POPULATION SYSTEMS

URBANISATION
Objectives:

1. To define urbanization and other terms associated with

urbanization.
2. To describe the causes and benefits of urbanization.
3. To describe the push and pull factors of urbanization.
4. To explain the impacts of urbanization on rural and urban areas.
5. To discuss the attempts to control urbanization in the Caribbean.
INTRODUCTION
SETTLEMENT IN SVG – READ THE SECTION ON SETTLEMENT IN SVG P. 210-211 AND
DESCRIBE THE TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF SVG.
 KEY TERMS
• Urbanization – the increase in the population of towns and cities often through the
migration from the countryside.

• A city is generally defined as a political unit, i.e., a place organized and governed by
an administrative body. A way of defining a city or an urban area is by the number of
residents.

• A suburb - a built up area close to a large city but away from the city centre.

• Commuting – is traveling each day from a home in a rural area to work in the city.
KEY TERMS
• Urban sprawl – a rapid outward expansion of an urban area.

• Megacity – a city with a population of 5 million or more.

• Formal sector – employment in offices that are known to the
government, taxes paid.
• Informal sector – low paid and usually temporary jobs that people
create for themselves e.g. by selling food. These jobs are not
registered by the government hence taxes not paid.
Causes of Urbanization
1. Rapid natural increase in urban areas - (excess of births over deaths) usually
owing to the influx of young couples form rural areas.

2. Rural-urban migration – more people move from the rural areas to settle in the
urban areas as they seek to improve the quality of their lives.

3. Reclassification – some rural villages have expanded so rapidly to become towns

so that they have been classified as urban areas.
PUSH FACTORS – encourage people to leave rural areas (negative).

 Unemployment
 Low wages
 Lack of educational opportunities
 Limited entertainment
 Poor services and infrastructure
 Crop failure
 Poor standards of living
 Environmental problems e.g. desertification
PULL FACTORS – attract more people to the town or city (positive).

 Employment in services or manufacturing

 Better paid jobs
 Varied social life and entertainment
 Better opportunities for health care and education
 Family and friends have already moved.

However some people still prefer a rural life because it is more peaceful, rents and other living costs are lower,
less dirt and pollution etc.
BENEFITS OF URBANIZATION

 Labour supply – the rapid influx of newcomer to town has provided much-
needed labour for the jobs available in the city.

 Economic growth – a thriving market is created for goods and services.

 Improvement in services and amenities – governments continuously improve

upon existing schools, roads and health care to cater to the growing population.
IMPACTS OF URBANIZATION ON RURAL AREAS

 Rural depopulation – caused by the high

rate of rural-urban migration which often
leads to a fall in the population of rural
areas. Some advantages are: fewer
persons cause less pressure on the
limited resources such as food, water,
employment and shelter.

 An ageing population – mostly young

men or couples who move to urban areas
in search of better opportunities (brain
drain), leaving the older individuals
behind.
IMPACTS OF URBANIZATION ON RURAL AREAS

 Decreasing food production- older individual are less able to cope with the
physical demands of farming so production may decrease.
 Loss of services – as the population decreases some public services such as
schools and transport, may be affected. As services decline, more individuals
will be tempted to move away and so the cycle continues.
URBAN GROWTH IN HAITI
EXPLAIN THE REASONS FOR AND PROBLEMS OF POPULATION GROWTH IN URBAN
AREAS OF HAITI ON P. 208 -209
PROBLEMS OF URBANISATION (IMPACTS ON URBAN AREAS)

 Urban sprawl – the physical growth of the city at the edges, mostly caused by
more and more people needing housing. Urban sprawl can destroy valuable
farmland and natural vegetation close to the city.
 Overcentralisation – too many services and work places e. g. banks, government
offices are concentrated in urban areas thereby encouraging persons to move to
the city area.
 Land shortage – as the number of persons living in the area increases rapidly
there are not enough land space to construct houses and even businesses.
Lack of appropriate housing - housing shortages have led to the development of
poor-quality housing areas called squatter settlements. Many individuals live in
cramped and poorly maintained houses in the city area. Here the houses are of
poor quality and residents often have inadequate services such as education and
health services, access to water, waste disposal and sanitation.

 Urban poverty – the reality of city life may not live up to expectations and some
individuals are unable to get a job. The level of poverty in urban areas is high.

 Urban decay - where buildings that have been poorly maintained have
deteriorated considerably and makes the area look unattractive to investors.
 Transport and congestion – the increase in commuters to town has caused the
increase in the number of vehicles which leads to traffic congestion. As a result,
transport systems may fail to cope with the sheer number of persons so ‘all-day
rush hours’ may result as vehicles clog the narrow streets.

 Crime – levels of crime can be high in some cities, particularly where there are
high levels of poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse.
 High unemployment – lack of jobs in the formal sector hence an increase in the
informal sector.

 Increase in pollution – improper disposal of domestic waste, increase in car

exhaust fumes.
CASE STUDY: KINGSTOWN,
JAMAICA
IN SMALL GROUPS, READ P. 214 – 219 AND EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS
OF URBANISATION IN KINGSTOWN, JAMAICA. PRESENT YOUR FINDINGS TO THE
CLASS!
CONTROLLING URBANIZATON IN THE CARIBBEAN

Urbanisation in the Caribbean can be controlled when certain strategies are

carefully implemented over a period of time.
 Decentralisation of services – encourages the development away from the
capital cities so that less persons decide to migrate.

 Development/upgrade of rural areas – improvement in education, health care,

agriculture, sanitation; provision of more social amenities to encourage person
to remain in rural areas as these services are also found in the countryside.
 Construction of housing schemes in the rural/suburban areas – people will
settle away from the city and commute.

 Land Use Zoning laws – the use of planning measures to create a ‘green belt’
around cities where development is restricted. This prevents urban sprawl as
well as protects farmland and conserve wildlife.

 Diversification of agriculture – the cultivation of more crops to provide a varied

source of income and food supply so that in the event of crop failure or change
in market demand, other crops are available to provide an income in the rural
areas.
CASE STUDIES
• Jamaica p. 219
• Bahamas p. 220 -221