URBANIZATION AND LIABITIY

ID:1601111600231
1601111600233
INTRODUUCTION
Urbanization is now a global phenomenon.
Historically known as a rural-agrarian country,
Bangladesh today is experiencing rapid
transformation towards an urban society. However, the
style and nature of urbanization in Bangladesh are not
necessarily similar to those in other countries. We are
experiencing an extraordinary mix of urban-rural
functions and traits in both metropolitan cities and
rural towns as well as in villages. Bangladesh is one of
the world’s most densely populated country and has
also faced rapid
population growth throughout the last century
although the population growth rate has somewhat
decreased to a moderate level in recent times. The
country is going to witness a rapid spread of
urbanization over the next decade. According to an
estimate, by 2020, nearly every other man, woman
and child will live in an urban area (World Bank
Bangladesh 2020). Unless this spread is effectively
managed, the chaotic conditions and accompanying
ills like pollution, joblessness and exacerbation of
criminal activities is likely to multiply.
Absolute increase in urban population outstripping that of rural population: For the first time in
Bangladesh, the absolute increase in population in the decade 2001-11 is more in the urban areas than
that in the rural areas. The increase of 14.1 million persons to urban population during 2001-2011 is
not only the highest registered thus far (by a huge margin) it is also higher than the increase of 12.5
million persons to rural population. This can be rightly said to be a turning point in Bangladesh’s
demographical transition. From now on, population growth in Bangladesh is expected to be largely an
urban phenomenon, and by 2047, 50 per cent of Bangladesh’s population is estimated to live in urban
areas.

The actual size of the urban population at that time would simply be staggering, being more than 120
million, and the national population even more so with nearly 240 million people. The implications of
the massive size of the national population and that of the urban population are manifold and
extremely critical and challenging. The challenge will be particularly paramount in the field of
environmental sustainability, with threats of encroachment into wetlands, forests and agricultural
lands.
WHAT IS URBANIZATION?
• Urbanization is a process whereby populations move from rural to urban areas, enabling cities and
towns to grow. It can also be termed as a progressive increase in the number of people living in
towns and cities. It is highly influenced by the notion that cities and towns have achieved better
economic, political, and social mileages compared to rural areas.
• Accordingly, urbanization is very common in developing and developed worlds as more and more
people have the tendency of moving closer to towns and cities to acquire “privileged” social and
economic services as well as benefits. These include social and economic advantages such as
better education, health care, sanitation, housing, business opportunities, and transportation.

CURRENT SCENARIO OF URBANIZATION

• Bangladesh’s urban population has been growing at a
yearly average rate of 6 percent since independence, at a
time when the national population growth was 2.2 percent.
As a result, urban population has grown six-fold, compared
with a 70 percent increase in rural population (World Bank,
2007).
• As per recent UN data, approximately 25 percent of Bangladesh’s current population currently
lives in urban areas. Of this urban population, more than half lives in the four largest cities:
Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. With a population of almost 12 million, Dhaka is the
capital and largest city in Bangladesh. It is also the 11th largest city in the world.
• At the same time, it is consistently
ranked as one of the world’s least
livable city. Although income growth is
higher and the poverty incidence is
lower than the rest of Bangladesh,
Dhaka still is a low income city with
large numbers of poor when compared
with most mega cities of the world.
Holding the prospects for better income
opportunities than most parts of
Bangladesh, rapid migration is causing
Dhaka’s population to grow much faster
than the rest of the country. This fast
urbanization is putting pressure on the
city’s limited land, an already fragile
environment, and weak urban services.
• The population density is now believed
to have reached around 34000 people
per square kilometer, making Dhaka
amongst the most densely populated
city in the world.
HISTORICAL TREND OF URBANIZATION

• The populations are particularly concentrated in and around major cities of the world. Moreover,
according to UN (2000) report, 90% of urban population growth will be in developing countries of
asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• It is also projected that 80% world’s cities will be in developing countries as well as dhaka city of
Bangladesh. Arnstein (1969) specified in her research on citizen Participation that “there is a
critical difference between going through the empty ritual of participation and having the real
power needed to affect the outcome of the process.”

1. World’s Urban Population

• Cities are currently home to more than half of the world’s population. The UN (United Nations)
forecasts that today’s urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when
three out of five people will believing in cities (Lewis, 2007). Brinckerhoff (2000) notes that a
majority of the population of less developed countries will be living in urban areas by 2020, and
dramatically in Asia and Africa (IRIN, 2006).
• Table 1 shows an increase in urban population in the world from 1950 to 2030. As can be seen in
the table, by2030, 60.3% of the population will be living in urban areas of the world, whereas it
was only 29.7% in 1950. Notable, more developed countries show a saturated kind of
urbanization, while less developed countries’ urban population increases from 17.8 to 39.9%
between 1950 and 2000, and will be more than tripled between 1950and 2030 increasing from
17.8 to 56.2%. The table also depicts that Asia and Africa, particularly, may face tremendous
urban pressure in the next several decades. More importantly, many cities of this region will get
huge urban population, which are already known as megacities.
2.URBAN POPULATION TRENDS IN MEGACITIES

• A megacity is usually defined as a recognized metropolitan area with a total population in

excess of 10 million people. 
The UN estimates that there were 19 megacities in the world at the beginning of the 21st 
Century.

• As can be seen in the Table 2, the contribution of Asian cities in world’s urban population is
tremendously increasing. By 2015, 7 Asian cities of 10 will be included in the list of largest
cities, while the corresponding figure was 6 in 2005, 4 in 1970, and only 1 in 1900. Moreover,
the cities of the developed countries are gradually going off from the list. In 1970, their number
was 6, while in 2015, it will be only 2 (Tokyo and New York). Thus, obviously, the major
contribution will come from the cities of developing countries. Notably, Dhaka will be included
in the list for the first time
 3.URBAN POPULATION IN BANGLADESH,DHAKA AND CHATTOGRAM CITY

• Bangladesh is one of the most heavily populated countries in the world. The country is
experiencing a rapid urban population growth (13.5 million in 1981, 22.9 million 1990, 37.3 in
2000, and 46.4 in 2005) in recent decades.

• Uneven development and regional policies, natural hazards, and the lack of employment
opportunities in the rural areas are the key factors of urban population growth indicates three
factors of rapid urban population growth :
1. a high natural increase in native urban population,
2. the territorial extension of existing urban areas and a change in definition of urban areas,
rural to urban migration. During 1974-1981, Bangladesh experienced higher urban
population growth rate at 10.03%due to the facts of both pull factors and push factors
(BBS, 2001).
DRIVING FORCES BEHIND RAPID URBANIZATION IN
BANGLADESH
• With an area of 144,000 square km, the agrarian economy of Bangladesh is experiencing a very
high rate of urbanization. In 1974 people living in urban areas accounted for only 8.8% of the
Population.
• By 2001, urban population was 23.40% of total population. UN data estimates that currently 25%
people of Bangladesh live in urban areas.
• This is indicative of the fact that growth of urban population and labor force is increasing relative
to rural population and labor force.
• A major cause of
urbanization in
Bangladesh is that
the agriculture
sector is no longer
able to absorb the
surplus labor force
entering the
economy every year

• Inability of the agriculture sector to provide sufficient employment or sufficiently high household
incomes to cope with a growing number of dependents can encourage people to seek employment
outside agriculture. In the case of Bangladesh the rural to urban migration has contributed to more
than 40 percent of the change in urban population.
VARIOUS CAUSES OF URBANIZATION

INDUSTRIALIZATION
• Industrialization is a trend representing a shift from the old agricultural economics to a novel non-
agricultural economy, which creates a modernized society. Through the industrial revolution, more
people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on account of improved employment
opportunities.
• The industrialization has increased employment opportunities by giving people the chance to work
in modern sectors in job categories that aids to stir economic developments.

COMMERCIALIZATION
• Commerce and trade play a major role in urbanization. The distribution of goods and services and
commercial transactions in the modern era has developed modern marketing institutions and
exchange methods that have tremendously given rise to the growth of towns and cities.

SOCIAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES

• There are numerous social benefits attributed to life in cities and towns. Examples include better
educational facilities, better living standards, better sanitation and housing, better health care,
better recreation facilities, and better social life in general.
• On this account, more and more people are prompted to migrate into cities and towns to obtain a
wide variety of social benefits and services which are unavailable in rural areas.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

• In cities and towns, there are ample job opportunities that continually draw people from rural
areas to seek a better livelihood.
• Therefore, the majority of people frequently migrate into urban areas to access well-paying jobs
as urban areas have countless employment opportunities in all developmental sectors such as
public health, education, transport, sports and recreation, industries, and business enterprises.
• Services and industries generate and increase higher value-added jobs, and this leads to more
employment opportunities.

MODERNIZATION AND CHANGES IN THE MODE OF LIVING

• Modernization plays a very important role in the process of urbanization. As urban areas become
more technology savvy together with highly sophisticated communication, infrastructure, medical
facilities, dressing code, enlightenment, liberalization, and other social amenities availability,
people believe they can lead a happy life in cities.
RURAL-URBAN TRANSFORMATION

• As localities become more fruitful and prosperous due to the discovery of minerals, resource
exploitation, or agricultural activities, cities start emerging as the rural areas transform into
urbanism. The increase in productivity leads to economic growth and higher value-added
employment opportunities.
• This brings about the need to develop better infrastructure, better education institutions, better
health facilities, better transportation networks, the establishment of banking institutions, better
governance, and better housing.
THE HINDERS IN DEVELOPING THE CITIES IN BANGLADESH
• Dhaka city works like an urban maze that provokes some observers to dismiss the city as an
irredeemable wasteland and some as a resilient urban zone that can be transformed into a livable
metropolitan by political goodwill and sustainable development planning.
• By 2050, seventy-five percent of the world’s population will qualify to live in urban areas, and
future big megacities will be built in developing countries.
• Many researchers reveal that the urbanization experiments were undertaken in the western
metropolises in late 19th and early 20th centuries which have shifted to the developing countries,
particularly Asia. In the past decades, urban growth of Dhaka city was prolonged, but the current
decade is very high.
• The urban population of Bangladesh was only 8 % at independence, in that period, the country
was still an agrarian delta punctuated by a few cities, most prominently Dhaka and Chittagong.

• Currently, the population of Dhaka is approximately 18.9 million according to some estimates and
growth rate is 7.39%.
• The migration of impoverished rural population to Dhaka city is to find a better life which has been
created a population boom.
• There have been some crucial factors for the city’s growth. Such as natural growth, territorial
expansion, job opportunities, educational institutions and healthcare facilities, industrialization,
manufacturing, etc.
• Besides, in the popular perspective, the capital is where one needs to be to pursue big dreams the
leading effect has been an unsustainable demand for urban land, leading to a large population
density and sending the urban land value to an economic view. e pressure on land rapidly altered
the city’s traditional urban fabric, particularly low-rise residential areas
EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON OUR CITIES

1. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION

• Urbanization yields several positive effects if it happens within the appropriate limits. Some of the
positive implications of urbanization, therefore, include the creation of employment opportunities,
technological and infrastructural advancements, improved transportation and communication,
quality educational and medical facilities, and improved standards of living. However, extensive
urbanization mostly results in adverse effects. Below listed points are a few of them.
2. HOUSING PROBLEMS

• Urbanization attracts people to cities and towns which leads to a high population increase. With the
increase in the number of people living in urban centers, there is a continued scarcity of houses.

3. OVERCROWDING

• Overcrowding is a situation whereby a huge number of people live in a small space. This form of
congestion in urban areas is consistent because of overpopulation and it is an aspect that increases
day by day as more people and immigrants move into cities and towns in search of a better life.
4. UNEMPLOYMENT

• The problem of joblessness is highest in urban areas and it is even higher among educated
people. It is estimated that more than half of unemployed youths around the globe live in
metropolitan cities.
• And, as much as income in urban areas is high, the costs of living make the incomes seem
horribly low. The increasing relocation of people from rural or developing areas to urban areas is
the leading cause of urban unemployment.
5. DEVELOPMENT OF SLUMS

• The cost of living in urban areas is very high. When this is combined with random and unexpected
growth as well as unemployment, there is the spread of unlawful resident settlements represented
by slums and squatters.
• The growth of slums and squatters in urban areas is even further exacerbated by fast-paced
industrialization, lack of developed land for housing, a large influx of rural immigrants to the
cities in search of a better life, and the elevated prices of land beyond the reach of the urban poor.

6. WATER AND SANITATION PROBLEMS

• Because of overpopulation and rapid population increase in most urban centers, it is common to
find there are inadequate sewage facilities.
• Municipalities and local governments are faced with serious resource crisis in the management of
sewage facilities. As a result, sanitation becomes poor and sewages flow chaotically, and they are
drained into neighboring streams, rivers, lakes, or seas.
7. POOR HEALTH AND SPREAD OF DISEASES

• The social, economic and living conditions in congested urban areas affects access and utilization
of public health care services. Slum areas in particular experience poor sanitation and insufficient
water supply which generally make slum populations susceptible to communicable diseases.
• Environmental problems such as urban pollution also cause many health problems namely allergies,
asthma, infertility, food poisoning, cancer and even premature deaths.

8. TRAFFIC CONGESTION
• When more people move to towns and cities, one of the major challenges posed is in the transport
system. More people means an increased number of vehicles which leads to traffic congestion
and vehicular pollution.
• Many people in urban areas drive to work and this creates a severe traffic problem, especially
during rush hours. Also as the cities grow in dimension, people will move to shop and access other
social needs/wants which often cause traffic congestion and blockage.

9. URBAN CRIME

• Issues of lack of resources, overcrowding, unemployment, poverty, and lack of social services and
education habitually lead to many social problems including violence, drug abuse, and crime.
• Most of the crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, riots, assault, theft, robbery, and hijacking are
reported to be more prominent in the urban vicinities. Besides, poverty-related crimes are the highest
in fast-growing urban regions. These acts of urban crime normally upset the peace and tranquility of
cities/towns.