lesson 1 - growth of megacities Flashcards
what is a megacity?
a very large city, typically one with a population of over 10 million people
where are the 4 fastest growing megacities?
1) Tokyo
2) Mumbai
3) Mexico City
4) New York
why has demand gone up for urban living space?
the rate of urbanisation increases as countries become more developed
which was the first ever city to reach 1 million and when?
London, in 1850
how many cities reached 5 million people and when?
50 cities in 2005
how many megacities are there now?
23 megacities
where are the fastest growing megacities?
- in USA (New York / LA)
- in Japan (Tokyo)
what is RUM?
rural urban migration
what is high fertility?
natural growth (migrants having babies)
why does RUM occur in developing countries?
1) young people leave to find jobs, in order to send repayments to families in struggling rural villages
2) families leave for schooling
what is the core reason for RUM occur?
rural poverty is so bad that cities do not have to offer very much to be an attractive alternative
(people choose to live in these spaces)
what is the problem with RUM? what happens as a result?
everything costs more than families could ever know (mislead by bright lights)
as a result, most families end up in slums and children have to work to bring money in to the family
what percentage of people lived in cities in 2005?
50% (mainly Brazil and India)
across the country, what do the jobs people do change into?
change from primary sector (agriculture) to secondary sector (services)
what is life like in rural areas? (9 points)
1) mainly agricultural jobs (smallholders / subsistence farmers)
2) overfarming -> land degradation
3) very poor public transport
4) high transport costs to get food to market, where food prices are low anyways
5) commercial TNCs take best farmland to export
6) disease because poor education facilities
7) HIV and AIDs
8) limited services (electricity / telephone)
9) common poverty
