Challenges of an Urbanising World Flashcards
Urbanisation - definition
> The rise in the % of people living in urban areas in comparison with rural areas.
Urabanisation
> European and North American countries urbanised during the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Uk has 96% of people living in towns or cities.
The pattern of urbanisation in developing countires has some similarities iwth what happened in developed countries, but there are some big differences.
Urbanisation is happening a lot later in developing countries and a lot faster.
Urbanisation data and trends
> In 2007, the world passed a milestone. For the 1st time, more people lived in urban areas than rural areas.
The UN predicts that by 2020 over 53% of the world’s population will be urban with the biggest increases in Africa and Asia.
Asia’s urban population is expected to grow by about 64% by 2050.
Africa’s urban population is expected to increase to 58% by 2050 but would still be the lowest % of people living in urban areas.
Causes of this growth;
-migration to cities.
-natural increase.
Changes in the 10 largest cities in the world
> In 1975, 6 of the world’s 10 largest cities were in the most developed countries. The populations of these cities were already as high as they had grown during the industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. The UK was the first country in the world to reach a 50% urban population in 1861..
Urbanisation in developing countries has mostly taken place since the 1950s. Their populations have risen rapidly by 2.3% every year since 2000. That means urban populations in developing countries develop every 30 years! Even so , less than 40% of people lived in urban areas in developing countries in 2015.
By 2025, only 2 of the world’s largest cities will be in the world’s most developed countries. Urban populations in these countries are now rising slowly. But there are expectations, Londons population fell between 1951 and the 1990s. Redevelopment of the city has created more jobs and housing. Now its population is growing faster than at any time- 12.5% during 2001-11.
Urbanisation is essential to industrialisation because those who leave rural areas provide workforce for urban factories .
Megacity - definition
> A many centred, multi-city urban area of more than 10 million people.
A megacity is sometimes formed from several cities merging together.
11 of the top 15 megacities are in Asia.
Demand for urban spaces - megacities
> In the developed world, mega-cities are growing slowly - it’s in the developing world we see the most rapid growth.
The world is urbanising at an alarming rate.
200 years ago only 3% lived in urban areas.
90% of that increase will be in developing countries.
They’re accountable for 80% of the world’s carbon emissions and 605 of all freshwater usage.
Formation of megacities
> Mega-cities are formed because:
- Industrialisation: developing countires make the transition into emerging countries.
- Favourable location factors of climate, site and situation.
- Rapid population growth and rural-urban migration.
- Hosts to international investment, e.g. FDI.
Tokyo - the world’s biggest mega-city
> Greater Tokyo has a population of over 34 million, with 13.6 million of those living in its’ centre.
Land values can reach up to £1000m^2, as room is so scarce.
A typical flat is around just 40m^2 with some much smaller.
Tokyo was built on the largest area of flat land in Japan.
In early days, several rivers gave the water supply.
.Narrow bay gives protection from severe storms (typhoons).
Much land has been reclaimed from the sea.
Tokyo bay - a deep harbour for large ships.
Highland is difficult for settlement.
World cities
> There are a few mega-cities that play a disproportionate role in the world’s economy.
These are called ‘world cities’.
They have urban primacy, meaning that their importance is bigger than their size.
The cities (London and NYC) = are centres of economic activity.
London and New York examples of of their economic activity
> Investment: London and NYC take over half of the world’s money.
Airline Traffic: London’s airports host 120 million passengers per year.
Decision-makers: 80% of the world’s largest companies have headquarters in cities of the USA, the EU, and Japan.
.Political decisions: Government decisions in the UK can affect people gloabally, e.g. about where to invest, or trying to resolve conflicts.
Grading mega-cities
> In 2012, the world cities were graded based on their influence in the global economy.
Alpha plus plus, alpha plus, alpha, alpha minus, alpha minus minus.
City - definition
> A large town
Metropolitan area - defintion
> Central city, region with densely populated urban core.
Conurbation - definition
> An extended area, consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city.
Million city- definition
> Any city with a population of over one million.
Mega city - definition
> very large city with a population of over 10 million people.
world city- defnition
> A megacity, which plays a disproportionate role in the world.
Migration - definition
> The movement of a person from one place to another
Rural depopulation - def
Loss of working population from countryside areas.
Favela - def
> An illegal squat where a house has been self-constructed often at the edge of a very large city.
Counterurbanisation - def
> Movement of people out of cities and towns into countryside areas.
Pull factor - def
> Things that attract people into an area, e.g. employment opportunities, schools, availability of medical care.
Push factor - def
> Something that can encourage or even force a person to move from their home area, e.g. war, disease, famine, lack of school employment and poor facilities.
Rural-urban migration - def
> Where people move from the countryside to the cities.
Natural increase - def
> Total number of deaths minus the total number of deaths.
Net growth - def
> Means the number left after subtracting those leaving from those arriving.
List of reasons for why megacities grow so fast - 7
- Overpopulation in rural areas
- Modernisation of agriculture in rural areas
- Natural hazards
- Birth rate
- Pull of employment
- Pull of amenities, education and healthcare.
- Early industrialisation.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - overpopulation in rural areas
> Overpopulation in rural areas in developing countries, resulting from high rates of natural increase as modern medicine and improvements in food supply reduce mortality rates.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - modernisation of agriculture in rural areas
> Modernisation of agriculture in rural areas leaves many landless.
50 million lost their land during India’s Green Revolution, many of whom migrated to cities.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - natural hazards
> Natural hazards could also contribute to rural-urban migration.
Drought in Ethiopia or civil war in Sierra Leone.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - birth rate
> Migrants often exhibit a youthful population structure which could push the crude birth rate of cities even higher.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - pulls
> The pull of amenities, education and healthcare.
>In Tunisia, nearly 100% or urban dwellers have access to safe water whereas this drops to 30% in some rural areas.
Reasons for why megacities grow so fast - early industrialisation
> One city grows faster than the rest creating primate cities - disproportionately larger, twice as significant.
Kampala
> Kampla (pop of 1.8m) is the capital city of Uganda and typical of African cities.
Its growth is mainly driven by internal migration but natural increase also plays a part.
Most people come from rural ares - rural-urban migration.
This is a result of factors which ‘pull’ people to Kampala and other that ‘push’ them from the countryside.
Kampala - pull factors
> Jobs in growing businesses. A newly opened steel works in southern Kampala, owned by a TNC, now employs 2000 people.
Jobs in construction, building infrastructure (e.g. water, transport).
Better services (e.g. health and education) which make life easier than in rural areas.
Better life chances with more opportunities.
Better paid jobs, better housing.
Kampala - push factors to Kampala
>Drought and flooding >Rural poverty >Low pay >Lack of investment >Lack of services >Lack of opportunities
Kampala - reasons for grwth
> Communications increase access to urban opportunities.
Cities become national hubs.
Global investment goes to urban centres, e.g. to help the development of Uganda’s oil reserves.
Technology (radio, television) improves knowledge of urban employment.
