Contemporary Urban Environments.
Global Patterns and Urban environment categorizations:
Key terms-
Urban growth-the increase in the total population of a town or city.
Urbanization-the increase in the proportion of the population living in Urban areas.
Megacity-Metropolitan area with a total population more than 10 million.
Urban sprawl-the spread of an urban area into the surrounding countryside.
World city-a city that acts as a major center for finance, trade, business, politics serving not just a
country or region but the whole world. A city of international significance and importance.
What is the difference between urbanisation and urban growth?
Urbanisation is to do with the proportion of the people that are living in urban areas in relation to
the rural population, but urban growth is the rise of the population of an urban area irrespective of
changes in rural population.
What are the causes of urbanisation?
Natural population growth-Generally the demographic of those moving to cities are young people
of child-bearing age and so rates of natural population growth are higher in cities due to the
concentration of this age group. In HIC, the rising cost of living in the suburbs and commuting means
that more young families/couples are staying in the city.
Rural-urban migration-Push factors cause people to move away from rural areas and pull factors
attract them to urban areas. In LICs push factors tend to be more important than pull factors.
What are the push and pull factors?
Push Factors (away from rural areas) Pull Factors (towards cities)
Population growth means that the same area Employment in manufacturing and service
must support more people leading to over industries is better paid than rural work and
farming, soil degradation and low yields. This there is a high demand for unskilled labour in
encourages mal-nutrition and lowers QOL. cities.
Agriculture problems including desertification Opportunities to earn money from the informal
because of low rainfall. sector.
High levels of local diseases and inadequate Better quality social provisions from basic
medical provisions. needs to entertainment.
Natural Disasters. Relative safety (esp. from more rural terror
groups)
Wars and civil strife. Perceived better quality of life- in part true
Traditional rural communities being pushed off because of better services etc. but this is fed
their land which is used for cash crops for the and exaggerated in part by the media and
global food market. quality of life may not actually be improved
through moving to a city.
How have global patterns of urbanisation changed since 1945?
Overall, since 1945 urbanisation has been increasing steadily and there has recently been an
increase in the rate of urbanisation since 2005.The urban population has increased from around 0.7
billion in 1945 to 4.5 billion currently. The continent with the highest urban population is Asia and
this is where the rate of urbanisation has been highest. The urban population has increased from
0.25 billion in 1945 to just under 2 billion currently. Europe and North America have seen the
lowest rates of urbanisation and have not seen a significant rise in urban population since 1945.
Global Patterns and Urban environment categorizations:
Key terms-
Urban growth-the increase in the total population of a town or city.
Urbanization-the increase in the proportion of the population living in Urban areas.
Megacity-Metropolitan area with a total population more than 10 million.
Urban sprawl-the spread of an urban area into the surrounding countryside.
World city-a city that acts as a major center for finance, trade, business, politics serving not just a
country or region but the whole world. A city of international significance and importance.
What is the difference between urbanisation and urban growth?
Urbanisation is to do with the proportion of the people that are living in urban areas in relation to
the rural population, but urban growth is the rise of the population of an urban area irrespective of
changes in rural population.
What are the causes of urbanisation?
Natural population growth-Generally the demographic of those moving to cities are young people
of child-bearing age and so rates of natural population growth are higher in cities due to the
concentration of this age group. In HIC, the rising cost of living in the suburbs and commuting means
that more young families/couples are staying in the city.
Rural-urban migration-Push factors cause people to move away from rural areas and pull factors
attract them to urban areas. In LICs push factors tend to be more important than pull factors.
What are the push and pull factors?
Push Factors (away from rural areas) Pull Factors (towards cities)
Population growth means that the same area Employment in manufacturing and service
must support more people leading to over industries is better paid than rural work and
farming, soil degradation and low yields. This there is a high demand for unskilled labour in
encourages mal-nutrition and lowers QOL. cities.
Agriculture problems including desertification Opportunities to earn money from the informal
because of low rainfall. sector.
High levels of local diseases and inadequate Better quality social provisions from basic
medical provisions. needs to entertainment.
Natural Disasters. Relative safety (esp. from more rural terror
groups)
Wars and civil strife. Perceived better quality of life- in part true
Traditional rural communities being pushed off because of better services etc. but this is fed
their land which is used for cash crops for the and exaggerated in part by the media and
global food market. quality of life may not actually be improved
through moving to a city.
How have global patterns of urbanisation changed since 1945?
Overall, since 1945 urbanisation has been increasing steadily and there has recently been an
increase in the rate of urbanisation since 2005.The urban population has increased from around 0.7
billion in 1945 to 4.5 billion currently. The continent with the highest urban population is Asia and
this is where the rate of urbanisation has been highest. The urban population has increased from
0.25 billion in 1945 to just under 2 billion currently. Europe and North America have seen the
lowest rates of urbanisation and have not seen a significant rise in urban population since 1945.
