Contemporary urban environments

• Urbanisation


  an increase in the proportion of a country's population that lives in towns and cities

  * The 2 main causes are:

  1. natural increase/population growth

  2. migration into urban areas from rural areas
• Urban area


  region surrounding a city

  * most inhabitants have non-agricultural jobs

  * areas are very devloped, meaning there is a density of human structures e,g houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges and railways

  * Can refer to town, citys and suburbs
• Megacity


  A city or urban agglomeration with a population of more than 10 million people

  e.g UN: 'London acheived megacity status in 2013, including residents in the Greater London area
• Urban agglomeration


  an urban area incorporating several large towns/cities
• Metacity


  a conurbation/city with more than 20 million people
• Conurbation


  region of cities, towns, + other urban areas that have merged to form a continuous urban/developed area
• Urban growth


  an increase in the number of urban dwellers

  * classifications of urban dwellers depend on census definitions of urban areas, which varies from country to country

  * Includes 1 of more of: population density+ size, average distance between buildings within a settlement and legal/administative boundaries
• Causes of urban growth

  1. Natural increase

  2. Rural-urban migration
• Natural population growth/natural increase

  * Urban areas= young age profiles

  * Young adults are more likely to migrate from rural areas

  * Young adults are in their fertile years therefore there are higher rates of natural increase in urban areas

  * The birth rate is higher than the death rate
• Rural-urban migration


  Divided into push and pull factors

  e.g. 'Nappy Valley' in Clapham to Fulham in London
• Push factors


  * SOCIAL- Health: local diseases + inadequate houses

  * POLITICAL- Wars and civil strike cause people to flee

  * ECONOMIC- Cash crops- land traditionally used to grow food for locals now used to produce crops for money to pay off debts

  * ENVIRONMENTAL: Agricultural problems- soil looses its nutrients due to consitent farming- people cant grow crops

  Natural disasters- floods, storms, and earthquakes

  * DEMOGRAPHIC: Population growth- not enough land to support the increasing numbers of people
• Pull factors


  * SOCIAL: Health- Better quality social provisions- e.g education, healthcare, entertainment

  Perceived improved quality of life

  * EMPLOYMENT: in factories + service industries e.g hotels, better paid than rural area jobs

  * Informal employment- selling on the streets