Migration - 5.2 Internal migration

Question 1

Causes and impacts of rural-urban migration

Answer 1

Causes:

• Lack of social amenities. Absence of social amenities like roads, electricity and water contribute in compelling people to leave the rural areas.
• Employment opportunities. Many people move to urban areas for meaningful employment opportunities that they might not have access to in rural areas.

Impacts:

• Overcrowding. As the population density of urban areas increases, so does the signs of overcrowding. Real estate prices tend to rise and standard of living will drop.
• Family structure. As many people, especially young adults, leave rural areas for cities, local population structures change as they leave family behind.

Question 2

How does stepped migration benefit those moving up the settlement hierarchy?

Answer 2

During the initial move from a rural environment to a relatively small urban area, migrants may develop skills and increase their knowledge of and confidence in urban environments. They become aware of the employment opportunities in larger urban areas and develop contacts that can be important in the migration process.

Question 3

Causes and impacts of urban-urban migration

Answer 3

One form of urban-urban migration is from towns and cities in economic periphery areas to urban areas in the economic core. An example is Brazil, with significant movement in the last 50 years from the urban areas in the relatively poor north east, to the more prosperous cities of the south east.

The movement of populations within cities is also linked to the family cycle, with available housing being a major determinant of where people live at different stages of their life. Middle aged families are more likely to operate at a greater distance form the central area, and further out in more suburban areas, younger families dominate.