p2 URBAN FUTURES

URBANISATION

• Urbanisation is the increase in the percentage of people living in towns and cities. Urbanisation occurs because people move from rural areas (countryside) to urban areas (towns and cities).

RATES OF URBANISATION

• urbanisation happens at different rates in each country

• The most urbanised countries are mainly the AC’s of Europe, North America and Oceania

• the rate of urbanisation is slow in AC’s because most people are already living in cities

• the most rapid urbanisation is happening in EDC’s in Africa where the majority of people still live in the countryside

MEGACITIES and world cities

• MEGACITIES are super-sized cities with a population of over 10 million people

• e.g. London is a very large city but at only 9.5 million occupants, ISNT a megacity

• Most of the worlds megacities are located in Asia

• urbanising most quickly and also home to half the worlds population

• WORLD CITIES are the most important cities for the global economy, don’t exactly have to be megacities

• world cities are hubs for international trade

• Many banks and TNC headquarters are located in world cities as they are at the centre and thus most efficient place of international communication

• LONDON and NEW YORK are the two top world cities and known as Alpha ++ cities

causes of urbanisation in LIDC’s

• Africa is the worlds least urbanised continent

• urbanising most rapidly because there is the largest number of people living in rural areas that can move into cities

WHY?

• the most important factor is the rural-urban migration

• movement of people from urban areas to cities

PUSH AND PULL FACTORS

PUSH FACTORS:

• unemployment

• civil war and conflict

• poverty

• ill health

• harsh climate

• drought - leads to lower yield of crops= lower income

• famine

• lack of access to services for healthcare or education

• overpopulation, individual peoples farms becoming smaller

• poor transport networks

• NATURAL DISASTERS

PULL FACTORS:

• employment and better wages

• romanticizing city life

• better access to education- break out of toxic cycle of poverty

• no natural disasters or hazards

• better access to health services

• better lifestyle

• better transport networks

CONSEQUENCES OF RAPID URBAN GROWTH

SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS:

• cities in LIDCs and EDCs are expanding and growing so rapidly that it doesn’t allow time for planning

• Because there is no time or funds for new and suitable infrastructure to be built to cater to this influx of people, squatter settlements form

• over 1 billion people in the world live in squatter settlements

• A squatter settlement is a crowded area where people live in inadequate housing and poor living conditions.

CONSEQUENCES OF SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS

Most squatter settlements lack basic services:

• a clean water supply

• reliable sanitation and sewage systems

• reliable electricity

• waste collection

• roads and street lighting

HAZARDS:

• Buildings are built wherever there is available space, so buildings on steep hillsides are liable to be destroyed by landslips

• yet buildings built on flat land are also at risk as they are prone to natural flooding or overflowing sewage

• high density and the use of inflammable materials, like wood, means fire can spread very easily

• poor quality buildings means houses are very likely to collapse during earthquakes

• piles of uncollected waste cause air and water pollution

• poor sanitation and close proximity leads to diseases spreading very fast

rate of urbanisation UK

• the rate of urbanisation has slowed down

• 80% of people live in cities in the UK

• the urban and rural population are relatively steady

SUBURBANISATION (urban trend)

SUBURBANISATION:

• people moving out of the city centre to the suburbs on the edge of the city

DRIVEN BY:

• high population density and congestion in city centres - CAUSES POLLUTION that drives people out for the sake of their health

• pollution from industry

• cheaper land and house prices further from the city centre

• RURAL IDYLL- quality of life better

• planning to have a family etc.

  • became possible because of the improvement to transport links in the 20th century

  • lead to urban sprawl

• STRAIN ON GREEN BELTS

• MORE CONGESTION FOR PEOPLE TRAVELLING INTO TOWN FOR WORK

COUNTER-URBANISATION

• the movement of people from urban areas to rural areas in the countryside

DRIVEN BY:

• population gets older and the elderly move out of the city when they retire to be in a more quiet, less bustling area

• younger people also moving out of the cities to raise families in a better setting

• leading cause is pollution in cities

CONSEQUENCE:

• old urban areas have now become neglected and allowed to deteriorate over time after essentially being abandoned

RE-URBANISATION

• PEOPLE MOVING BACK INTO CITIES FROM RURAL AREAS, UK cities growing again

• since the 1980’s, many cities in the UK have been brought back to life via urban regeneration

AIMS:

• bring derelict land and buildings from counter-urbanisation back to suitable for use

• build new homes

• encourage investment in new jobs

• improve the quality of the environment of the area so it becomes more attractive to families once more