Megacities (AQA A Level Geography)

• Not only is the world more urban, but the urban area is increasing 
• Many cities are sprawling into and engulfing rural regions to create conurbations, further adding to the growth of urban areas
• As the growth of cities continues, the term megacity is used to describe cities with more than 10 million people
  
  • New York was the first megacity in 1950, with Tokyo 2nd
  • In 1975 there were 4 - New York, Tokyo, Osaka and Mexico City
  • By 2000 there were 15
  • In 2018 that rose to 33 with Tokyo having close to 37.3 million people
  • By 2025-2030, it is estimated that around 630 million people will live in close to 43 megacities around the world
  • With Asia alone, having at least 33 megacities, including Mumbai and Delhi, India;  Shanghai, China; Seoul, South Korea and Lagos in Nigeria
• This scaling up of the urban environment is the fastest in human history
• Largest growth of megacities is seen in Asia

Reasons for growth

• Economic development
  • Megacities dominate national and regional economies of countries 
  • Many companies have their headquarters in megacities
  • 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 EMEs 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)
  • Rapid growth, often means that peri-urban, grow more rapidly than urban centres and this can lead to development of slums
• 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
  • Availability of skilled and unskilled workers (higher numbers allows for choice)
• 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 or global cities have a powerful attraction for people and businesses 
• They are influential cores with large peripheries and act as funnels for economic growth at various levels
• World or global cities can be any size (they do not need to be megacities) but they exert particular influences around the globe
• They are considered prestigious, with status and power, particularly as leaders of banking and finance
• World cities play an important role in global politics through hosting international summits, (COP 21, G8 etc.) where leaders use their influence to drive trade deals and develop economic links with other countries
• They are critical hubs for the flow of wealth, trade, people and culture 
• Home to world-renown universities with centres of research and development, science and innovation
• The three top 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

• Alpha or top-tier cities are a select band of cities, e.g. London, New York, Tokyo etc.
• Due to their historic and continued influence, they are status points of global economic power 
• They are major hubs/nodes in the complex networks being produced through economic globalisation. 
• Their influence is linked primarily to the provision of financial and producer services 
• However, the status of cities are dynamic and new classifications are needed to show hierarchy within the global economic and political stage 
• These are graded the Alpha ++, Alpha + , Alpha, Alpha- through to Gamma- etc.
  • With only London and New York as Alpha ++

Image showing relative positions of Alpha cities based on GaWC 2020 research on World Cities, Loughborough University