Urban growth rates (Cambridge International IGCSE Geography)

Specification link

This page covers section 7.1.1 of the CIE IGCSE specification.

• 7.1.1- Reasons for variations in global urban growth rates.

Reasons for variations in global urban growth rates

Spec point — Reasons for variations in global urban growth rates.

• The term 'urban area' refers to any highly developed built-up area, such as towns, cities, and suburbs

  • An urban area is characterised by a high density of man-made structures, including homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure

• Urban growth is the increase in the population size and/or physical area of a town or city

• Urban growth occurs because of:

  • Natural population increase

    • More people are born than die
    • Accounts for roughly 60% of urban population growth

  • Rural-urban migration

    • Accounts for 40% of urban growth
    • Due to rural push factors along with urban pull factors

  • Economic development

    • Countries become more urban as they develop economically

• Urbanisation is the process by which an increasing percentage of a country's population comes to live in towns and cities

• More people now live in towns and cities than in rural areas in search of a better quality of life

• Urbanisation growth rate varies **between and within countries **globally

• The world population doubled between 1950 and 2015, but the urban population more than trebled

• Modern transport and communication has created conurbations, further adding to the growth of urban areas

• High-income countries** (HICs)** show the highest levels of urbanisation, with the lowest levels being in Africa and SE Asia

• Government policies – Some governments actively encourage urban growth by investing in cities and infrastructure

  • China, for example, has rapidly urbanised through deliberate government planning
  • Other countries might focus more on rural development

HICs

• Rate of urban growth: Slow or declining

  • HICs have lower rates of urbanisation, as towns and cities already exist

• Example: UK, Germany, Japan, and America

• Cause: The industrial revolution 'pulled' the population into developing urban areas at that time

  • Nowadays, many people in HICs are being 'pushed' (counter-urbanisation) away from overcrowded cities to rural settlements
  • HICs tend to have good transport and communication networks; therefore, people can live in rural areas while commuting to cities or work from home

MICs

• Rate of urban growth: Rapid

• Example: India, Russia, Brazil and China

• Cause: These areas are becoming key trade hub cities and are seeing greater growth than others due to investment from the government and TNCs

  • Cities such as Lagos in Nigeria, Shanghai in China, Mumbai in India, Sao Paulo in Brazil and St Petersburg in Russia – none of these are the country's capital
  • Trade such as finance, electronics and manufactured goods

LICs

• Rate of urban growth: Fastest rates of urbanisation

• Example: Sub-Saharan countries, including Rwanda and Ethiopia. Asian countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines are expected to contribute 60% to global growth by 2030

• Cause:

  • Economic development is concentrated in the big cities
  • **Investment **in low-cost manufacturing of textiles, garments and shoes
  • High**** rates of rural-to-urban migration
  • High levels of natural increase in population

Urbanisation pathway

Megacities

• In 1900 there were just 2 'millionaire' cities (London and Paris); by 2018 this had grown to 512

• As the growth of cities continues, the term 'megacity' is used to describe cities with more than 10 million people

  • In 1970 there were only 4
  • By 2000 there were 15
  • 2007 saw more people living in an urban environment than a rural one
  • In 2018 that rose to 33

• Largest growth of megacities is seen in Asia – Tokyo has close to 37.3 million people

• By 2050 it is thought that more than two-thirds (7 billion) of the world population will live in urban areas

• This scaling up of the urban environment is the fastest in human history

Worked Example Which term is best defined by the phrase ‘the increasing percentage of the population living in towns and cities'?

[1 mark]

A: Urban regeneration

B: Urban sprawl

C: Migration

D: Urbanisation

Final answer: Answer:

• D: urbanisation [1]