© Karen Devine http://www.devineconsult.com.

au
CONSEQUENCES OF URBANISATION.
Provide a list of the economic, social, and environmental consequences of urbanization.
ECONOMIC
 Urban poverty. Urban poverty is
exacerbated by limited access to
land, as well as the high costs of
food, water, housing, power,
healthcare, transportation, and
education.
 Cities cannot afford the supplies
and housing needed for every
resident.
SOCIAL
 More people live in unstable
housing, such as rented and
insecure houses and apartments.
 Traffic fatalities. An increasing
number of busy roads and cars
means an increase of deaths on
roads.
 Lack of jobs. At the rate that cities
are filling up, there are not enough
jobs for everyone. Lack of jobs
means that citizens cannot afford
their necessary resources.
 Negative effects such as poor and
tough living conditions can bring
about the development of violence.
ENVIRONMENTAL
 Air pollution. Scientists have
proved that the air quality in urban
areas is significantly worse than
that of rural areas.
 Water pollution. Untreated waste
such as chemicals and metals are
discharged from factories into
water bodies.
 Energy demand. Over usage of
energy can be very harmful
towards the environment, and in
many cities, it is rising fast.
 Waste. Cities steadily produce
higher amounts of waste every
year, which is very bad for the
environment.
WORD FIND.

I Y I N H R R U R A L U R B A N M I G R A T I O N
M N J B R S E L M V R R P H A I D W E B C G N C F
T W D Z D F U L E B Y O N W O T Y T N A H S F K Z
B S O U M R Q Q A C R T G G C J J Q T E S Z E K M
M N J A S R N N O Z O C Z I W G C V R F A W N G T
H P I A Y T I I F H W A F S Y T T S I J O H G K L
W J A D J S R H C O L F H A T Y T J F V F S H R U
K B H P A O I I I Z D L L U V O V H I T Q B R K E
A D H T F E J U A A S L S Z D E S E C O Y B D C F
W F I R I F G N D L Z U R D T Z L E A L Y J H J L
H O U Q R R S T S N I P F F P G F A T D P G L Y A
N X Y I F O P R P E T S N I Q Q E V I Z J Y V H U
G P C B F I G Z M U O D A Z L N B O O P O H L H O
D R L C Z M T D E O Y R P T O F M Y N J N B R T V
X F O J S E R F O Z S D Z I I I Z P Y O I R R W B
A I B T I Q H V C J K X T Y X O W R M Z S B V W N
M I B C C K Q E X S X U G F N L N B W L G A C U H
X T E N G A O H Q S L Z C R U U A A R N Q U S S M
G O O B R D F S G L F I R V J M X J F P Q G O D T
Y N A V U E U H O P P V A O U W C A W V C X U M A
M Y P J W C M P S O V Y F D B M E G A C I T Y J R
X P N F I G W L H U T J C A S F L I C Q T Y V W A
K S P B X N L T L N P Y K L W J V E T J B D K H T
T N E T G X R R E G P E H N G Y W D M M F R N Q E
U N U G H D Z T O D Q F H S A F F P N D I Y V N G

FAVELA: A favela is a slum or shantytown. It is usually located on the

outskirts of cities.
GENTRIFICATION: Gentrification is the process of wealthy people
moving into poorer neighborhoods.
INDUSTRIALISATION: Industrialization is the development of
industries across a place.
MEGACITY: A megacity is a large city, with high populations in the
millions.
POLLUTION: Pollution is the release of harmful toxic gases and
materials into the air and environment.
PULL FACTOR: A pull factor is a factor that draws a population towards a
country or place.
PUSH FACTOR: A push factor is a factor that pushes people away from a
country or place due to negative features.

© Karen Devine http://www.devineconsult.com.au

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION: Rural-urban migration is the transition from
rural areas to urban areas.
SHANTY TOWN: A shanty town is small neighborhood located on the
outskirts of a city. Shanty towns have many shanties.
URBANISATION: Urbanization is the name given to the process that
makes a rural area urban.

© Karen Devine http://www.devineconsult.com.au

 RESEARCH TASK.

Tokyo is the world’s most populated megacity. Outline the

consequences of urbanization for this city.

Consequences of urbanization for Tokyo.

Urbanization is an inevitable consequence of modernization. Such has happened to Tokyo, capital city of Japan, and
largest megacity in the world, with a population of 37.4 million.
In 1955, Japan launched a high-economic growth policy, a policy that planned on doubling Japan’s economy through
a number of means, including the increase of urban and industrial development. From here on out, Japan’s
urbanization rates only rose. In 2019, about 91% of the Japanese population was living in urban areas, with less than
9% living in rural areas.
Tokyo, as previously stated, is the lion’s den. Urbanization has brought about many challenges and consequences for
residents of Tokyo, and some are mentioned below.

1. Overpopulation.

Overpopulation is a definite consequence for Tokyo. An increased population means a high demand for resources
and services, such as food, water, energy, and healthcare. Services such as transportation and housing are high
demand too, all factors that might not be affordable on such as large-scale demand. All this almost squandering
consumption paves way for major ecological damage, which in itself is another problem.

2. Ecological damage.

Ecological damage is mainly caused by human disturbance on the environment. In Tokyo, air pollution is a big
problem. The air is considered moderately unsafe. The reason for this is because of the massive increase in industrial
manufacturing. The most recent data indicates the country’s annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 12 µg/m3 which
exceeds the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3.

3. Deforestation.

The rate of forests in Tokyo is about 36.27%. This is extremely low. From 2010 to 2020, deforestation rates rose 2%.
Tokyo was responsible for 71% of all tree loss in Japan.
 TRUE/ FALSE QUESTIONS.
Answer true or false to the following statements:

Statement True or
false
1) Global populations have been progressively moving False
from urban to rural areas.

2) The World Bank estimates that 200 million people True

moved into urban areas in Asia between 2000 and
2010.
3) Over 90% of urban growth is occurring in developed False
nations.

4) The rising infant mortality rate and death rates are False
contributing to population growth.

5) In developing nations, a large number of migrants to True

urban areas are young and their fertility rates add to
population pressures.
6) The United Nations expects the global population to be True
9.8 billion in 2050.

7) Migration from rural to urban areas can be due to True

both push and pull factors.

8) A push factor attracts a person to migrate to an urban False

area, whereas a pull factor encourages them to leave
the urban area.
9) Tokyo, Jakarta and Delhi are the world’s most False
populated megacities with 93.4 million people between
them.
10) India is predicted to be the most populated nation by True
2050.
 Indonesia is one of Australia’s closest neighbours and is quickly
becoming one of the world’s most urbanised nations.

 Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city, is the second-most populated

city on the planet.

 There is a large amount of rural-urban migration to Jakarta as

people seek increased employment opportunities, increased
incomes and improved standards of living.

 However, people typically find that demand for work often

outstrips supply and the result is an increasing unemployment
rate resulting in poverty.

 Many less developed countries, such as Indonesia, have few

welfare programs to support the urban poor and these people
live in slums known as Kampungs.

 Kampungs are usually located along polluted waterways and

contain densely populated, poor-quality housing with
inadequate sanitation or sewerage systems. They demonstrate
economic dualism in a modern metropolis.

 People have often migrated to Jakarta to enable access to

quality water, yet find that this is largely only available in
bottles which are expensive.

 Urban planning in Jakarta is poor. There is traffic congestion

full of poor-quality vehicles which emit high levels of
greenhouse gases. Hence, the result is a very noisy and polluted
city.
 The congestion and social and economic consequences of living
in Jakarta, have forced moves to suburbanisation in recent
decades.

 Urban growth in Jakarta has significant consequences such as:

a) Declines in rural populations

b) Increased average ages of rural workers
c) Decreased services available in rural areas. Eg: Health care
d) Decreased average ages of urban dwellers which means a
higher fertility rate and hence, further increases in urban
populations
e) Development of a social underclass in urban areas where the
poor live in slums surrounded by commerce, business and
wealthier city life
f) Poor infrastructure development to cope with a population
that is expected to grow by 7 million in the next 15 years.
 Conurbation

Megacity

Metropolis

Provide details of the features of these settlements.

City

Town
Village
Hamlet

© Karen Devine http://www.devineconsult.com.au

Urban Settlements

Hamlet.

A hamlet is settlement smaller than a village. Features of a hamlet include

farms, mills, mines, workers, farmer, etc. A hamlet usually consists of a
small population, usually only 5-6 families.

Village.

A village is a settlement larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town.

Villages are found in rural settlements. A village normally includes small
houses, villagers, pastureland, animals, and wells.

Town.

A town is a settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. Features
of a town include trades, residents, mines, transport, services, and political
and economic systems.

City.

Cities are settlements larger than towns, or else called “important towns”.
Cities include buildings and highways, as well as private and public
transportation.

Metropolis.

A metropolis is a larger, more densely populated city, usually the capital of

its country. Features include large populations, large economies, urban
core, transportation, infrastructure, and commercial areas.

Megacity.

Megacities are huge cities, with over 10 million residents, urban areas,
abundant jobs, high rates of immigration, extreme pollution, and slum
settlements.

Conurbation.

A conurbation is a massive settlement, including metropolises, cities, and

other urban populations.