Urbanisation

• What does urban mean?

  built up areas (towns and cities)
• What is urban population?


  the number of people living in towns or cities.
• Urbanisation means "growth of cities" or growing proportion of people living in cities/towns.
• World cities are cities that are important in the world economy. They are centres of international trade and often where international banks to TNC headquarters are based. (e.g London)
• Megacities are cities with a population of over 10 million people . (e.g New York)
• • Some cities grow into megacities because of national population increase. A city tends to have better healthcare, which is a great pull factor to become a megacity.
  • If a city has great healthcare, a low death rate and high life expectancy its population will naturally increase.
• • Another reason (2) as to why cities grow into megacities is because of migration. People migrate to cities from the countryside (or even other countries) to find jobs or a better lifestyle.
  • Cities generally have better job opportunities than countrysides.
• • The third reason as to why cities become megacities is because of coastal location. Many megacities have grown from port cities , simply because their location is by the sea.
  • A coastal location is an advantage as it is easier for trading. Coastal cities also make it easier to migrate, or to travel by boat.
• • A final reason (4) for a city becoming a megacity is because of economic development . Because of trading, more trading means more businesses, so these cities grow into centres for production. Beijing is a great example of a city with good economic production.
  • This creates more jobs and attracts more people. So the population will naturally increase.
• How does farming play an important role in the development of cities?

  • Farming has helped the development of cities . The first ever city developed from a river valley. They had fertile food plains and regular supply , which helped farmers to grow crops.
  • People then moved into settlements, teaching them new skills like trading. The settlements then grew into cities.
• How did the industry play an important role in the development of cities?

  • The Industrial revolution played a big part in the development of cities. During the time before the Industrial revolution, all cities had <1 Million people , until 300AD : when Rome reached 1M people.
  • Then in the 19th century Britain invented things like steams and engines, which lead to large scale manufactoring.
  • Cities like Manchester and Birmingham grew as factories were built. Then migration brought more population increase . There was a similar growth of cities across europe and n. america.
• The rate of growth in LiDCs is the fastest in the world. The highest population growth rate is in the continent of Africa. In Africa, still less than 40% of people live in urban areas so there is a huge potential to grow there.
• Rural to urban migration:

  Movement of people from the countryside to the city.
• Internal growth:


  growth of a population as a result of a higher live birth rate than death rate.
• 4 examples of push factors:

  • Bad living conditions, bad quality of life
  • Poverty
  • Possible corruption and war
  • Generally a low income, so lack of access to work.
• Many migrants are young people looking for work. This young population will have families and the population of the city will continue to grow.
• How does the growth of squatter settlements connect with rapid growth of cities?

  • Rural to urban migration ---> large number of people moving into cities (from the countryside) to seek out work, and they will live in an area they can afford, which causes slums.
  • Unemployment ---> large number of people moving into cities means the chance of competing for work is high, but unemployment is also high. Housing is often unaffordable, which leads to people having to live in slums.
• How does the growth of squatter settlements connect with rapid growth of cities? (2)

  • Poor urban planning ---> not enough affordable houses being built at the speed rate of which they are needed, leads to slums getting bigger.
  • Poor infrastructure ---> People have to live near where they can easily go to work and roads. Lack of transportation causes problems.
• The problem with slums:

  • Unstable land
  • Diseases being spread quickly
  • Overcrowding
  • Lack of accesses to services
  • Poor sanitation
  • Lack of privacy
  • Crime is often the only solution
• • Type of Urbanisation --> Suburbanisation
  • What it is --> The spread of cities outwards and the development of new residential areas. (moving to the out skirts of a city/country for a quiet lifestyle)
  • Causes? --> People moving to the outskirts for a more quiet and peaceful area with lower crime rates.
  • Consequences? --> House prices can increase as area becomes popular. Worries about losing green space so green belts were created. Higher polution/crime.
• • Type of urbanisation --> Counterurbanisation
  • What it is --> The movement of people from urban areas back into rural areas.
  • Causes? --> People moving to a quieter area with lower crime rate and cheaper prices
  • Consequences? --> Dormitory villages (people going into villages just to sleep)
• • Type of urbanisation --> Re-urbanisation
  • What it is --> People moving back into cities by regeneration (fixing , adjusting, updating)
  • Causes? --> New facilities, better jobs, urban regeneration, environmental quality
  • Consequences? --> UK cities grow against, economies grow stronger, making more money and jobs available.
• • London is the capital city of the whole of the UK. It is located in the South east of England. It is a worldcity, meaning it is important in the world economy. London's world city type is alpha++ , making it and NY the 2 most important cities economically. It is an economic hub, meaning London is an area with lots of headquarters, and a lot of foreign banks.
  • Foreign banks can attract people from outside of London. London has a current population of 9.8M , which makes it almost a megacity. London is quite densely populated, with about 5500 ppl per square km.
• Discuss the importance of an AC city you have studied (nationally and globally).

  National :

  • London generates 22% of the UKs income (which is high)
  • Several top universities ( UCL, LSE, Imperial college )are in London
  • Transport centres (railways, airports, roads) connect to the rest of the UK.

  Global :

  • More foreign banks in London than anywhere else
  • 20% of uni students in London are from overseas
  • Attractive to migrants : most diverse city in the UK
  • 5 major airports connect to the world.
• By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the worlds population will live in cities. Urbanisation has started to slow down but has no signs of stopping yet.
• The areas with high population density are also getting bigger over time. This is because of pull factors such as better jobs, entertainment, etc. This high population causes the housing to become very expensive. So people will live in rural areas like Luton and go to London to save money.
• Water stress


  when areas have limited water supply.
• In upland areas, the average rainfall is 2500mm per year. In contrast, the lowland's average rainfall is 500-625mm per year. The reason for that is because these mountainous areas create relief rainfall.
• With relief rainfall, theres uplands. Warm air blows towards that mountain range, and is has to rise above that mountain, so the air moves upwards. As it moves up, it has to cool down, or condense. The water vapour creates clouds and the clouds create rainfall. The air moves back down onto the other side (dry east) of the mountain.
• Causes of urbanisation inACs:

  • The cities grow as new houses, shops, amentites and services were built for the expanding population.
  • People moved to cities to look for work.
  • New factories opening up within cities (as part of the industrial revolution) providing jobs for people.
  • Less people being needed on farms , as the machines were doing the jobs instead.
• Causes of urbanisation (pull factors)

  • more jobs in urban areas that are better paid
  • better healthcare and education
  • to be with family members who have already moved.
• Causes of urbanisation (push factors)

  • natural disasters ---- e.g floods can damage property, which people cant afford to repair all the time.
  • conflict/war can cause people to flee their homes.
  • mechanisation of farming equipment means farms need less workers so there are fewer jobs.
• Urbanisation is also caused by internal growth -- where the birth rate is higher than the death rate.

  • The birth rate is high because of the young people who are moving and having children in the cities.
  • Also, better healthcare in the cities means people live longer, reducing death rates, and increasing the proportion of people in urban areas.
• shanty town


  Also known as informal housing, slums, squatter settlements, etc.
• Shanty towns are mostly found in LiDCs and are made of scrap materials.
• • Improving transport infrastructure allows people to commute into cities to work from further away. Crossrail will allow more people to commute into London and the high speed rail expands the number of people who can commute into London massively.