or
cities.
Urban growth is happening more slowly in HICS due to Counter-urbanisation. In HICS, people are deciding to
leave cities and live in the surrounding countryside to get a better quality of life (less pollution, quieter, more
space). They can commute to work due to improved transportation: Crossrail will allow more people to
commute into London from further away and the HS2 high-speed rail project theoretically expands the number
of people who can commute into London massively.
Low-income Ethiopia, Niger, and Nepal are examples of LICs.
countries Ethiopia is in Africa and has a population of 105 million people. In 2019, it was estimated that 20% of Ethiopia's
(LICs) population lived in towns or cities, meaning that most people still lived in rural, countryside areas.
In the next few decades, people expect these low-income countries to experience rapid urbanisation due to
Newly natural increase and industrialisation.
emerging
economies China, India, Brazil, and Thailand are examples of NEEs.
(NEEs) These countries are currently experiencing rapid urbanisation due to natural increase and industrialisation.
In 1978, 18% of China's population lived in cities. In 2018, 59% of China's population lived in cities.
Urban growth is happening more in LICs/NEEs due to Industrialisation causing migration. This is because as a
country develops their economy changes from agriculture (primary) to manufacturing (secondary) and services
(tertiary). This occurs during the industrial revolution. Most of the secondary and tertiary jobs are in towns and
cities. When this occurs, lots of people move from rural to urban areas, so rapid urbanisation. HICs went through
their industrial revolution a long time ago, whereas LICs and NEEs are going through their industrial revolution
now. As a result, more people in LICs and NEEs are currently moving to urban areas.
Urban growth is happening more in LICs/NEEs due to Natural increase. This is because LICs and NEEs are in
stages 2 and 3 of the demographic transition model. In these stages there is a high birth rate and lower death
rate = more people are born than are dying the population naturally increases. In HICs there is a low death rate
and even lower birth rate = the population is declining.
1. Rural-Urban Migration: The movement of people from the countryside to cities. It is caused by push factors (pushing people
out of rural areas) and pull factors (pulling people to cities).
Push Factors (away from rural areas) Pull Factors (into urban areas)
Push factors force people to leave a place. Pull factors attract people to a place.
- People's homes and jobs destroyed by a natural disaster. - Like in the UK in the Industrial Revolution, there may be
- Automation (things like combine harvesters) cause people more jobs and higher wages in cities.
to lose their jobs in rural agriculture. Agriculture is poorly - Cities usually have more doctors, nurses, teachers, and
paid: low wages, unemployment, crop failure… other wellbeing infrastructures and services. Better
- Land becomes uninhabitable because of processes like education, living conditions, facilities, and healthcare.
desertification. - If the trend is that more people are moving to cities,
- Government mandate (Singapore under Lee Kuan-Yew people may just move to live closer to their family and
forced people to move from farms into apartments in friends.
cities). - Entertainment (more cinemas, shops, and fun things to
- Civil wars, like the Syrian Civil War, can force people to do) Flight Club Darts and Junkyard Mini Golf in the UK
leave a place. Crime and security. open sites in major cities, but not in rural areas.
2. Natural increase: number of people dying is smaller than the number of people being born. People living in cities usually have
a lower average age than people living in rural areas, so birth rates are generally higher in cities.
, Counter Urbanisation: the urban-rural movement explained by a set of push and pull factors which relate to people’s experiences
and perceptions to leave an urban area. Usually the most affluent (rich) and families move back to rural areas. This was
encouraged by: technological change (working from home) and improvements to make commuting easier/ more car ownership.
Urban push (away from urban areas) Rural Pull (to rural areas)
- Overcrowded and dense - Rural dream (rural idyll, peaceful)
- Traffic congestion (leading to air pollution) - Developers and housing agents
- Pollution - Big houses, more land and less population density.
- Crime and terrorism - Jobs (construction)
- More expensive
Suburbanisation: the outward expansion of a city
causing a shift from central urban areas to suburbs
due to new developments and services. This creates
urban sprawl (growth that engulfs countryside) and
congestion and air pollution (work is further away,
more commuting, more traffic, more pollution, more
health problems).
Re-urbanisation: the population shift back into
urban areas, encouraged by improvements and
gentrification due to funding so that there are more
benefits.
The cycle
Counter and suburbanisation impacts cities as taxes
increase, businesses close, prices increase, leading
to homelessness, poverty, or migration away; less
population, better environment, and health (no
congestion etc), more available jobs, migration into city, increasing population ……. turns into a cycle of urbanisation.
Urbanisation Case Study: Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is situated on the South-East coast of Brazil. Brazil is surrounded by 10 different countries in the continent of South
America. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east of Rio, and the city itself is remarkably close to the city of Sao Paulo. The Brazilian
highlands and to the north of Rio, and the Amazon River and Rainforest is to the north-west. Rio sits just above the tropic of
Capricorn and beneath the equator which passes through the very north of Brazil. It is the second most populated (13.7 million)
city in Brazil after Sao Paulo.
Global Importance National Importance Local Importance
- The statue of Christ the Redeemer Major economic hub: a port, industrial - Landscapes: Sugar Loaf
(the seven modern wonders of the centre, banking (commerce) centre. Mountain
world). - 56% of Brazil’s GDP is concentrated - Tourism which generated
- 2016 Olympic and Paralympic around a 500km radius around the city. income for local businesses:
games. - Brazil’s 2nd most important industrial (2 million international
- 2014 football world cup. centre, producing 5% of Brazil’s GDP. tourists for cultural holidays)
- UNESCO World Heritage Site. - Cultural capital (50 museums)
- International airport.
Causes of Brazil’s growth: natural increase, urbanisation (65% of its growth) (Rural-urban migration (amazon basin) AND
international migration (China, Korea, and USA)) (racially mixed population) (business and tourism purposes). Portuguese same-
speaking citizens may migrate too.
However, the rapid, uncontrolled rate of Rio’s growth causes unemployment, poverty, and inaccessibility to resources. This
causes massive inequality (between Rocinha and Leblon) caused by the difference of wealth and quality of life (the wellbeing of
individuals/ groups of people measured by their location, happiness, and health).
