urbanisation

Question 1

what’s the difference between rural areas and urban areas?

Answer 1

rural: open countryside, small settlements, sparse population.
urban: built-up, large towns and cities, dense population.

Question 2

define ‘urbanisation’:

Answer 2

the process where an increasing percentage of the world’s population live in towns and cities.

Question 3

describe the patterns of urbanisation globally:

Answer 3

In less advanced countries, such as in Africa and Asia, urbanisation hasn’t occurred as much (only around 20-40% of their population living in urban areas). On the other hand, more advanced, western countries, such as in Europe and the US, have roughly 80-100% of their population in urban areas.

Question 4

describe urbanisation in LICs:

Answer 4

• ethiopia, niger, nepal
• 20% of ethiopia’s population lives in towns or cities - the rest live in rural areas.
• people expect these countries to experience rapid urbanisation in the next few decades.

Question 5

describe urbanisation in NEEs:

Answer 5

• china, india, brazil, thailand
• experiencing rapid urbanisation right now

Question 6

argue ‘urbanisation vs development’:

Answer 6

> urban population in the UK (82%) compared to in Kenya (25.6%).
more developed countries have a lower birth rate (e.g. better contraception, less of a need).
more developed countries have a higher death rate. our lifestyles are more deadly - obesity and diabetes is more common.

Question 7

define ‘natural increase’:

Answer 7

where births are greater than deaths, causing the population to increase. this can explain urbanisation.

Question 8

define ‘rural-urban migration’:

Answer 8

the movement of people from rural to urban areas, causing the city to grow. this may be in the hope of a better life (luxury, better services)
- this doesn’t occur in the UK as the difference in standard of living between rural and urban areas is not largely different. we’re also able to connect with people in cities online.

Question 9

what is the difference between a ‘push factor’ and a ‘pull factor’:

Answer 9

• ‘push factor’ reasons to move away from somewhere (e.g. a rural village)
• ‘pull factor’ reasons to move somewhere

Question 10

give five examples each of a rural push factor and 3 examples of an urban pull factor:

Answer 10

push:
- remoted/isolated from other people
- poor quality or not enough schools
- land becomes inhabitable because of processes such as desertification
- some governments force people to move from farms into city apartments (e.g. in singapore)
- civil wars/natural disasters

pull:
- more higher paid job opportunities with greater diversity
- good infrastructure (e.g. roads, electricity, internet, water, public transport), and wellbeing infrastructure (doctors, teachers)
- more cinemas, shops, fun things to do. a lot of franchises only open sites in major cities, not in rural areas

Question 11

can you relate these causes of urbanisation to rio de janeiro?

Answer 11

• rio’s birth rates are higher than death rates (natural increase)
• rural-urban migrants typically 16-29 in india, china and brazil. more likely to have a family and not die as quickly, so natural increase occurs

Question 12

how is the quality of life in rio compared to other areas of brazil?

Answer 12

life expectancy is 77.5 (8 years more than in the north-east), infant mortality rate is the second lowest in the country and 94% of its population is literate, compared to 85.2% in the north-east.

• therefore their population will increase due to rural-urban migration, as they create many pull factors.

Question 13

describe urbanisation in the UK (an HIC):

Answer 13

• began to urbanise in the late 1800s when people moved from farms in the countryside into cities to work in cotton and textile industries.
• as cities grow, they become more and more overcrowded, meaning some people will move back to rural areas.
• improving transport infrastructure allows people to commute to cities, e.g. crossrail.