URBANIZATION
urbanization, the process by which large numbers of people become permanently
concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.
The definition of what constitutes a city changes from time to time and place to place,
but it is most usual to explain the term as a matter of demographics. The United
Nations does not have its own definition of “urban” but instead follows the
definitions used in each country, which may vary considerably. The United States, for
instance, uses “urban place” to mean any locality where more than 2,500 people live.
In Peru the term is applied to population centres with 100 or more dwellings.
History
Whatever the numerical definition, it is clear that the course of human history has
been marked by a process of accelerated urbanization. It was not until the Neolithic
Period, beginning at roughly 10,000 BCE, that humans were able to form small
permanent settlements. Cities of more than 100,000 did not exist until the time
of Classical antiquity, and even those did not become common until the
sustained population explosion of the last three centuries. In 1800 less than 3
percent of the world’s population was living in cities of 20,000 or more; this had
increased to about one-quarter of the population by the mid-1960s. By the early 21st
century more than half of the world’s population resided in urban centres.
The little towns of ancient civilizations, both in the Old World and the New, were
only possible because of improvements in agriculture and transportation. As farming
became more productive, it produced a surplus of food. The development of means of
transportation, dating from the invention of the wheel about 3500 BCE, made it
possible for the surplus from the countryside to feed urban populations, a system
that continues to the present day.
Despite the small size of these villages, the people in early towns lived quite close
together. Distances could be no greater than an easy walk, and nobody could live out
of the range of the water supply. In addition, because cities were constantly subject to
attack, they were quite often walled, and it was difficult to extend barricades over a
large area. Archaeological excavations have suggested that the population density in
the cities of 2000 BCE may have been as much as 128,000 per square mile (49,400
per square km). By contrast, the present cities of Kolkata and Shanghai, with
densities of more than 70,000 per square mile, are regarded as extremes
of overcrowding.
urbanization, the process by which large numbers of people become permanently
concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.
The definition of what constitutes a city changes from time to time and place to place,
but it is most usual to explain the term as a matter of demographics. The United
Nations does not have its own definition of “urban” but instead follows the
definitions used in each country, which may vary considerably. The United States, for
instance, uses “urban place” to mean any locality where more than 2,500 people live.
In Peru the term is applied to population centres with 100 or more dwellings.
History
Whatever the numerical definition, it is clear that the course of human history has
been marked by a process of accelerated urbanization. It was not until the Neolithic
Period, beginning at roughly 10,000 BCE, that humans were able to form small
permanent settlements. Cities of more than 100,000 did not exist until the time
of Classical antiquity, and even those did not become common until the
sustained population explosion of the last three centuries. In 1800 less than 3
percent of the world’s population was living in cities of 20,000 or more; this had
increased to about one-quarter of the population by the mid-1960s. By the early 21st
century more than half of the world’s population resided in urban centres.
The little towns of ancient civilizations, both in the Old World and the New, were
only possible because of improvements in agriculture and transportation. As farming
became more productive, it produced a surplus of food. The development of means of
transportation, dating from the invention of the wheel about 3500 BCE, made it
possible for the surplus from the countryside to feed urban populations, a system
that continues to the present day.
Despite the small size of these villages, the people in early towns lived quite close
together. Distances could be no greater than an easy walk, and nobody could live out
of the range of the water supply. In addition, because cities were constantly subject to
attack, they were quite often walled, and it was difficult to extend barricades over a
large area. Archaeological excavations have suggested that the population density in
the cities of 2000 BCE may have been as much as 128,000 per square mile (49,400
per square km). By contrast, the present cities of Kolkata and Shanghai, with
densities of more than 70,000 per square mile, are regarded as extremes
of overcrowding.
