Urban Growth (CIE IGCSE Geography)

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