topic 4: changing cities

• | urbanisation is a global process

  • more than half of the world’s population now lives in towns & cities because of URBANISATION
  • since 1950, urbanisation has occurred at different rates & in different ways in developed, emerging, & developing countries. Africa & Asia are presently seeing the greatest increase
• | urbanisation is a global process

  in emerging & developing countries, recent rapid urbanisation has been caused by:

  • rural to urban migration – people move from rural areas for a better quality of life
  • natural increase – birth rates in the countries are higher than death rates bc of improvements in healthcare
• why has natural increase occured?

  due to improvements in healthcare
• what is natural increase?

  when birth rates are higher than death rates
• | urbanisation is a global process

  in DEVELOPED countries, main cause of urbanisation is INDUSTRIALISATION_ in the 1800s & 1900s, the rise of factories = people moved from rural to city_ effects of urbanisation are...

  • air, noise & water pollution increase
  • investment increases = more jobs
  • in developing countries, spontaneous, unplanned settlements often develop.
  • In developing & emerging economies, the gap between the rich & poor often widens (class disparity)
• URBANISATION: amount of people living in urban areas is growing compared to rural areas
• term for UNPLANNED settlements found in urban areas in DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

  • shanty towns
• explain two problems caused by rapid urbanisation in developing countries

  • illegal, unplanned SHANTY towns often develop due to limited affordable homes for people moving to cities
  • increase in population = air, noise & water pollution becomes a problem since shanty towns dont have proper sewage systems so it flows into rivers
• • counter-urbansiation: happens in developed where people move from cities to towns
• | push factors from urban

  • traffic congestion
  • high crime rates
  • expensive homes
• | pull factors to rural

  • high car ownership
  • quieter, attractive for retired people
  • IT mean people can work from home
  • homes are larger & cheaper