CGP Urbanisation

• Urbanisation


  The growth in the proportion of people living in urban areas
• The population of urban areas is increasing
• Urbanisation occurs earlier in developed countries due to the Industrial Revolution
• Urbanisation is increasing rapidly in developing countries with growing populations
• Four processes affecting the populations of cities

  • Suburbanisation
  • Counterurbanisation
  • Reurbanisation
  • Urbanisation
• Push factors

  Factors making people want to leave an area
• Pull factors


  Factors attracting people to an area
• Urbanisation is usually caused by migration (especially rural-urban migration) and natural increase (when birth rate is higher than death rate)
• People often migrate to cities for better access to schools and healthcare, and because there are more jobs available
• Many migrants are young adults, so if they have children the population increases further
• In developing countries, urbanisation can result in shanty towns - unplanned and often illegal settlements made out of any material available
• Suburbanisation

  The migration of people from city centres to the outskirts of cities
• As urbanisation increases, city centres can become overcrowded and people desire more space
• Improvements to transport links mean people can live further away and commute to work
• Many people choose to move to the suburbs when they have children or retire
• A complex pattern of wealthy and poorer areas develops, with wealthier middle-class people moving to the suburbs and poorer people, including foreign immigrants, left behind
• Counterurbanisation


  The movement of people out of the city into surrounding villages and rural areas
• Improvements in transport and communications allow people to commute to work or work from home
• People leave cities because of high property prices and overcrowding, and some just prefer quieter rural areas
• Counterurbanisation can lead to new housing estates being built in rural areas, increasing house prices and changing the age structure of the area
• Reurbanisation


  The movement of people back to the city centre
• People may move back to city centres because of a lack of jobs in rural or suburban areas, and they are attracted by new developments
• Urban resurgence is common in many post-industrial countries like the UK and USA
• New shops and services may open in the city as people move back, boosting the local economy and creating jobs, but original residents may not be able to afford to live in the area anymore
• Megacity


  An urban area with over 18 million people living there
• The number of megacities in the world has increased, with more than two-thirds being in developing nations
• Megacities dominate the national and regional economies of countries because companies choose to build their headquarters in cities with a large number of skilled workers and good transport links
• Megacities often have people living at opposite extremes, with some being really rich and others living in poverty
• World city

  A city that has political and financial influence over the whole world
• The number of world cities is increasing, with more recent economic growth in countries like Nigeria allowing cities like Lagos to become contenders for world city status
• World cities are centres for banking, finance, international trade, and culture, and they have good international transport links
• World cities are generally home to world-renowned universities and centres for science and innovation
• World cities attract high numbers of people from other countries, including migrants, business visitors, students and tourists