Urbanisation

urbanisation

the process whereby an increasing number of people move into towns and cities

What are some push factors causing urbanisation?

• poverty

• war/conflict

• lack of job opportunities

• poor living conditions

• poor healthcare

• lack of educational opportunities

• low income

• isolation

• overcrowding

• low crop yield

• natural disasters

• droughts

• desertification

• flooding

What are some pull factors causing urbanisation?

• education

• healthcare

• job opportunities

• better living conditions

• better/higher income

• improved infrastructure

• improved road networks

• better quality of life

• transportation

metacity

a conurbation with more than 20 million people

megacity

a conurbation with more than 10 million people

urban sprawl

the spread of an urban area into the surrounding countryside

decentralisation

the movement of industry to the suburbs

homogenisation

when things become more similar

enumeration

population counts

SUPs

slum upgrading programmes

gentrification

when housing is improved with the wealthy population in mind to encourage them to buy new, often modern housing with a high price (from areas that were previously run down)

foreign investment

when wealthy individuals buy expensive housing/property which in turn pushes house prices up due to increased demand

suburbanisation

the outward growth of urban development which may engulf surrounding villages and towns into a larger urban agglomeration (the movement of people outwards from the city)

counter-urbanisation

the migration of people from major urban areas to smaller urban settlements and rural areas

What are some causes of counter-urbanisation?

• escaping air pollution and dirt

• escaping crime

• aspiring to the “rural idyll”

• car ownership and greater affluence, allowing people to commute to work

• improvements in technology, allowing more freedom of location

• speed of broadband and internet making working from home easier

• rising demand for second homes and earlier retirement

• more advanced transport networks leading to faster access to major road networks

What are some negatives of counter-urbanisation?

• “ruining” the natural beauty of the countryside

• only caters to the wealthy

• ‘colonisation of the picturesque area by monies second-homers’

• attracts only celebrities

• growing tensions between newcomers and locals

• former open areas are built on

• old properties and some agricultural buildings are converted and modernised

• some local services may close (e.g., schools, post offices) as newcomers have the wealth and mobility to access services in the city
  

urban resurgence

the economic and structural regeneration of an urban area which has suffered a period of decline