Do you know what urbanization is?

Have you ever thought about the impact urbanization has

on rural areas? This will be the basis of my communication studies internal assessment. The
reason I chose this topic is because I, myself, live in a rural area and have seen both the
adverse and beneficial effects of urbanization and I intend to increase persons awareness of
them.
So, as to aid me in this venture, I gathered information from three sources. The first source
was an academic journal entitled, The Impact of Urbanization on Rural Land Use, the
second was an Agricultural Economic Report and my third and final source was an article
from an online magazine known as Tourism Review. Luckily, the only problem I encountered
is that there was such a vast fountain of information found on the topic it was hard to select
what to use.
To begin with, Urbanization is defined as the increasing concentration of population in urban
areas driven by the perceptions of the realities of different quality of life, example jobs or
living conditions between urban and rural areas. Within my first source the journal, The
Impact of Urbanisation on Rural Land Use, it reviews how the process of urbanization is
intimately linked to industrialization and technological advances. To expand, during the latter
half of the twentieth century, industrialization and technological change in production
processes fuelled the expansion of employment opportunities in urban regions, which on the
flip side, allowed the substitution of labour for capital thus reducing employment need in
activities such as mining, fishing, farming and forestry. However, advances in other
technologies such as microelectronics which include high speed, high capacity internet
connections, wireless computing and data transfers reduced the frictions of space and time
allowing businesses and people to more freely choose where they locate and work.
Consequently, this increased the availability of more diverse job opportunities in rural areas.
As this info relates to my theme, it is relevant and therefore valid. Also, it was authored by
Christopher Bryant, a geography professor whose doctoral dissertation was on urbanization
and agricultural change, then published relatively recently in 2003 by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) along with the Encyclopaedia
of Life Support Systems, which are large, reputable international organisations. This lends to
both its credibility and validity. There were citations and contact information provided of
both the publisher and the author increasing reliability. Plus, a bibliography was provided of
the several other experts in the field who peer-reviewed the journal before its publication,
thus removing any personal bias improving its reliability and validity. The aim of this source
was simply to educate and provide organised knowledge.
Now, we examine the second source, the Agricultural Economic Report under the name
Development at the Urban Fringe: The Impact on Agriculture and Rural Lands. It was
published in June of 2012 is a product of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic
Research Service which is well-known reputable government organisation ensuring
credibility. The author Ralph E. Heimlich is a regional scientist who has worked on land use
issues and the economics of agriculture and urbanizing areas for over 40 years, therefore his
comments and points presented in the report are valid. Given in the report are a summary of
findings and a comprehensive picture of urban development with regards to their impact on
agriculture and rural lands. Positively, it was noted that the proximity to urban centres and
expanding populations provided a larger pool of seasonal or part-time labour that is especially
important to harvest high value crops. Also, it provided greater off-farm employment

opportunities and chances for farmers to grow new crops and market them in new ways such
as being sold through restaurants, grocery outlets or directly to consumers through roadside
stands. Some negatively noted, were the loss of green spaces, crop yields deteriorating from
urban smog, theft and vandalism, growers facing increased pressure from water and land use
restrictions and lastly, complaints and conflicts arising between growers and new suburban
neighbours over early morning noise and farm odours. This report was found to be very valid
as its content so clearly pertains to my topic and is up to date. Included also were statistical
charts and tables multiple censuses done over a period of 10 years. This research method used
makes the data reliable and the length of research time increased its accuracy and credibility.
The authors summaries were also peer reviewed which stops substandard work from
reaching publication and aids in removing bias. This improves level of reliability and validity.
Contact information and references were also present increasing credibility.
Finally, the third source used was an article from an online magazine called Tourism
Review under the title Rural Tourism. The article speaks on how the stresses of urban
lifestyles have led to a growing interest in rural areas. Hence, opening a platform for rural
tourism which is socially beneficial for persons in the local community as it promotes rural
heritage and pride and also, economically, in terms of revenue and employment. However,
mismanagement of rural tourism development schemes lead to environmental damage and
increased urbanization. Statistics and numerical data were present in the article but references
to their data source werent which questions the accuracy and reliability. Although unreliable,
these statistics were valid since they related to the economic growth the rural tourism had
shown in recent years. The content of the article was also valid as it was published in 2011.
But, there was no name of the author and little information could be found on the
organization that runs the site resulting in a low level of reliability. Despite this unreliable
nature of the site, no ads were found and its purpose seemed simply to provide information
through articles and stories on tourism and trade from all over the world. This was showcased
as the article seemed to be free of bias and the author seemed impartial as he noted both the
positive and negative effects of rural tourism. Also aiding its validity other sources had
similar information.
Overall, all three sources provided relevant and useful information. The journal and economic
report however, had higher levels of validity and reliability than the online article. This was
shown as the information from the first two was given by persons who had authority to speak
on the issue concerning urbanization unlike the article whose author was not even mentioned.
They also were more reliable and credible since they supplied the necessary references and
background information of contributors and publishers.