Settlement Dynamics: Mega Cities and World Cities Notes

Settlement Dynamics: Mega Cities and World Cities

Definitions

• In 2008, for the first time in history, over 50% of the world’s population lived in cities, and these numbers are increasing.
• Millionaire cities: Cities with over one million residents.
• Mega cities: Cities with at least 10 million people.
• Meta cities: Urban areas or conurbations with more than 20 million people.
• World cities: Cities that exert a dominant influence over continental and global economies and processes; classification doesn't depend on population size but they tend to have large populations.

Urban Trends and Issues of Urbanisation

• Urban Growth: The process of urbanisation and its causes and consequences in LICs (Low-Income Countries), MICs (Middle-Income Countries), and HICs (High-Income Countries), including counter urbanisation and re-urbanisation, competition for land and urban renewal.
• Concept of a World City: Causes of the growth of world cities and the development of a hierarchy of world cities.

Historical Context

• In 1945, the world’s biggest cities were mainly in Europe and North America.
• Currently, the majority are in Asia.
• World cities have changed less, with cities like Paris and London maintaining influence on global economics and politics.
• The number of millionaire cities has risen rapidly, from 12 in 1900 to over 500 in 2015.
• In 1950, only New York and Tokyo had megacity status; now there are 37 megacities.
• LICs have rapid rates of urbanisation, while HICs are experiencing slower rates or even a decline.

Hierarchy of World Cities: Growth Factors

• Demographic trends: Natural increase and rural-to-urban migration leading to population growth, creating both a labor force and markets.
• Economic development: Major manufacturing and service centers, along with transport infrastructure, make global cities key nodes in global trading systems.
• Cultural/social status: Attracts foreign direct investment and tourism.
• Political importance: Many world cities are capital cities and benefit from high levels of government investment, leading to good infrastructure.

Causes of Growth into Megacities

• Changes in natural increase: Better healthcare and sanitation in cities can lead to lower death rates and thus a natural increase in population.
• Rural-to-urban migration: People drawn to urban areas from rural areas, especially if there is a lack of development in rural areas.
• Capital cities: Tend to have more government investment, drawing in migrants. Governments can also change the capital city (e.g., Brasilia).
• Ports and trading cities: Coastal locations facilitate increased global trade, increasing the city's importance.
• Colonial influences: Exploitation of resources in colonies led to centralized urban areas, particularly port cities, being developed at the expense of surrounding rural areas.
• Economic reasons: Due to better infrastructure and larger labor pool, TNCs (Transnational Corporations) concentrate production in urban areas.
• Agglomeration factors: Factors that make it cheaper to produce goods when things are located close together, which generally occurs in urban areas.
• Technological changes: Changes in building technology mean larger buildings can be constructed.

Role of World and Mega Cities

Megacities and world cities exert global and regional influence:

1. Production: Large cities are centers of production. In LICs (Low-Income Countries), this is likely to be manufacturing, but in HICs (High-Income Countries), it is more likely to be research, development, and decision-making at the HQ of various TNCs located there.
2. Migration: Movement tends to be into major cities, influencing the labor market in the city and causing a brain or brawn drain from surrounding areas.
3. Globalisation of the economy: Major connections between world and mega cities mean trade, business, finance, and transport flow between these cities. These cities are central to global economic systems.
4. Governance: Some world or mega cities are centers of government, where national or regional decisions are made.

Characteristics of World and Mega Cities

Economic

• Contain corporate headquarters for TNCs, international finance corporations, international law firms, and stock exchanges.
• Contribute significantly to the national GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
• Tend to have a high cost of living compared to other cities.

Political

• Influence and participation in international events and world affairs.
• Contain headquarters for international organizations such as the World Bank, UN (United Nations), etc.
• Diverse demographics – multicultural, various ages, diverse education levels.
• High standard of living.

Cultural

• Renowned cultural institutions – art galleries (Louvre, Paris), museums (Natural History Museum, London), opera venues (Sydney Opera House), etc.
• Lively cultural scene – film festivals (Oscars), music performance venues (O2 Arena), annual parades (Rio Carnival, Notting Hill Carnival).
• Headquarters for international media outlets (e.g., BBC, New York Times).
• Strong sporting community – home teams for major sports (Chicago Bulls), ability to host international sporting events (Olympic Games, Grand Slam tennis, Formula One racing).
• World-renowned educational facilities with an international student body and high-quality research facilities (London School of Economics).
• Pilgrimage sites for world religions (Rome, Mecca, Jerusalem).
• Contain World Heritage Sites of historical or cultural significance (Imperial Palace, Beijing).
• High levels of tourism.

Infrastructure

• Advanced transport systems offering diverse methods of transport – rail, road, air.
• Major international airports – Heathrow, London.
• Advanced communications structure – fibre optics, wi-fi networks, cellphone services, etc.
• World-renowned healthcare facilities – University College Hospital, London.
• Prominent and recognizable buildings – Eiffel Tower, Paris, or Empire State Building, New York.

Impacts of Megacities

Megacities have significant environmental impacts:

• Resources (e.g., food and water) needed to sustain cities are often sourced from areas far from the city (e.g., Los Angeles obtains water from sources more than 200km away).
• Growth of cities (urban sprawl) leads to more land being cleared for building.
• Waste products produced by cities can have global impacts (e.g., traffic fumes contributing to global warming and power stations contributing to acid rain).
• High population densities mean cities cannot sustain themselves locally – resources need to be brought in, and waste products (e.g., rubbish, sewage) need to be disposed of, sometimes well outside the city limits.