Lagos case study Flashcards
What is a megacity?
A city with over 10 million people
what is a city?
There is no official definition. In the UK home to at least 300,000 residents, a distinct identity that is the centre of a wider area, and a good record of local government
what is a world city?
A city considered to be an important hub in the world economic system
explain the 2 main causes of natural urbanisation in LIDCs (Less income developing countries)
natural increase: natural increase occurs when the birth rate is higher than death rate (more people are born than die each year).
- Older people live in rural areas, while younger people live in urban areas.
- Old people cannot have children, and older people live in rural areas
- Urban population will grow while rural population will decrease
rural - urban migration:
push and pull factors - e.g.
pull to rural areas areas
- better job opportunities
- better quality of life
push from urban areas
- drought / other natural disasters
- poor schooling
what is urbanisation?
the increasing proportion (%) of population living in urban areas.
what are the social consequences (can be positive) of rapid urbanisation on LIDCs?
The creation of slums have lead to more crime
Creation of slums have lead to the spread of communicable diseases - living close together in poorly ventilated buildings means diseases spread easily
unplanned urbanisation can cause outbreak of diseases
Improved quality of life for rural-urban migrants - this comes through better access to jobs and key services
what are the environmental consequences of rapid urbanisation on LIDCs?
Air pollution from private vehicles and from cooking/heating.
Vehicle pollution particularly high in traffic jams and coming from older vehicles run on low quality fuels
what are the economic consequences of rapid urbanisation on LIDCs?
Cheaper access to services - economies of scale mean it is easier and cheaper to get electricity and other utilities in high density urban areas
can lead to spread of diseases -> pressure on healthcare system -> can lead to economic loss
I understand the contemporary challenges that affect urban change in Lagos, including:
housing availability
2,000 people enter Lagos every day but there are officially only 2,000 houses being built per year and most of these are unaffordable
- to combat this slums are being built but are unsafe living conditions and sometimes illegal (residents therefore live in fear of being evicted)
I understand the contemporary challenges that affect urban change in Lagos, including:
transport provision
only city of its size that doesn’t have a city wide rail system - 13 to 21 mill people commute every day
in 2016, Lagos was named one of the worl’d most air polluted cities
Safety concerns are mounting as armed robbers pillage stuck cars while police are far away.
I understand the contemporary challenges that affect urban change in Lagos, including:
waste management
Nigeria’s sprawling megacity, Lagos, with a population of at least 15m disgorges 10,000 metric tonnes of waste a day and 12 per cent of the waste consists of plastic materials in the form of soft drink plastic, water and other consumer goods. This is an acute problem as Lagosians depend 100 percent on bottled and sachet water for their daily supply of clean drinking water. On the average, adults consume a minimum of 7 sachets or 3 bottles (75cl each) of water per day. Considering the teeming Lagos population this equates to 140 million sachets or 60 million bottles of water is consumed per day.
the influence of Lagos in the region
Lagos is growing at a rapid rate (4%) per year. 40% of this is due to rural-urban migration from the surrounding countryside
Lagos’ ports have over 90% of all sea port activities and this is especially important for surrounding regions
Lagos has over 9000 millionaires.
the influence of Lagos in Nigeria
Lagos is an important financial centre for Nigeria as it generates 25% of Nigeria’s GDP. If it were a country it would be the 7th largest economy in Africa
Lagos is the cultural heart of Nigeria has sights such as the National museum of Nigeria, Christ’s cathedral and Oba Palace
The export of crude oil which accounts for 14% of Nigeria’s GDP predominantly takes place in Lagos
The university of Lagos is the second best university in the country.
the influence of Lagos in the world
Lagos is home to Nigeria’s movie industry; Nollywood. It is the second biggest movie industry in the world after Bollywood
Lagos has one of the largest and busiest ports in Africa.
Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport serves over 7 million passengers a year. It is a major hub within W Africa & to Europe.
Lagos is ranked as a Beta+ city in the world cities index. Only Johannesburg (South Africa) is ranked as an Alpha city.
Lagos is the major ICT hub of West Africa
