Urban Change Notes

Urbanisation

  • Definition: Increasing percentage of a country's population living in towns and cities.

  • Global Trends:

    • Developed countries: Highest levels of urbanisation.

    • Developing countries: High rates due to economic development and push-pull factors.

    • More people live in urban areas than rural areas.

  • Urbanisation Growth Rate: Varies between and within countries.

Rate of Urban Growth

  • Examples:

    • Rapid: India, Russia, Brazil, China.

    • Slow or declining: UK, Germany, Japan, America.

  • Trend: Asia expected to contribute 60% of global growth by 2030.

  • Factors:

    • Economic development concentrated in big cities.

    • Push-pull factors leading to rural-to-urban migration.

    • Higher natural increase in cities.

    • Developed countries: Lower rates as cities already exist.

    • Urban sprawl into rural regions.

Megacities

  • Definition: Cities with over 10 million people.

  • Growth:

    • 1970: 4 megacities.

    • 2018: 33 megacities (largest growth in Asia).

    • 2050: Two-thirds of world population projected to live in urban areas.

  • Reasons for Growth:

    • Economic development.

    • Population growth.

    • Economies of scale.

    • Multiplier effect.

World Cities

  • Characteristics:

    • Influential cores in the global economy.

    • Prestigious with status and power.

    • Critical hubs.

  • Top World Cities: London, New York, Tokyo (financial centers).

  • Southern Hemisphere: Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires.

Urban Primacy

  • Definition: Dominance of one city over the rest of the country.

  • Examples: London, Mexico City, Lagos.

  • Issues: Concentrated economic growth, political power, and urban problems in the primate city.

Causes of Urbanisation

  • Main Factors:

    • Speed of economic development.

    • Rate of population growth.

  • Economic Growth: Drives urbanisation through secondary and tertiary sectors.

  • Population Growth:

    • Natural increase (60% of urban growth).

    • Rural-urban migration (main source of labor).

  • Counter Urbanisation: Movement from urban to rural areas.

Push-Pull Factors

  • Push Factors: Reasons to leave the place of origin.

  • Pull Factors: Perceived outcomes attracting migrants to the destination.

  • Categories: Social, economic, political, environmental.

  • Rural-Urban Migration: Combination of push and pull factors.

Urbanisation Pathway

  • Concept: Countries become more urban as they develop economically.

  • Trend: Pace slows down with counter-urbanisation.
    *Natural increase accounts for roughly 60%60\% of urban population growth, due to decreased death rates and higher birth rates.

Urban Change: Positive Multiplier Effect

  • Urban Pull Factors: Higher wages, excitement, education, healthcare, job opportunities, public utilities, government support.

  • Growth Poles: Urban economic growth focused around ports and urban cores.

  • Multiplier Effect: New workers create demand, generating more development and growth.

Rural Push Factors

  • Factors: Limited healthcare and education, mechanisation of farming, lack of opportunities, government support, harsh lifestyle, unreliable food supplies.

  • Rural Reclassification: Rural regions reclassified as urban due to sprawl.

Counter Urbanisation

  • Definition: Movement from urban areas to rural regions.

  • Causes: Mobility, increased wealth, agricultural decline, green belt, second homes, early retirement.

Urban Economic Decline

  • Concept: Slowing economic growth can cause city decline.

  • Downward Spiral: Investment moves elsewhere, decreasing the city's economy.

Urban Economies

  • Differences: Vary between developed, developing, and emerging economies.

  • Categories: Informal and formal employment.

Informal Employment

  • Definition: Unregulated and unofficial employment.

  • Global Prevalence: Over 60% of world's employed population.

  • Location: Predominantly in developing and emerging countries.

  • Examples: Shoe shining, waste collecting, street vending, para-transit.

Formal Employment

*Workers have a contract.
*Jobs where workers pay taxes.
*Employees have legal protection which includes adherence to health and safety regulations.
*Jobs are more secure.
*Working conditions are controlled

Developing vs. Developed Cities

  • Dhaka (Developing):

    • Megacity with 22.5 million people.

    • High informal employment (over 75%).

    • Examples: Rickshaw drivers, waste workers, child labor.

  • London (Developed):

    • Population of 9.5 million.

    • Business services dominant (24%).

    • Informal employment around 10%.

Urban Population Change

  • Urban Process Timeline:

    • Agglomeration: People gather, trading posts develop.

    • Suburbanisation: Outward expansion with lower densities.

    • Dormitory Settlements: Residents commute to urban areas.

Re-urbanisation

  • Definition: Movement back into cities.

  • Causes: Increased jobs, regeneration, improved air quality and safety.

Deindustrialisation

  • Concept: Closure of industries leads to derelict areas.

  • Impact: Suburbanisation and counter-urbanisation, followed by re-urbanisation.

Urban Land Use

  • Zones: Areas with similar land values and needs.

  • Growth Pattern: Outward in rings from a historic core to an urban fringe.

Urban Land Use: Four Features

  • Central Core: Oldest, CBD (banks, retail, offices), high accessibility, high land cost.

  • Inner-City Ring: Older housing, derelict industrial areas, transport links.

  • Suburban Ring: Residential, detached houses, gardens, retail premises.

  • Urban Fringe: Outer edges, clustered housing, industrial land, business parks.

Factors Affecting Land Use

*Accessibility
*Planning decisions/regulations ('greenbelt')
*Land cost/value
*Topography (physical geography)

Land Use: Commercial

  • Location: CBD (historically), urban fringe (increasingly).

  • Reasons for Shift: Lower cost, more space, better accessibility, nicer environment.

Land Use: Industrial

  • Location: Inner city (historically), edge of the city (more recently).

  • Reasons for Shift: Lower cost, more space, better road access.

Land Use: Residential

  • Trend: Housing size increases with distance from CBD.

  • Patterns:

    • 19th-century terraced houses in the inner city.

    • 20th-century semi-detached houses in the suburbs.

    • 21st-century housing in the urban fringe and apartments in the inner city/CBD.

Land Use: Planning

  • Role: Local councils regulate where housing, industry, and commerce can be built.

  • Restrictions: Building on greenfield sites may be limited.