Urbanisation Flashcards
What is a megacity ?
A city with a population over than 10 million.
How do cities promote urban growth ?
Greater geographic mobility, Lower fertility and longer life expectancy, Reduce poverty (they hold much of the national economic activity), Higher levels of education, Better health, Easier access to social services.
What are the causes of natural population growth in cities ?
Traditionally young adults move into cities for higher paid jobs, better educational opportunities and greater social and cultural diversity. Additionally, the younger population are in prime fertility so there is a natural increase in population in cities.
What are push factors for rural-urban migration ?
Population growth as land has to support increasing numbers causing over-farming or soil erosion, High levels of local diseases and inadequate medical provision, Natural disasters - people flee rural areas and do not return, Land previously used for crops for local people now used for cash crops for people in HICs.
What are pull factors for rural-urban migration ?
Employment in factories and service industries which are better paying, A perceived better QOL, Earning money from informal sectors e.g Selling goods on the street or providing transport, Better quality social provisions.
What is suburbanisation ?
Movement of people from living in the inner parts of a city to living in the outer edges.
What is counter-urbanisation ?
Movement of people living in urban areas into smaller urban areas or rural areas.
What is urban resurgence / regeneration ?
The regeneration both economic and structural of an urban area which has suffered a period of decline.
What were the 3 phases of urbanisation since 1945 ?
Early urbanisation (1945-1990), Shift to developing nations (1990 - present), Future trends
What did the ‘early urbanisation’ phase detail ?
Post-World War II reconstruction led to rapid urbanisation in cities
Growth of industrial cities (e.g., New York, London, Tokyo).
Suburbanisation – Many moved from city centres to suburbs due to better transport and housing.
What did the ‘Shift to developing nations’ phase detail ?
Explosive urban growth in Asia, Africa, and Latin America due to:
✅ Industrialization (factories attracting workers).
✅ Rural-to-urban migration (seeking jobs, healthcare, and education).
✅ Natural population increase (higher birth rates).
Emergence of Megacities (10M+ people) – e.g., Mumbai, São Paulo, Lagos, Jakarta, Dhaka.
Unplanned urban expansion led to slums and informal settlements (e.g., Kibera in Nairobi, Dharavi in Mumbai).
What does phase 3 present day into the future include ?
60% of the population will be urban, By 2025 there will be 37 mega cities
What are the consequences of urbanisation ?
Urban sprawl, Shortage of housing in LICs, Shortage of affordable housing in HICs, Lack of urban services and waste disposal, Unemployment, Transport issues
What are the negative impacts of urban sprawl ?
Habitat loss, More commuting from suburbs to city, Can increase air pollution and UHI, Decentralisation which can decline retail in city centres and increase homogenisation of the landscape which can sometimes create edge cities.
Why is there a shortage of housing in LICs and what does this cause ?
Population density s higher in urban areas and accommodation cant keep it up with it leading to informal housing which normally develop on the edge city or areas prone to flooding or landslides. Additionally they may also be found next to transport networks where there is high levels of air, noise or water pollution.
How much % is the global urban population living in informal settlements ?
25%
What are the causes of the shortage of affordable housing in HICs ?
Rising demand of accommodation in cities fuelled by in-migration, gentrification and wealthy foreign investors buying properties.
What can cause the Lack of urban services and waste disposal ?
Financial restraints can cause lack of basic services such as water and electricity and waste in increasing year-on-year but it poses economic, environmental and physical restraints.
What can cause employment and underemployment in cities ?
High proportion of young people move to cities which can create pressure to create sufficient jobs.
Underemployment is caused when someone isnt working making not a full use of their skills and abilities - this may occur when a migrant moves to a new city
What are the causes of Transport issues in cities ?
Process of urbanisation and suburbanisation has led to increase traffic in cities which has caused more congestion and pollution.
What is counter-urbanisation ?
Movement of people from large urban areas into smaller urban areas or rural areas thereby leapfrogging the rural-urban fringe.
What is decentralisation ?
The movement of population and industry from urban centre to outlying areas.
What is an edge city ?
A self-contained settlement which has emerged beyond the original city boundary and developed a city in its own right.
What is suburbanisation and the causes ?
Movement of people from living in the inner parts of a city to living on the outer edges.
Desire for better quality environment, More space for larger houses, Land os often cheaper, Perception that suburban areas are crime-free
What is deindustrialisation’s impacts on urban areas ?
Loss of jobs, Increase in unemployment, Derelict land and buildings, Loss of tax income, Higher levels of deprivation, Long-term pollution from ‘dirty’ industries.
What are the 4 job sectors ?
The primary sector involves natural resource extraction.
The secondary sector focuses on manufacturing and processing.
The tertiary sector provides services, including retail and healthcare.
The quaternary sector encompasses knowledge-based activities such as research, information technology, and education.
What are technological process associated with urbanisation ?
Construction innovations, transportation systems, digital connectivity, Globalisation, Trade
5 main causes of deindustrialisation ?
Machines + robots can produce things cheaper, Cheaper products from foreign companies, Reduced demand for traditional products, Containerisation, Service economy
What is re-urbanisation ?
Movement of people into the city centre as part of urban regeneration.
What did Margret Thatchers 1979-1991 policy include ?
Private sectors tried to regenerate inner cities, local people were encouraged to spend money on land.
What did John Majors 1991-1997 policy include ?
Focus on local leadership, tried to tackle social, economic and environmental factors in run down parts of the city.
What did Tony Blairs 1997-2000 policy include ?
Narrowing the gap between social and economic indicators between most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of the country.
What did David Camerons 2011-present policy include ?
Packages of funding have enabled the government to take greater responsibility for business support, planning, transport and health.
What are the two main activities in the rise of the service economy ?
Tertiary activities - such as financial services, retailing, leisure, transport, education and health.
Quaternary activities - where knowledge or ideas are the main output, such as advertising, computer programming and software design.
What has the population done at Nottingham ?
Overall population decline but growth in settlements beyond the urban fringe like Key worth which is a much more rural area.
What issues has the changing behaviour in population in Sheffield caused ?
Loss of local shops and businesses, House price rise in surrounding villages, High crime rate in city centre.
