Urbanisation
The proportion of a country’s population that live in urban areas. This process is set to accelerate in developing nations with the rise in mega cities due to increased rule urban migration and natural increases. The increase in Rule urban migration is due to push and pull factors like war, famine, increased employment opportunities and an increased quality of life. For instance, 1000 people arrive in Mumbai everyday, with supply for housing unable to keep up with demand has led to these people settling in squatter settlements like Dharavi.
Suburbanisation
This is the movement of people from central urban areas to suburban areas. This is due to pull factors like cheaper land and better environments. However, this could lead to social and economic impacts. The inflow of wealthy residents can attract investment into the area, improving infrastructure than schooling. On the other hand, the inflow of people puts more strain on existing infrastructure like sewage, increased congestion and pollution, polarisation of wealth, increased property prices and rents causing people to be priced out of the area.
Counter urbanisation
The movements of people from urban areas to rural areas. This is affected by social, economic and demographic factors. This process is taking place on a larger scale in urban areas in developed countries like London and Paris.
- Demographic- Wealthy individuals and retired couples
- Social- there is a perceived perception created by the media that rural areas are safe and perfect. This rural ideal created by the media is the perception that is adopted by many outsiders like urban dwellers. Therefore, when these people move to these rural areas they are often surprised by the reality. For example, rule areas often have high levels of unemployment and crime rates.
- Economic- this is due to increased broadband access and motorway access. Increased infrastructure increases the factor mobility of labour, so workers can live further away and commute to work in urban areas. This is an incentive for workers to relocate to rule areas. Increased broadband access allows workers to work from home, thus are more connected to geographically far areas. The adoption of work from home has been increasingly taken up due to the pandemic where it has forced workers to work from home. This allows people to live in rural areas and take advantage of the benefits of living in rural areas like cheaper housing and a better environment.
Urban resurgence
The movement of people from rural areas back into urban areas after the area has gone through some kind of regeneration. This can be evidenced with the Birmingham mint factory.
- The factories that were used to make the minted coins had been converted into trendy flats
- The warehouses are now lined with restaurants and cafes
- The canal was cleaned up and is now lined with bars and pubs changing the identity of the area into a popular hub for nightlife for young professionals, thus altering the demographics of the area.
World v Mega cities
World cities- this is a city that has global influence with tnc’s conducting global operations.
Mega cities- these are cities with a population over 10 million people.
| Mega Cities | World Cities |
|---|---|
| These cities often have regional and national influence in business and politics | These are split into alpha plus plus cities like London, New York and Tokyo |
| Such examples include Mumbai Shenzhen and Tokyo | Alpha plus cities include Sydney, Paris, and Chicago |
| Often have socio economic issues like huge wealth inequality and poverty, homelessness and a lack of sanitation as evidenced in Mumbai. | Using the example of London , previously known for its trade in goods like with the Docklands now Canary Wharf |
| The mayor often places priority on transport as it improves factor ability of labour like with the Mumbai monorail project. | Financial hubs like Canary Wharf, with stock exchanges an indices like the Footsie 100 |
| Often have huge areas of poverty stricken areas like dharavi in Mumbai. | Education and media like Oxbridge and media city in Salford Manchester |
| Scientific areas like Cambridge hosting the HQ for AstraZeneca |
Deindustrialization
The decline of manufacturing in an urban area due to demand for better quality materials, competition from abroad and automation. The demand for raw materials like steel has fallen because of increased demand for lab based materials like carbon fibre and master night diamonds . This is especially true for the UK, since we have a small secondary sector which specialises in technical goods like engines and drugs. Increased competition from abroad like in developing nations who offer deregulated of economies and cheap labour, incentivise firms to relocate there. Increased mechanisation with machines taking over repetitive tasks have made line workers obsolete and any employment needing high school labour and not low skill.
Decentralization
This is the relocation of companies from an area. This can be seen with the government bodies where DVLA have relocated to Swansea and the BBC and ITV relocating to media city in Salford, Manchester.
Rise of the service economy
The deindustrialisation of the 80s and 90s had caused a huge shift of workers to take part in the tertiary Inca ternary sector jobs. These are skill based jobs that provide a service like banking and law. In currently, 75% of all employment in the UK has been in the tertiary sector . This has allowed the UK to specialise in banking and financial services, which had contributed to our world city status.