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Unit 3: Migration and Urbanization
Lesson 7
Urbanization
Urbanization is the process by which cities
are created. Urbanization is the movement
of people from rural to urban areas. This
type of movement has been happening on
Earth for a long time. Even in the great
ancient river civilizations, once men learned
to farm and store food, the resulting food
surpluses allowed for specialization. This
spawned the development of new types of
jobs in village-based societies. People moved
to these areas to fill these jobs, and they
became the first “urban” dwellers.
The Industrial Revolution of the
20th century accelerated the rate
of urbanization. During this time
in the United States and in many
European countries, there was a
shift from agricultural-based
economies toward machine-
based manufacturing. Inventions
and technological innovations
created the factory system of
large-scale machine production.
These factories created jobs, and
people from rural areas moved
closer to the factories in the hope of finding jobs and perhaps better lives.
After the Industrial Revolution, the pace of urbanization on Earth continued
to accelerate, especially in areas of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For
the first time in the history of the world, there are more people living in
urban than in rural areas. Some of these cities are larger than ever
Figure 7
Source:
http://africasacountry.files.wordpress.com/201
1/02/getimage.jpeg
Figure 8 Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations.
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30 November 2012
<http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf>.
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To see a visual representation of the world urbanization trend, use the link below:
http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/urbanmap.
imagined. A megacity is an urban area with more than 10 million residents. In 1950, there were only two megacities in the entire world, New York and Tokyo. However, by 2025, demographers predict that there will be 27 megacities. Tokyo, Japan is expected to have more than 36 million citizens! Such changes taking place over a mere 75 years is sure to make a long-lasting impact on the world. Benefits of Urbanization Why are so many people choosing to migrate to cities? Sometimes there
are push factors such as environmental damage, a lack of jobs, or a poor
standard of living that motivate people to leave rural areas. On the other
hand, urban areas may offer opportunities that cause people to want to live
there such as jobs, a higher standard of living, better educational
opportunities, or a greater variety of goods and cultural activities. In
addition, urban areas typically offer a higher life expectancy, lower poverty,
and can provide essential services, like water and electricity, more cheaply
than in rural areas.
Problems with Urbanization
Despite the many advantages of urban life, there are also some problems
that result when so many people live in a concentrated area. These
problems can include traffic congestion, air pollution, safety issues,
excessive garbage, and lack of green space.
Figure 9: Problems with urbanization
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Lastly, some cities have run-down areas
where housing and services such as water
and sanitation are inadequate. These
areas are commonly referred to as slums.
Slums are frequently a part of urbanization
especially when it occurs rapidly. Slums
occur in cities all around the world but may
be called by different terms such as
shantytowns or favelas.
Figure 10: Slum in Mumbai, India.
Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations.
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30
November 2012
<http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CS
IS_4.pdf>.
Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30
November 2012 <http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf>.