Urbanisation

Question 1

Define ‘urbanisation’.

Answer 1

The increase in proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas.

Question 2

What is the main cause for the growth in urban cities?

Answer 2

Industrialisation with the demand for large areas requiring modern technology.

Question 3

Identify a sociologist’s findings on urbanisation.

Answer 3

Cohen and Kennedy (2000) found that there were 180 million people living in cities in the developing world in 1940 which increased to 770 million in 1975.

Question 4

What is a mega city?

Answer 4

An urban area that hosts more than 10 million people.

Question 5

Give an example of a mega city.

Answer 5

Mexico City

Question 6

What factors may cause someone to want to move from a rural area to an urban area?

Answer 6

‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ factors.

Question 7

What are push factors?

Answer 7

Factors that may cause someone to want to emigrate from a country.

Question 8

Identify 5 push factors

Answer 8

1) Poverty
2) War and conflict
3) Loss of land
4) Natural disasters
5) Lack of jobs and infrastructure

Question 9

What are pull factors?

Answer 9

Factors that may cause someone to want to immigrate to a country.

Question 10

Identify 5 pull factors

Answer 10

1) Jobs in bigger companies (e.g. TNCs)
2) Perception of opportunities (e.g. availability of of employment)
3) Access to better education and healthcare
4) Modernity
5) Moving away from traditional culture

Question 11

Identify 4 pros of urbanisation.

Answer 11

1) Reduces fertility rates due to fewer state benefits for larger families
2) Government focus on resource management with education and health
3) Opportunities for investment
4) Migrants are keen to enter employment which benefits economy

Question 12

Identify 5 cons of urbanisation.

Answer 12

1) Ecological footprints go beyond city limits (e.g. pollution)
2) Competition for resources (e.g. jobs) with high unemployment
3) Building and expanding can impact environment
4) High levels of poverty
5) Inability to own land

Question 13

What are Modernisation theory’s views on urbanisation?

Answer 13

• Central to development of economy
• Trickle-down of wealth
• Main function of urban areas is to change the values of the population
• Lerner (1964) argued that urban areas are more progressive with new skills being required for development (e.g. literacy)
• Cross (1979) stated that the city is the nucleus for the cultural penetration of the modernising society in whcih it is easier to expand modern values (e.g. consumerism) due to being a high concentration of people
• Modern values result in an entrepreneurial population who are more receptive to social mobility and investment

Question 14

Identify 3 criticisms of Modernisation theory.

Answer 14

1) Population growth exceeds the number of jobs available causing poverty
2) Peace (2005) argued that a minority of people are lucky to find work consisting of legit employment (public sector) with the majority being forced to work in informal sector (e.g. drugs)
3) City life in the West has killed the concept of community causing growing isolation

Question 15

Give evidence to support a Modernisation theory criticism.

Answer 15

Asia has 60% of the world’s slum dwellers with poverty surrounding cities like Mumbai and Tokyo.

Question 16

What are Neoliberalism’s views on urbanisation?

Answer 16

• Urban areas work best when left to ‘market forces’
• This means the state should have a laissez faire approach with the organisation of markets in cities
• Demands of urban cities creates more efficiency with agriculture becoming commercialised in order to feed citizens who aren’t able to grow their food indeoendently
• Therefore new urban areas demand new responses and skills creating entrepreneurialship

Question 17

Identify a sociologist who agrees with Neoliberalism’s views on urbanisation.

Answer 17

Hoselitz argues that urbanisation provides a workforce concentrated in one area that decreases emphasis on community reliance causing individualism to rise and create entrepreneurs.

Question 18

Identify 3 criticisms of Neoliberalism.

Answer 18

1) Poverty from population growth in these areas causes a rise in crime (e.g. drug dealing) in order to receive income other ways
2) Cohen and Kennedy (2000) argue that wealthy cities are like islands surrounded by a sea of poverty with shanty towns and slums
3) Constant consumption means higher production in agriculture which is bad for the environment

Question 19

Give evidence to support a Neoliberalism criticism.

Answer 19

An average of 2,000 trees are lost every minute in the Amazon Rainforest with 80% of the world’s original forest gone.

Question 20

What are Dependency theory’s views on urbanisation?

Answer 20

• Development of urban areas in Satellites differs considerably to their development in Metropolises through sustaining underdevelopment
• Difference is due to the impact of colonialism in developing countries
• ‘Primate cities’ were built to serve colonial power such as Mumbai and the use of raw materials and cash crops
• Cities were isolated from culture of surrounding areas with new values being introduced in city life (e.g. consumerism and entrepreneurship)
• Cities in developing countries will exploit labour (e.g. TNCs)
• Profits in urban areas are normally spent on airports, and hotels to enhance the look of the city instead of benefiting those who are poorer

Question 21

Identify a sociologist who agrees with Dependency theory’s views on urbanisation.

Answer 21

Webster (1990) argues that new urban areas grew up under colonialism either through being brand new settlements for colonists or they were reinvented over existing areas of indigenous population.

Question 22

Identify 2 criticisms of Dependency theory.

Answer 22

1) Goldthorpe (1975) argued that colonialism had positive benefits providing developing countries with basic infrastructure
2) Satellites can break free of their dependency that was formed under colonialism, China being an example

Question 23

What are Feminism’s views on urbanisation?

Answer 23

• Dual-sector economies exploit women who often work in the informal sector with illegitimate work (e.g. sweatshops)
• Exploited in urban areas with TNCs from the West using their cheap labour

Question 24

Identify 2 criticisms of Feminism.

Answer 24

1) It isn’t just women exploited in urban areas

2) They are provided with work where they otherwise wouldn’t have got any

Question 25

What conclusion can be drawn from urbanisation and its impact on the development of LDCs?

Answer 25

Urbanisation creating new cities in developing countries can provide them with basic infrastructure however it can maintain underdevelopment with the poverty caused that can lead to them seeking aid from the West creating dependency.