Urbanization and Environment
Dr. Wesam Al Madhoun
Important issues
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How cities have changed and why
Rural, urban, and suburban living
Globalization and urbanization
Population growth and its consequences
Globalization, urbanization, growth, and the
environment
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Ancient cities
• Organized very differently than today’s cities,
both spatially and socially
• Centers for culture, science, commerce, and so
on
• The vast majority of the population lived in
rural towns and communities, with little or no
connection to cities.
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What is urbanization?
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Urbanization is a shift in population from rural
living to living in cities and towns.
• Occurred alongside industrialization.
• London as a prime example:
– 1800: 1.1 million people
– 1900: > 7 million people
• The United States: 1800: <10% urban
2010: approximately 80% urban
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Global urbanization
• 1900 onward: urbanization became a global,
not just national, process.
• That trend intensified from 1950 forward.
• Global, urban population statistics:
– 1975: 39%
– 2000: approximately 50%
– 2050: estimated 70%
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Rural life
• Rural areas = 75% of land, but hold only 17%
of the population.
• The rural population has been in decline for
most of the twentieth century.
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Declining rural population
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Declines in farming and other rural industries
High poverty rates
Few opportunities or amenities
Few government services
Hard to attract new residents
• New technologies and social programs work to
reverse these trends
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Suburban development
• Suburbs are towns that develop as residential
hubs around industrial cities.
• Suburbs developed during the economic boom
that followed World War II.
• This happened with significant government
assistance.
• Suburban populations have been largely white.
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Problems with urban life
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Suburbanization led to changes in cities.
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Industries left cities, taking mostly blue-collar
jobs with them.
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This led to increased residential segregation
as poorer remained in cities.
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This left cities with lower tax revenues, leading
to perpetual financial problems.
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Urban renewal
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Gentrification is a process whereby wealthy
people buy and renew deteriorating
properties in cities.
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Tends to be good for property values but bad
for the previous, low-income residents.
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Global cities
• Global cities are those that house major
transnational corporations and other global firms.
• These are the seats of global power and control.
• Global cities are sites of extreme wealth and
poverty.
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Urbanization in the
developing world
• Africa and Asia are still predominantly rural—
only around 40% urban.
• The urban population is growing more rapidly
in these regions of the world.
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Urbanization in the developing
world
• Major environmental risks are posed by such
rapid growth, overcrowding, and poverty:
– Housing
– Pollution
– Sanitation
– Water supply
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Studying global populations
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The study of population is called
demography.
Important terminology:
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Crude birthrate
Fertility and fecundity
Crude death rate (mortality)
Life expectancy and life span
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Map 15.1 Population Growth Rate, 1980–2002
Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition
Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company
Consequences of population change
• Rapid population growth and urbanization may
lead to:
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Increased internal migration
Significant environmental challenges
Health concerns
Increased crime
More and larger squatter settlements
Famine and food shortages
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The environment and society
• The way of life in Western societies creates
major environmental challenges.
– Massive amounts of non-recyclable waste
– Pollution
– Depletion of resources and biodiversity
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The environment and society
• Global warming—also a human product—
affects us all.
• Energy consumption may outstrip certain
resources.
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Figure 15.2 Shares of Total World Consumption of the
Richest 20 Percent and the Poorest 20 Percent, 1995
Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition
Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company
Sustainable development and change
• New sustainable development policies seek
equilibrium between environmental concerns
and the economy.
• Such policies tend to work well for wealthy
countries at the expense of poorer countries.
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