Urban Growth (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Geography)

Reasons for Rapid Urban Growth

Urbanisation

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

• Urbanisation varies across the globe and is the increase in the percentage of a population living in urban areas

• Urban settlements differ from rural ones in terms of:

  • Way of life: faster-paced

  • Size: larger

  • Density of buildings and people: compact and high

  • Economy and employment: finance, service, and manufacturing 

• MEDCs show the highest levels of urbanisation, with the lowest levels in Africa and SE Asia

• The 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 (cheaper workforce, incentives, tax breaks, etc)

  • This 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 LEDCs 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

Factors affecting the rate of urbanisation

• The main factors affecting the rate of urbanisation are:

  • Speed of economic development

    • Economic growth drives urbanisation

    • The faster the growth of secondary and tertiary employment sectors, the faster the growth of urbanisation

  • Rate of population growth

    • Economic growth needs a supply of labour

    • This demand can be met in two ways:

      • Natural increase in urban population - a slow way of meeting demand

      • Rural-urban migration - this is the more important source of labour as it attracts a wider pool of people into the urban region

• Rates of urbanisation are lower in MEDCs as a higher percentage of the population already live in towns and cities

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

• As the growth of cities continues, the term mega city is used to describe cities with more than 10 million people:

  • In 1970 there were only 4

  • By 2000 there were 15

  • In 2018 that rose to 33 with Tokyo having close to 37.3 million people

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

Causes of rapid urban growth

• Natural increase

  • Accounts for roughly 60% of urban population growth

  • Due to decreased death rates and higher birth rates

• Urban pull factors

  • Higher wages

  • Pace and excitement

  • Improved education and healthcare

  • Better job opportunities

  • Public utilities: water, gas, electricity, etc.

  • Government support

• Rural-urban migration

  • Accounts for 40% of urban growth

  • Due to rural push factors along with urban pull factors

  • Natural hazards

  • Poor basic services - health, water, education

• Rural push factors

  • Limited healthcare and education

  • Mechanisation of farming

  • Lack of opportunities

  • Lack of government support or investment 

  • Harsh and monotonous lifestyle 

  • Unreliable food supplies/famine

• Rural reclassification

  • Due to urban sprawl, some rural regions are being reclassified as urban

  • Rural villages becoming dormitory settlements 

Urbanisation pathway

• The differences between LEDCs and MEDCs can be shown as a pathway over time 

• Countries become more urban as they develop economically

• As they move through the stages, the pace begins to slow and begins to flatten out or decline as counter-urbanisation gains speed

Urbanisation Pathway

Urban process timeline

Urban Process Timeline

• Urban settlements first appear as a result of agglomeration:

  • People gather together in one area to sell goods and live

  • Small trading posts and villages began to develop

• As towns grow, they expand outwards through a process known as suburbanisation:

  • This adds to the built-up area, but the building densities are generally lower than in the older parts of the town

  • The new suburbs are made up of mostly houses but also include places of employment and services

• Urban settlements continue to prosper and grow, and people move out of the town or city altogether and commute to work:

  • These are called dormitory settlements because many residents only sleep there. 

  • They continue to have links with the town or city they have left

  • They still make use of urban services, shops, education, and healthcare

Counter-urbanisation

• This is the movement of people from an urban area into the surrounding rural region

• Causes include:

  • Mobility and accessibility - higher personal car ownership, increase in public transport and road development making easier access to rural areas

  • Increased wealth - making housing and travel more affordable

  • Agricultural decline (mechanisation and merger of farms) creates the availability of more land for housing, forcing agricultural workers to leave the area

  • Green belt - people need to go further out to get the rural life they are looking for

  • Second homes and early retirement - have increased the movement of people from the city to the countryside

Urban regeneration and re-imagining

• Urban regeneration and urban re-imaging are different

• Urban regeneration is the investment of capital in the revival of old, urban areas by either improving what is there or clearing it away and rebuilding

  • Over time, older parts of urban areas would begin to suffer a decline

  • Factories would move elsewhere, resulting in job loss

  • Quality of life and housing become poorer, people move away

  • Urban blight sets in

  • The area needs to be 'brought back to life' = urban regeneration

• Urban re-imaging is changing the image and reputation of an urban area and the way people view it

  • Focusing on a new identity/function

  • Changing the quality and appearance of the built-up area

  • Good opportunity for brownfield site development

  • London Docklands was completely redeveloped and regenerated

  • London Docklands had new industries, more executive services, homes, entertainment, and leisure, making it the new 'cool' place to be

• Together urban regeneration and urban re-imaging = rebranding

• These processes add to the continued growth of urban regions

Megacities

• These are urban regions with over 10 million residents   

• In 2007, more people lived in an urban environment than a rural one

• 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

• Largest growth of megacities is seen in Asia

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