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Rural-Urban Inter relationships
The process of urbanisation is dynamic and varied.
Defining Urban Areas
 Population Size – large variation between different countries (200-50,000)
UN says 20,000 classes as urban area.
May also depend on population density.
 Employment – use the presence of agricultural employment
E.g. <20% of population in agriculture.
 Facilities & functions – settlements with basic amenities are towns.
 Government legislation – May depend on administrative area.
However the area may be over-bounded (area > town) or under-bounded (area < town)
However it is still difficult to define urban areas as it depends on the measures used.
Location & distribution of world’s major urban areas
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Mainly in N Hemisphere
Particularly between tropics
Generally on coast or on large rivers
H density of mega-cities in SE Asia.
Over time cities have moved from MEDCs to LEDCs
Megacities 2000
Beij ing Seoul
New York
Tianjin
E E E Tokyo
Karachi
E Los Angeles
Delhi EE E Osaka
Cairo E
E E
Shanghai
E Mexico City
E ECalcutta
Bombay
E Lagos
E
Rio De Janeiro
E
E
Jakarta
E
Sao Paulo
E Buenos
Aires
Key Definitions
Urbanisation: - Increase in proportion of a country’s population living in urban areas.
Suburbanisation: - Process involving decentralisation of people, industries & services from central
city areas towards the rural-urban fringe.
Counterurbanisation: - Process causing people to move from cities to rural areas. Some places have
become suburbanised villages.
Re-urbanisation: - People & businesses attracted back to inner city areas that had been deteriorating.
E.g. Gentrification
Industrialisation: - Growth of manufacturing industry, which often causes urbanisation.
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Centralisation: - Increased concentration of economic and other activities in 1 place.
De-industrialisation: - Decline of manufacturing & heavy industry. Services more dominant and
greater freedom of location, usually on rural-urban fringe.
Urbanisation as a process from the pre-industrial
To the post industrial city
Middle ages
 Farming replaces nomadic life – settle.
 Farming – Feudal system in middle ages
Improvements in farming – higher yields
Surplus food leads to trade
 Formation of towns & cities – easier for trade
Cities need economic & commercial activity
Often use local resources e.g. clay, iron
 People together so ideas lead to inventions & education.
Industrial revolution
 Industry – Steel & steam harnessed
Use of Coal – lots energy/power
 Steam improves trade links – railways & ships
 Urbanisation for jobs & money
 Factories developed, terraced houses for workers
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Farming – intensive, needs fewer workers so move to cities.
Modern World
 People richer so spend money on services – development of service industry.
 Better healthcare so longer life expectancy – work longer
 Wars –
Increased urbanisation
Role of women
Better technology
 Migration of people – emigration to USA etc. so they develop.
 Specific towns important – centres of commerce e.g. London
Post Industrial City – Counter-urbanisation
Counter-urbanisation has particularly occurred since the 1970s & is now occurring in NICs. This may
be a reaction against large cities. Population is beginning to spread out over a larger area and there is
now negative correlation – smaller settlements grow faster than larger ones.
Reasons leading to a changing urban structure for 21st Century:
 Improvements in transport – Long distance commuting.
 Improvements in IT – telephones, Internet & videoconferencing etc.
 Growth of retirement migration.
 Government policy may encourage people to rural areas
- Rural subsidies
- Reduction of inequalities.
 Relocation of business & industry to the edge of towns.
 Perceptions about the Quality of Life.
 Improvements in services in rural areas.
 Development of branch plants – restructuring of manufacturing.
 Change in the preferences for residence of the working population & entrepreneurs.
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However globalisation is leading to the emergence of super-cities. Urban systems are becoming
increasingly polarised between lots of fairly prosperous towns & a few super-cities.
Does the post-industrial city have a future?
E.g. Birmingham:
Industry originally based on jewellery, guns & buttons which needed skilled workers so influx of
people. Houses have to be built quickly so long rows of poor quality terraced housing. New estates
have now been built on the rural areas around Birmingham e.g. Selly Oak. Urban sprawl has led to
villages such as Stechford being swallowed up. Industrial districts have grown further from the city
centre as more space and a number of council estates have built up. Finally this has led to the building
of high-rise flats etc., which cause new problems.
Different for LEDCs:
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Search for employment causes urbanisation
Helped by colonisation – sets up administrative towns.
Based in main towns – Primate city e.g. Mexico City
Increase in pop. so city grows
TNCs develop due to cheap labour, subsidies etc.