Urban issues and challenges

Urbanisiation is the growth of proportion of people living in urban areas.

Urbanisation is caused by Rural - Urban migration and Natural increase.

Rural to urban migration is the movement of people from countrysides to cities.

Push and pull factors that affect rural to urban migration :

Natural increase is when birth rate exceeds death rate.

Mumbai case study

Location

Mumbai is located on the western coast of Maharashtra state in western India, bordering the Arabian Sea.

Regional importance

• Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

• Mumbai contributes 40% of Maharashtra state’s income.

• Mumbai provides employment opportunities. Over 3 million people commute to Mumbai each day for work.

National importance

• Mumbai is the financial capital of India

• Mumbai port is India’s main port on the Arabian Sea.

International importance

• Home to bollywood

• Air transport links to many world cities

Social opportunities :

• Access to healthcare- is improving in Mumbai. The city has more hospitals than any other urban area in India. Mumbai’s biggest public medical centre, Sion Hospital,  has grown from 50 beds in 1950 to more than 1400 beds today. The hospital admits more than 60000 patients each year. This increased the life expectancy to 71yrs which is more than any other city in india

• Good education - people will get good jobs meaning they will improve mumbais income

• Access to clean water - the sanitation increases which reduces the spread of diseases meaning the life expectancy rises

economic opportunities :

The rapidly growing population of Mumbai has created a demand for goods and services, which has created employment opportunities. Many migrants have been able to find jobs in the service sector as couriers, hairdressers and cleaners.

Mumbai has many job opportunities because it alone accounts for 6% of India’s GDP and 40% of its foreign trade.

Urban planning

• Mumbai slum electrification project - It aims to provide safe and reliable access to electrcity. Connection costs are 50 percent lower than the city with daily charges sitll being a barrier to people accessing this

Birmingham

Birmingham, a city in the West Midlands, enjoys a central position within England, extending along most of the Welsh border. Nestled in the heart of the West Midlands, Birmingham lies south of Telford, east of Wolverhampton, and west of Coventry and Leicester.

How migration affects birmingham :

• Culture :Migrants introduce a rich cultural mix to the city, contributing to Birmingham's status as one of the UK's most diverse cities, for example introducing various foods from many different countries. While this diversity can occasionally give rise to tensions, it also draws individuals and businesses to the city, which can welcome various jobs from different countries.

• Age structure – Immigrants often settle in city areas with a young population. They typically have young children or are on the verge of starting families, which leads to increased demand for school spots.

• Population - with immigrants settling in areas with young population, it means that the there is rapid increase in the population over the coming decades.

opportunities in birmingham :

• Cultural diversity allows people to experience different foods and religions.

• 5 universities and over 60000 students provide high level education which can possibly welcome access to jobs for the future.

• 140 shops within bullring brings many jobs for the economy.

• Urban greening such as planting more trees and introducing more cycle paths is better for the environment meaning people will feel more comfortable living in the city

Challenges in birmingham;

• the decline in the manufacturing industry means Less things are manufactured in Birmingham now as it is cheaper to make things abroad. This has led to factories shutting down such as the Rover factory in Longbridge causing builidngs to get derelict Therefore there is a loss of jobs.

• Rapid urbanisation has meant that housing has had to be built on greenfield sites. This leads to urban sprawl. In 2015 it was estimated that Birmingham needed 89000 new houses, but there is only space for 51100. Waste disposal is also an issue

• Migration has led to pockets of the city where people from different ethnic backgrounds tend to live. This can cause social tension.

Regeneration project of grand central :

The New Street Train Station which is connected to Grand Central was once voted the ugliest train station in the UK. 170,000 passengers a day use Birmingham New Street. Now, New Street is the busiest station outside London, with a train leaving every 37 seconds. The old train station gave a poor impression of Birmingham.

It now has panels of ETFE a plastic that is also recyclable and lets in lots of light to the central atrium while and reduces heat loss. 36 escalators & 15 lifts have improved access to the trains.

Reasons for the slow rate of growth in many HICs:

• • it has become easier in many HICs for people to commute to work

• many cities are already overcrowded in HICs so some people are tending to move to rural areas