Urbanization – Part Two

GGS 12Manuel/Sheppard

URBAN vs. RURAL

• HAMLET– Less than 100 people

• VILLAGE– Between 100 and 1000 people

• Ex. Aylesford, Tatamagouche

RURALRURAL

• TOWN– Between 1000 and 10 000 people

• Ex. Windsor, Bridgewater

• CITY– Over 10 000 people

• Ex. Truro, Dartmouth

• METROPOLIS or METROPOLITAIN AREA– Over 100 000 people

• Ex. Halifax Regional Municipality

URBANURBAN

Statistics Canada considers any community with at least 1000 people to be an urban community.Statistics Canada considers any community with at least 1000 people to be an urban community.

• MEGA-CITY or MEGALOPOLIS– over 10 000 000 people

• Ex. Tokyo, Los Angeles, Mumbai

• CONURBATION – formed when separate cities and their suburbs grow into

each other, forming an even larger urban complex. – Ex: New York City, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston.

“BosNyWash” All together they hold over 40 million people.

Population Pressure: Mexico City

• Watch the video and answer the questions distributed.

CAUSES OF URBAN GROWTH

• Two main avenues of urban growth:

– Natural Increase• Fueled by improved food supplies and medical care.

– Migration• Caused by push factors forcing people out of the

countryside, and pull factors drawing them into cities.

PUSH FACTORS leading to rural-urban migration in developing countries…

• Poverty and poor living conditions.• Few job opportunities.• Lack of educational opportunities.• Medical facilities are rare.• Most land is owned by landowners who pay low wages.

Migration PULL FACTORS to the City

• Excitement and Vitality• Jobs• Housing• Entertainment• Social Mobility and Power• Specialization of Professions• Schools• Transportation• Specialized Medical Care

CURRENT URBAN PROBLEMS

• Developing World– Uncontrollable Growth• Traffic and Congestion• Air Pollution• Sewer Systems and Water Pollution–Only 35% of urban residents in

developing world have satisfactory sanitation.– About same percentage do not

have safe drinking water.

Current World Problems

• Housing– At least 1 billion people live in slums of central

cities and in shantytowns in the outskirts of cities.• Around 100 million people have no home at all.

Current World Problems

• The Developed World– Rapid growth of cities that accompanied

industrialization has mostly slowed or reversed.• Many of the environmental problems have been

reduced.– Many major polluters have moved to developing countries.

Counterurbanization• The process of people

leaving cities to find a better lifestyle in the outer suburbs or rural areas.

• Most likely to occur in

developed countries (MDCs).

PUSH FACTORS leading to Counterurbanization in MDCs

– quiet living– more living space– cheaper land and homes– freedom/privacy– slower paced lifestyle– better air quality– smaller class sizes in schools– outdoor entertainment, hiking,

hunting, etc.