2.2 Internal Migration Flashcards
What is internal migration?
The movement of people within a country, involving:
Rural-urban, urban-urban, urban-rural and intra-urban migration.
What are push/pull factors for rural-urban migration?
Push: Small farms with outdated tech, falling yields, soil erosion, overgrazed land, shortage of land, mechanisation leads to job losses, lack of food, natural disaster, poor living conditions, services and investment, low wages and poverty, low job opportunities, lack of services, conflict/war, persecution
Pull: better employment opportunities, wages, job availability, better services and amenities, more investment, improved quality of life, better housing, freedom from political views, tolerance of views, better environments, barriers tend to be smaller as shorter distances, high wages stimulate demand developing the area more
What is the impact of rural-urban on a rural area?
Positives: young people leave so growth rates fall - less pressure and mouths to feed. Receive remittances and increased status of women. When people return, they bring more ideas and investment into areas. Remittances may be reinvested into the area, improving living standards.
This may cause relay migration as family members may take it in turn to migrate into the city and develop family farm and build it up. If the area is affected by natural disasters the entire family may just move, reducing pressure on land
Negatives: brain drain, loss of young skilled workers, young and old dependents left behind. Food supply falls, market size and consumption falls. Poverty increases and living standards fall. Women and children may have to do more work and so may increase child labour and more intensive labour. In the short run, living standards may fall but in the long run it may reduce pressure, returns from remittances can benefit and changes in agriculture may make the area better off.
What is the impact of rural-urban on an urban area?
Positives: young, cheap and skilled labour. Can fix declining populations, influence political decisions (could be negative)
Negative: labour surplus and unemployment, stress on housing, services and facilities. Arable land may be used for development e.g. in shanty towns where there is not enough housing. Increased birth and growth rates may increase densities and overpopulation, creating a large informal economy, high crime rates and poverty.
What is urban-urban migration?
Migrants move from town to town, town to city or city to city. Stepped migration may be a part of this as migrants move in this pattern as their lives continue, gain better jobs or assimilate to areas which help them move on. Push factors make them move onto the next step out of rural areas where they then move into the next area.
What is intra urban migration?
Small scale movements within urban areas related to a change in an individuals life cycle and employment. This may occur towards the centre where jobs are and houses are cheaper or outwards where there is more space. People tend to want more space later in their lives and can also afford the commuting distances.
What may be the migration cycle of working and middle class residents?
Working class: childhood in council house older suburbs, move into the centre for job, marries and moves out into older suburb, start family, move out further, retire in suburbs
Middle class: childhood in house in older suburbs, moves into rented flat in centre, marries and moves out into house, moves into modern suburbs and retires in the rural-urban fringe.
What is urban-rural migration?
The movement of people away from major towns and cities into rural areas. It has been driven by rising of commuting, especially by private cars. People can move out into the countryside but still commute to jobs which is common in HICs.
Settlements close to railways or lines into the city like motorways often grow the fast. It is common with more affluent, young families and the elderly who can afford to commute and bigger houses. This has also been boosted by better communication such as smartphones and technology making people be able to work from home or live further from their jobs.
New roads and travel infrastructure have also made this much easier. New developments of business parks and retail in remote areas due to the cheaper rent makes it easier for people in rural areas to get jobs and have access to the services.
What are push pull factors in the city and rural areas?
Push factors from the city: pollution - air,, noise and visual, crime and anti-social behaviour, traffic congestion, loneliness, racial tension, high cost of living
Pull factors to city: better services and infrastructure, closer to work, better internet and broadband
Pull factors to rural areas: cheaper houses - value for money, environment, open space, low crime, better schools, community, social interaction, easy to reach city anyway, slower pace of life, government investment into areas
What may be the impact of counter urbanisation to the city?
Poorer people may not be able to move out and so the areas become run down and tax revenues fall so areas become deprived and abandoned.
What is the impact of counter urbanisation on towns and villages?
Positive: More support for local services, better infrastructure, broadband and technology, growth of supermarkets and businesses - more jobs, local schools supported, change in services needed (more high order), economic growth, population growth (bad?)
Negative: increased (house) prices, pollution, congestion, local resentment, environmental impact, changes in services, crime rates, accidents, increased population, local services can’t compete - shut down, community lost, old buildings destroyed. The rural poor suffer as public transport is also lost as cars are the main use of transport.
