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🌆 Urbanisation

🔑 Key Definitions​

  • Urbanisation: The increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas (towns and cities)
  • Rural–urban migration: Movement of people from rural areas to cities
  • Natural increase: Population growth due to high birth rate and/or falling death rate
  • Megacity: A city with over 10 million people
  • Squatter settlement: An area where people build homes illegally on land they do not own

📈 Reasons for Rapid Urban Growth

Urban growth is especially fast in developing countries.

1. 🚶‍♂️ Rural–Urban Migration​

🔄 Push Factors (leave rural areas)​

Physical factors:

  • Drought, floods
  • Poor soil fertility

Economic factors:

  • Lack of jobs
  • Low wages in farming
  • Mechanisation (fewer farm jobs)

Social factors:

  • Poor education and healthcare
  • Limited services

🌆 Pull Factors (attract to cities)​

Economic:

  • More jobs (industry, services)
  • Higher wages

Social:

  • Better healthcare, education
  • Better housing (in theory)

2. 👶 Natural Increase​

  • High birth rates in cities
  • Falling death rates due to better healthcare

3. 🌍 Government Policies​

  • Investment in cities
  • Development projects

4. 🏭 Industrialisation​

  • Growth of industries → more jobs → attracts migrants

🌍 Impacts of Urban Growth

🏙️ Impacts on Urban Areas​

❗ Negative Impacts​

1. 🏚️ Housing Shortages​

  • Rapid population growth → not enough housing
  • Leads to squatter settlements (slums)

2. 🚗 Traffic Congestion​

  • More people → more vehicles → overcrowded roads

3. 🌫️ Pollution​

  • Air, water, noise, visual pollution increase

4. ⚖️ Inequality​

  • Rich vs poor areas
  • Unequal access to services

5. 🗑️ Waste Disposal Problems​

  • Cities produce large amounts of waste

✅ Positive Impacts​

  • More jobs and economic growth
  • Better access to services
  • Improved infrastructure

🌾 Impacts on Rural Areas​

❗ Negative Impacts​

  • Rural depopulation (loss of people)
  • Loss of young, skilled workers
  • Decline in agriculture

✅ Positive Impacts​

  • Reduced pressure on land
  • Remittances (money sent back home)

🏚️ Squatter Settlements (Slums)

🔑 Characteristics​

  • Built illegally on unused land
  • Poor-quality housing (wood, metal sheets, plastic)
  • Overcrowded
  • Lack of basic services:
    • Clean water
    • Electricity
    • Sanitation
  • High unemployment
  • Health problems (disease spread easily)

📍 Example​

  • Kibera in Nairobi (one of the largest slums in Africa)

🌱 Effects of Urbanisation on the Environment

🌳 Negative Effects​

  • Deforestation (land cleared for housing)
  • Loss of farmland
  • Pollution (air, water, noise)
  • Urban heat island effect (cities hotter than rural areas)

💧 Water Issues​

  • Increased demand → shortages
  • Pollution of rivers

🛠️ Strategies to Reduce Negative Impacts

🏠 Housing Solutions​

  • Build affordable housing
  • Upgrade slums (water, sanitation, electricity)

🚉 Transport Solutions​

  • Improve public transport
  • Build roads and rail systems

🌱 Environmental Solutions​

  • Recycling
  • Green spaces
  • Pollution control laws

⚖️ Economic Solutions​

  • Create jobs in rural areas (reduce migration)
  • Develop smaller towns

🏛️ Planning Solutions​

  • Urban planning (zoning land use)
  • Limit urban sprawl

📍 Case Study: Rapid Urban Growth

🇰🇪 Nairobi (Kenya)​

📊 Key Facts​

  • Rapidly growing city
  • Population increasing due to migration and natural increase

🚶‍♂️ Migration to Nairobi​

Push Factors:​

  • Drought and poor farming conditions
  • Lack of jobs in rural areas

Pull Factors:​

  • Job opportunities
  • Better education and healthcare

⚠️ Problems​

  • Growth of slums (e.g. Kibera)
  • Traffic congestion
  • Pollution
  • Housing shortages

🛠️ Solutions​

  • Slum upgrading projects
  • Improved transport systems
  • Job creation
  • Infrastructure development

📝 Exam Tips

💡 For “Reasons for urban growth”​

  • Include:
    • Push + pull factors
    • Natural increase
  • Use examples

💡 For “Impacts”​

  • Cover BOTH:
    • Urban areas
    • Rural areas
  • Include positives and negatives

💡 For “Squatter settlements”​

  • Describe:
    • Housing quality
    • Services
    • Living conditions

💡 For “Strategies”​

  • Link solution to problem
    • e.g. housing shortage → build affordable homes

❗ Common mistakes​

  • Only giving push OR pull factors (need both)
  • Forgetting rural impacts
  • Not using a case study

📌 Quick Summary

  • Urbanisation = growth of cities
  • Caused by:
    • Rural–urban migration
    • Natural increase
  • Leads to:
    • Opportunities (jobs, services)
    • Problems (slums, pollution, congestion)
  • Solutions:
    • Planning, housing, transport, rural development