Urbanisation (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

Global Trends in Urbanisation

• Urbanisation is:

The process by which an increasing percentage of a country's population come to live in towns and cities

• Urbanisation varies across the globe

• Developed countries show the highest levels of urbanisation, with the lowest levels being in Africa and SE Asia

• More people now live in towns and cities than in rural areas

• World population doubled between 1950 and 2015, but the urban population more than trebled due to:

  • The decline of industry in developed countries, as the industry moved overseas to emerging countries and developing countries to take advantage of a cheaper workforce, government incentives, tax breaks, etc.

  • Which led to industrial growth in emerging countries and 'pulled' people from rural regions to urban areas, with the hope of a better life and employment

• High rates of urbanisation occur in developing countries because:

  • Most new economic development is concentrated in the big cities

  • Push-pull factors lead to high rates of rural-to-urban migration

  • Cities are experiencing higher levels of natural increase in population

• Urbanisation growth rate differ not only between countries across the globe but also within countries

Table of Global Urban Trends

• Developed countries have lower rates of urbanisation as towns and cities already exist

• In 1900, there were just 2 'millionaire'' cities (London and Paris), by 2018 this had grown to 512

• Due to modern transport and communication, urban areas are sprawling into rural regions to create conurbations, further adding to the growth of urban areas

Megacities

• As the growth of cities continues, the term 'megacity' is used to describe cities with more than 10 million people

  • In 1970 there were only 4

  • By 2000 there were 15

  • 2007 saw more people living in an urban environment than a rural one

  • In 2018 that rose to 33 

• Largest growth of megacities is seen in Asia - Tokyo has close to 37.3 million people

• By 2050 it is thought that more than two-thirds (7 billion) of the world population will live in urban areas

• This scaling up of the urban environment is the fastest in human history

Reasons for growth

• Four main factors:

• Economic development

  • Encourages population growth which leads to the desirability of goods and services

  • All megacities act as service centres within the formal economic sector

  • However, megacities in LEDCs are also important manufacturing centres (Mumbai in India or Dhaka in Bangladesh) with thousands working in the informal economy

• Population growth

  • Young people are drawn to live in megacities with their vibrancy, fast pace and opportunities

  • There is also ‘internal growth’ where people who have moved into the cities have children, so sustaining population growth (Mexico City, Mumbai, Pearl River Delta in China)

• Economies of scale

  • Cheaper to provide goods and services in one place than spread across several cities

  • Financial savings for local governments in respect of infrastructure provision

  • Communication and transport are centralised, making savings in time and money

• Multiplier effect

  • As a city prospers, it acts as a beacon to people and businesses 

  • This encourages inward investment

  • This leads to yet more development and growth

  • Generating further need for skills and labour and job growth

  • This cycle multiplies the positive effects and growth continues (San Francisco and the digital development)

World cities

• Megacities have a powerful attraction for people and businesses 

• They are influential cores with large peripheries

• World or global cities can be any size but exert particular influences around the globe

• They are considered prestigious, with status and power  

• They are critical hubs in the global economy

• The three top (alpha) world cities are London, New York, and Tokyo 

• These are the financial centres of the world, each with smaller networks of world cities feeding into them

• There are only four world cities in the southern hemisphere:  

  • Sydney

  • Rio de Janeiro

  • Sao Paulo

  • Buenos Aires

Urban primacy

• Some countries have what is called urban primacy and they exert dominance over the rest of the country 

• They are usually cities with the largest concentration of urban population 

  • e.g. London is larger than Greater Manchester, Mexico City is larger than Guadalajara, Lagos is larger than Kano

  • These primate cities do not have to be the country's capital

• The main issue with urban primacy is that all economic growth is concentrated in the city to the cost of the city's rural fringe

• Political power also becomes focused in the city and decision making that affects the whole country takes place in the primate city 

• The decisions tend to be to the benefit of the primate city rather than the country's needs

• Primate cities are a bigger draw for migrants

• Small cities miss out on new business and investments 

• Rapid primate growth concentrates urban problems such as pollution, poverty, crime and traffic congestion