Student Name: _________________________ Date: ______________________

What are some of the challenges of urbanization?

Vocabulary:

● Urbanization- the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more
people begin moving from the country to live and work in cities

● Informal Sector/Underground Economy-jobs which are not regulated or taxed by the government;
i.e. a person who shines shoes on the street corner, or who goes office to office selling homemade food

● Infrastructure-the basic equipment and structures (such as sewage systems, electrical grids, phone
lines, roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

● Sustainable Development-Developing a country’s economy without using up or polluting all the

resources that future generations will need to meet their own needs

● Push and Pull Factors-reasons that force people to leave their homes (push) or attract them to move to
another place (pull).

Developing Visual Literacy:

● How did the city of Dubai change during the 23 years between picture 1 and picture 2?

Picture 1 Picture 2

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1990 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2013

As you Read:
● Consider how rapid change can cause problems for national, state and city governments.

Article:
Rapid urban growth brings challenges to city governments around the world as they struggle to provide
housing, services, infrastructure, and jobs, as well as curb pollution and overcrowding. Governments have
limited amounts of money to spend on basic upkeep and services. As a result, cities experience challenges such
as environmental problems and poverty.

As an example, let’s look at Mexico City, one of the world’s largest urban centers. Today’s Mexico City is the
result of years of rural-to-urban migration by people looking for better economic opportunities. The first influx
of these economic migrants coincided with rapid industrialization in the late nineteenth century. The pull forces
of industrial jobs located in the urban center and the push forces of rural land policies which favored the
wealthy, drew people to Mexico City. The rural poor moved to the city as land was purchased around them by
wealthy landowners. Similar factors continue to bring economic migrants to Mexico City today, seeking a
better life for themselves and their families.

1. What push factors led to the urbanization of Mexico City?

Let’s Talk 2. What pull factors led to the urbanization of Mexico City?

Economic migrants move to the cities expecting to find jobs. Unfortunately, unemployment in crowded cities is
common. Some migrants find temporary jobs or work in the informal sector--“underground economies” that
are not taxed or regulated by the government.

People in overpopulated cities often do not have access to health care and education. Lack of infrastructure-
housing, electrical grids, sewer facilities, and roads-to support the growing population leads to the development
of shantytowns.

The influx of people to Mexico City puts enormous pressures on the natural environment. Underground water
aquifers are being depleted due to high demand, causing the city to sink into the spaces where water used to
collect underground. Inadequate sewer facilities leads to polluted land and water. Full of rubbish, landfills
have been closed. Unregulated by the government, shantytowns are built in environmentally sensitive areas
such as on hill sides where they are in danger of natural disasters like mudslides.

1. What challenges has rural-to-urban migration created for the

Let’s Talk government of Mexico City?

1. What is the population trend of Mexico City?

2. What is the difference in the city’s 1960 population and its projected 2020 population?
3. This father and his daughter are walking by an open canal filled with raw sewage. How could the
presence of a sewage canal in this neighbor pose a problem?