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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>.