URBAN ENVIRONMENTS – PART 1 UNIT 3 - Urban Populations

Urbanization  There are 2 main types of settlements:  Rural Settlement: dwellings that simply provide housing for farm workers. No services provided.  Urban Settlement: area of habitation that provides services to surrounding countryside

Urbanization  As soon as rural settlements begin to have services (shops, manufacturing) then they become urban settlements

‘Urban’  Different definitions are used around the world.  Makes international comparisons difficult  Australia – settlements more than 1,000  India – settlements more than 5,000

Urban Growth vs. Urbanization  Urban Growth 1. the increase in a size of a particular place 2. increase of the number of people living in urban centers

Urban Growth vs. Urbanization  Urbanization: 1. the increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas. (process) 2. the proportion of people living in urban areas at a given time. (level)

Early Urbanization  First cities appear approx. 6,000 years ago in Middle East  Prerequisites:  Agricultural surplus  Favorable bio-physical environment  Positive population growth  Defense  Trade  Organized religion

Early Urbanization  Ancient city growth limited because farmers didn’t produce enough of a surplus  Artisans in towns develop tools for farmers  Professional associations (guilds) form  Guilds live in their own part of the city  Markets become larger and organized around city center

Early Urbanization  Wealth obtained in cities leaves them open to attack  Cities build walls and castles for defense  Once safe, inward movement occurs, focus on education  Trade cities become scholar cities  Industrial Revolution 17 – 1800s  Focus on mass production, factories, colonies = HUGE SURPLUS OF GOODS.

Early Urbanization  Other parts of the world establish ports on the coast.  Africa is least urbanized but urbanization is the most rapid (more than Asia)

Urbanization in LEDCs  Sprawl: expand horizontally over great distances  Rural-Urban Migration: people move to cities from rural areas after considering push and pull factors  Chain Migration: step by step movement, village to small town to large town to city

Rural-Urban Migration  Typical migrant: young, single, male, in search of wealth  Circular Migration: migrants who return home and back to the city many times  Migrants have little urban environment skills, lack literacy  No money, have trouble finding housing

Consequences of Urbanization in LEDCs  Shanty Housing: self-help housing of scrap material  Squatters: people who do not own or have legal title to the land they live on  Most common in outskirts of cities where ‘free’ land is  Some shanties removed, others helped out

Consequences of Urbanization in LEDCs  Population structures are skewed because influx of males  Today, common for wives to later follow their husbands to cities  Crime, begging, work in informal (illegal/’immoral’) sector

Primate Cities  Large cities in LEDCs are primate  They dominate urban networks  Political, economic, social and cultural focus of their country  Has at least 5x the population of second largest city  Foreign investors place their money here