Globally, fewer cities are projected to see their populations decline from today until , compared to what has occurred during the last two decades. The rural population of the world has grown slowly since and is expected to reach its peak in a few years.
The global rural population is now close to 3. India has the largest rural population million , followed by China million. Today, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. By , the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa.
They are areas in transition from countryside to city rural to urban , often with undeveloped infrastructure, where health and sanitation services are under pressure and where the natural environment is at risk of degradation. Defining the boundaries of urban, peri-urban and rural areas is not straightforward. They do not neatly separate themselves by lines on a map. On the contrary, the sprawling nature of urban development means that the areas merge into each other.
The lack of a clear boundary can make it difficult to assess the size of towns by their population or geographical area. However, judgements have to be made and, for planning and administrative purposes, data on population size are collected. Table 5. Of the four cities with a population of more than ,, by far the largest is Addis Ababa. The next-largest city, Dire Dawa, had only , occupants at that time. The impacts of urbanisation are generally much more evident in the capital than in other towns and cities.
Urbanisation in the developing world occurs for two main reasons: the natural increase of population and rural to urban migration. From Study Session 2 you will know that the population is increasing in developing countries.
This natural increase is a significant cause of the growing urban population. As birth rates decline over time, according to the demographic transition model, the role of natural increase in determining the pace of urban population growth becomes less important in comparison to migration. In developing countries, urbanisation usually occurs when people move from villages to settle in cities in hope of gaining a better standard of living.
The movement of people from one place to another is called migration. Migration is influenced by economic growth and development and by technological change Marshall et al. It is driven by pull factors that attract people to urban areas and push factors that drive people away from the countryside. Employment opportunities in cities are one of the main pull factors. Many industries are located in cities and offer opportunities of high urban wages.
There are also more educational institutions providing courses and training in a wide range of subjects and skills. All of these factors result in both temporary and permanent migration to urban areas. Poor living conditions and the lack of opportunities for paid employment in rural areas are push factors. People are moving away from rural areas because of poor health care and limited educational and economic opportunities as well as environmental changes, droughts, floods, lack of availability of sufficiently productive land, and other pressures on rural livelihoods.
Rural to urban migration can be a selective process, as some types of people are more likely to move than others. One of the factors involved is gender, because employment opportunities vary greatly with different jobs for men and women.
Another factor is age. Young people are more likely to move to towns, with more elderly people and children left in rural areas. Selectivity in migration affects the population in both the rural and the urban areas. If more men move to towns and cities than women, this leaves a predominantly female society in rural areas.
Although people are pulled towards the advantages of cities, the impacts of urbanisation are mixed. First we will look at the many positive impacts of urbanisation before going on to describe some of the challenges created by rapid unplanned urban growth. Thriving towns and cities are an essential element of a prosperous national economy. The gathering of economic and human resources in one place stimulates innovation and development in business, science, technology and industry.
Access to education, health, social services and cultural activities is more readily available to people in cities than in villages. In cities, child survival rates are better than in rural areas because of better access to health care Mulholland et al. The density of urban populations makes it easier and less costly for the government and utilities to provide essential goods and services Brockerhoff, For example, the supply of basic facilities such as fresh water and electricity can be achieved with less effort and less cost per person.
Schools, colleges and universities are established in cities to develop human resources. A variety of educational courses are available, offering students a wide choice for their future careers. People of many classes and religions live and work together in cities, which creates better understanding and harmony and helps break down social and cultural barriers.
Cities also have advanced communication and transport networks. However, these many benefits of urban life do not apply to all. Rapid population increases and unplanned growth create an urban sprawl with negative economic, social, and environmental consequences. In Ethiopia, the rate of urban growth often strains the capacity of local and national government to provide urban residents with even the most basic services of housing, water supply, sewerage and solid waste disposal MWUD, In developing countries, about a third of urban inhabitants live in impoverished slums and squatter settlements UN-Habitat, There has been a recent growth in out of town shopping centres, which has led to the decline of many CBDs central business districts.
The area had been in decline since the 's. This is because larger ships could no longer access the port. Unemployment soared, the back to back terraced housing fell into disrepair and their was a lack of transport and leisure facilities. The area became on the first Enterprise Zones in The land was made rate free for ten years.
Between many changes occurred within the Docklands. For example: Employment Low rents attracted a number of hi-tech and financial firms. Housing Many of the former warehouses have been transformed into luxury flats. This is an example of gentrification. Low cost housing has also been built along with the renovation of older council owned properties. Leisure A large shopping area was constructed close to Canary Warf.
A number of parks have been created where buildings once stood. More recently the Millennium Dome was built in this area. London's Docklands. Links History of the London Docklands. Development Corporation Time Line of Events Although the redevelopment of London's Docklands brought many benefits to the area there are some groups who oppose the changes. This includes some of the original inhabitants of the area who are now unable to afford to live there.
The majority of the jobs in the new hi-tech industries are unsuitable to unemployed docker workers. An urban area is a built-up area such as a town or city. A rural area is an area of countryside. As a country industrialises, the number of people living in urban areas tends to increase.
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