World Cities

Question 1

how do cites grow?

Answer 1

• rural to urban migration

- internal growth (high birth rate inside city)

Question 2

how much does internal growth count for urban population growth compared to migration?

Answer 2

migration = 30%
internal = 60%
but then again migration does cause internal to grow because migrants young + fertile

Question 3

what are push factors for rural people moving to urban areas?

Answer 3

• conflict
• poverty
• natural disasters
• crop failures

Question 4

what are pull factors for rural people to want to move to urban areas?

Answer 4

• jobs
• healthcare
• education
• safety

Question 5

what will the world population of people living in slums come to? (number)

Answer 5

1.5 billion!!!!! (one seventh of world population)

Question 6

why do rural migrants move to cities if they know the quality of life is so bad for so many?

Answer 6

economic benefits in long run (jobs) outweigh standard of living

Question 7

why do people living in rural areas still move to kenya?

Answer 7

well.. quality of life is better in urban kenya, but many migrants know they will end up in Nairobi slums, still has better opportunities

Question 8

what is the infant mortality rate in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi?

Answer 8

106 (per 1000)

Question 9

what is an example where rural-urban migration takes place heavily?

Answer 9

Mexico City!

Question 10

where do the migrants come that go into mexico city?

Answer 10

poor farming states, south of the city, women aged 22, 500,000 people migrate into the city, women looking for low-skill job

Question 11

what is unusual about the education of the mexican rural migrants?

Answer 11

rural migrants have avg. education of 9 yrs vs people in mexico city, only 7 years

Question 12

why are megacities different?

Answer 12

• level of development: asia vs. africa
• type of migrants: young. vs. environmental refugees
• growth characteristics: migration vs internal growth
• planning: Chongquing planned
• rate of pop growth
• processes: different ones occurring in different cities

Question 13

what are the 5 urban processes that may occur in a megacity?

Answer 13

1. urban growth
2. urban sprawl: uncontrolled = slums
3. suburbanisation: gated communities
4. counter-urbanisation: developed world
5. reurbanisation: Asian city

Question 14

Compare life in an immature, consolidating + maturing cities in the developing world

Answer 14

IMMATURE: Lagos
Makoko: half slum built on wooden stilts
CONSOLIDATING: Cairo
Greater Cairo Wastewater Project = improve sewers
MATURING: Sao Paulo
Alphaville: gated community 30,000 safe

Question 15

Give an example of a megacity in China

Answer 15

Chongquing - 4th largest in Chiina
on Yangste River (in land)
4 million inside city VS. 31 MILLION IN URBAN SPRAWL AREAS?!
economy grows by £7 million daily
avg. incomes are rising quickly
1,300 rural-urban migrants daily
growth planned by China Western Development Plan, relieve coastal zones

Question 16

what is the difference between an immature, consolidating, maturing, and established city?

Answer 16

immature = slums, rich only in CBD
consolidating = govn housing schemes, individuals improve own homes
maturing = slums decline, middle class
established = suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation

Question 17

how is a world city defined?

Answer 17

judged on how worldy it is by how much influence it has

Question 18

what 3 things determine how influential a world city can be?

Answer 18

1. political influence: NYC, UN
2. transport/communications: Heathrow airport
3. economic power: TNCs

Question 19

are there any ‘full’ megacities in the developing world? why?

Answer 19

NO - cities such as Cairo / Lagos not included as a world city because may have large populations but no political/economic/transport influence

Question 20

What are 4 strategies to improve slum housing?

Answer 20

1. Consolidation
2. Eviction
3. Tenure
4. social housing
5. Site / service

Question 21

What is a pro + con to consolidating slums to improve conditions?

Answer 21

Pro: low cost
Con: takes decades

Question 22

What is a pro/con to installing social housing as a solution to slum housing?

Answer 22

Pro: quick
Con: new housing may be too $$$

Question 23

What is a pro/con to using eviction as a solution to slum housing?

Answer 23

Pro: immediate impact
Con: violent process

Question 24

Why are growing cities in developing countries increasing unsustainable?

Answer 24

Poor health ; sanitation
Bad governance: lack of will
Poverty: underemployment
No housing: rapid growth & poverty

Question 25

How was social housing in São Paulo successful at solving the slums?

Answer 25

Cingapura
10,000 stores blocks to rent
$25 dollars a month
45,000 out of slums

Question 26

How did the United Nations try to make urban life in developing mega cities better?

Answer 26

Millennium Development Goals = 100 million slum dwellers improved lives

Question 27

Tell me about the Greater Cairo Wastewater Project!

Answer 27

• USAID// UK funding

- £2 billion since 1983

Question 28

What did they do in Mexico City to reduce pollution so that it becomes more sustainable?

Answer 28

Cars banned from driving one day a week based on the last digit of their number plates = reduce air pollution