Transcript Urban Processes - Cheung Chuk Shan College

Location of urban
settlements
Urbanization
Urbanization
 It
occurs when the proportion of
urban population to total
population increases.
 Measures the % of total pop.
 It is a process by which the no. of
urban pop. increases while the
rural pop. decreases.
Urban growth
 It
refers to the actual increase in
the number of urban population.
Early Settlements

Iraq is pretty much
where the first cities
grew

The word
'Mesopotamia' is
in origin a Greek
name (mesos
'middle' and
potamos 'river',
so 'land between
the rivers').
The Fertile Crescent

Jericho, which is
in the middle of
the IsraelPalestinian issues,
is an OLD city

May be as much as
9,000 years old!
The Indus Valley
Mohenjodaro
and Harappa
were major
cities
 Civilization from
about 2500 BC
to 1500 BC

The Nile Valley

The Egyptian
civilization from
about 3500 BC

The pyramids of
Giza built at
about 2500 BC
Causes of Urbanization
Rural-urban migration
Rural-urban migration
 Movement
of people from rural to
urban areas
 Causes:
-- Population growth
-- Expansion of urban areas
Why more people in the
city?
This can be explained by push
and pull factors.
Agricultural improvements
 Farm
mechanization
 Opening up of rural land for
urban uses
 Food supply to cities
 Release of farm labour
Industrialization
 Agglomeration
economies
 Mushrooming of industries
 Large demand for labour
Market potential
 Market-oriented
locations for
industries
 Jobs attracting population
 Population = market
(snowballing effect)
Snowballing Effect of industrialization and urbanization
Industrial
growth
in cities
growth of
secondary and
tertiary ind. to
satisfy the demand
Demand for labour in
secondary industry
attracting more
people to come to the
cities  rural-urban
migration
greater demand
for goods and
services
urban growth/
urbanization
Increased service activities
 Higher
standard of living
 Need for greater economic and
social organization
 Retailing, entertainment,
catering, administration
 Growth of urbanism
Transport improvements
 Encourage
the horizontal
expansion of towns along major
routes
 Increase population mobility
 Facilitate rural-urban migration
Social and cultural attraction
 Availability
of social facilities,
e.g. theatres, art galleries
 Centre of urban life
Increased education
 People
become more
knowledgeable, ambitious
 Cities provide opportunities to
satisfy personal contentment
Natural population growth
 Migrants
are of fertile age
 Greater wealth makes large
families more viable
Urbanization in developed
countries
 Higher
level of urbanization
 Due to early industrialization
 Which led to rural-urban
migration
 Pull factors being more important
 rate of urbanization slows down
as farm mechanization is almost
complete
How do cities grow in
developed countries?
 Upward
growth
 Outward growth
Upward growth of the city
 Skyscrapers
 because
of rising land price in
the city centre
 taller buildings can maximize
floor space
 made possible with the dev. of
lifts and better building materials
Outward growth of cities:
Baltimore & Washington
areas in US
first took place along lines of
communication
 in a star or finger shape
 improvement in transport 
people travel faster & live
further from their place of work
 areas between roads are filled in
by settlement

Reasons for outward growth of
cities
(urban sprawl)
 lack
of land
 rising land price
 desire to have larger homes with gardens
 land price and rent is lower in outskirts of the city
(lower density housing  suburbs)
 improvement in transport + higher level of car
ownership  live in suburbs
HAMLET
VILLAGE
Hierarchy of urban
settlements
TOWN
MEGALOPOLIS
CITY
MEGACITY
CONURBATION
CONURBATION
METROPOLIS
CONURBATION
METROPOLIS
Conurbation = large urbanized area
Megalopolis = joining of
conurbation/many large cities
CHIPITTS
SANSAN
BOSNYWASH
Urbanization in developing
countries
lower level of urbanization
 late urbanization (in the 20th century)
 result of rural-urban migration
 push factors being more important
 urbanization is not accompanied by industrialization
 slow growth of industry
 living standard remains low
 unemployment in cities and people living in poverty

Urban growth in
developing countries
 very
rapid urban growth
 due to high natural increase +
rural-urban migration
 low level of urbanization
 increase of rural population
How do cities grow in developing
countries?
 concentrated
in one
single city
 usually the capital city
 built by the Europeans
during the colonial rule
  primate city
 e.g. Manila
developed around the city margin
 with shanty settlements
 as government doesn’t have money to
build houses

Slums