Urbanisation in LEDCs
What is it?
Urbanisation is when the % of people living in urban areas (towns) increases.
Why does it happen?
1. In LEDCs many people are leaving rural areas (the countryside) where most people are farmers
growing food to feed themselves and moving to towns and cities in the hope of finding better paid
work and a higher standard of life.
2. In many LEDCs the death rate has fallen due to advances in medical care but birth rates remain
high. This means there is a large natural increase in population. As many people migrating to cities
are young much of the population growth is occurring in cities rather than the countryside.
General Characteristics of Urbanisation
1. The highest rates of urbanisation are occuring in LEDCs. Urbanisation happened in most
MEDCs during the industrial revolution in about 1780. Today it has really finished as a process in
MEDCs.
2. In 1800 3% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. In 2006 this % is 50%. In the UK
89% of people live in towns or cities. In Ethiopia only 15% of people live in towns.
3. Some cities have grown to huge sizes. In 1850 only 2 cities had a population over 1 million.
There were 405 such cities by 2002. Many LEDCs have one city (e.g. Mexico City) which is far
larger than any other city in the country.
4. Before 1950 most “million cities” were located in developed countries in Europe and North
America. Since then there has been a huge increase in million cities in developing countries, most
of which lie between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. (look at a map)
5. People are migrating from the countryside to the cities because of push and pull factors. Push
factors force people out of rural areas whilst pull factors attract people to the towns.
Case Study – Mumbai (formerly Bombay) India
Where is it?
Mumbai is in the Indian state of Maharastra. It is on the west coast of India. To the west is the
Arabian Sea and to the east are the Western Ghats, a mountain range.
What has happened there?
Mumbai has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. 5 million people lived there in
1970 but some estimates put the total population at 16 million in 1995 and think it will reach 25
million by 2015.
Why are people moving there?
Push Factors – Economic
1. The Green Revolution (a government programme to improve agriculture) has reduced farm work
in rural areas as more machinery is now used. Also high yielding seed varieties were introduced
needing lots of fertilizer and pesticides. Only large farms can afford the chemicals and machinery.
Many small farms cannot compete and people have sold up. Farm jobs have become harder to find
and those that remain are incredibly poorly paid, often with only casual hours available.
2. Population growth in rural Maharastra has been rapid. In India the tradition is for a father’s land
to be divided equally between his sons. This has led to people farming plots of land which are too
small to support a family and malnutrition occurs. Incomes are very low and it is hard to clothe and
house and feed more children. There is malnutrition and overcrowding. Due to the lack of land
people have farmed land in unsuitable areas (e.g. too dry). Areas have suffered soil erosion and
become useless for farming.
Social Factors
1. Educational and health standards are much lower in rural areas because it is hard to get teachers
and doctors to work in the impoverished countryside. They want to work in towns where living
conditions are better.
2. Young people see farming as hard work with long hours and low pay. It provides few prospects
of a better life in the future.
Pull Factors – Economic
1. There are better job prospects in Mumbai. There are jobs in the traditional industries of textiles,
the port and jobs brought by TNCs e.g. ICI. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and many
Indian companies have their headquarters there. All these jobs offer higher pay than farm work.
2. Investment by the Mumbai Metropolitan Authority, the Indian government and international
agencies e.g. the UN in public works e.g. improving water supplies offers the potential of
employment in public services.
Social Factors
1. Mumbai has some good schools and universities as well as decent hospitals and dentists. If you
can access these services your quality of life will be higher than in the countryside.
2. In Mumbai your home is more likely to have piped water, electricity and sewage disposal.
Again these make your living standards higher than in the countryside.
3. Many migrants will already know people who have left the countryside to go to the city. They
hope that these contacts will help them to find work and housing etc.
What is life like in Mumbai?
Housing – The Elite
The elite in Mumbai live in Bungalows in southern Mumbai close to the CBD. They have top jobs
in business or in government and their incomes are very high. Land prices in Mumbai are as high
as in MEDCs so these houses are incredibly expensive and often have sea views. They have homes
which were properly designed and built, with gardens, sewage facilities, constant running water and
large airy rooms. Such families will employ servants to carry out tasks around the home. Children
will be educated to a high standard, often at private schools and are likely to enjoy a lifestyle similar
to their parents.
The Middle Classes
The middle classes tend to live in flats. Some are modern apartments with all mod-cons and 2/3
bedrooms. The closer you are to the CBD the more expensive your flat. This is because people do
not want to spend all day in traffic trying to get to work on Mumbai’s horribly congested roads,
trains or buses. Such people are likely to be educated to degree level and work in offices in the
CBD or factories within Mumbai.
The Poor
The poor can be separated into 2 groups. Those who have formal, but poorly paid jobs and those
who cannot find permanent employment and have to work in the informal sector. In Mumbai some
of those with poorly paid but formal jobs live in Chawls. These are 4-5 storey blocks of flats that
were built to house textile workers in the 19th century. They are now overcrowded and in a very
poor state but people cannot afford anything better so have to live here. Many people who have
formal jobs still find their incomes are too low to find a proper flat and may live in a slum. The rest
of the poor with informal jobs are forced to live in slum housing or even worse on pavements.
Where do the poor live in Mumbai?
1. About 700,000 people in Mumbai sleep rough on pavements each night. Usually these are new
migrants to the city who are still looking for work and a place to build a shack. Other people who
sleep rough may be so poor that they have even been unable to afford a shack.
50 -60% of people in Mumbai live in slums
2. Many people who have been in the city a little longer will find some kind of work and a spot to
build a shack. In Mumbai you see people who have built shacks on the pavement as this is the only
land they could find. Inside these one roomed homes people cook, sleep and live daily lives often
using gas stoves and oil lamps for light. They are built from scrap wood and metal which people
have found. The roofs are often covered in cloth/rags (not great in the wet monsoon).
3. Certain areas of the city have seen slum settlements built up on them. In Mumbai these slums
are called Zopadpattis. They are found in certain parts of the city:
a) Near the CBD on any vacant land – Close to offices and other businesses where casual work may
be found and informal work opportunities may be good e.g. plenty of waste paper to collect and
recycle.
b) Next to railway lines – There is always a thin strip of vacant land next to railway lines so people
have taken advantage and built on it.
c) Next to main roads – Many slum dwellers make and sell products from roadside stalls to passing
cars and lorries. E.g. fruit or shoes or snack foods.
c) Near factories or Mumbai’s ports – People are sometimes lucky enough to be given a day’s work
in a factory or ports when they are needed and may hope to find a permanent position one day. The
main problem is that so many people are looking for a job they are very hard to find. Also land
near factories may be vacant due to air or land pollution.
d) On land no-one else wants – Dharavi for example was built on swamp ground which was at the
time seen as mosquito invested and undesirable. Flooding is a risk in the wet monsoon.
Case Study – Dharavi – Living in a Slum
Where is it?
Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia, housing 600,000 people. It is found in Mumbai, between the
two main railway lines leading out of the CBD on former swampy land. It is close to the CBD of
Mumbai.
Housing
Houses in Dharavi are often built out of materials people have found such as wood and corrugated
iron. Some people have lived in Dharavi for many years and have upgraded their homes and made
them more permanent. They may have made houses from bricks and concrete. The housing was not
built in a planned manner as the housing was mostly illegally constructed. The streets are very
narrow as the houses and workshops have been built close together as space is short. Dharavi is a
lively place. It is full of workshops where many small craft industries thrive. In some of the houses
which may have just 2 rooms it would not be uncommon for 10 people to share. Housing is very
overcrowded.
Public Services
As homes were not planned for by the city’s government many homes lack basic facilities. Most
homes have no running water so people use taps on the street which do not always work. Many
homes have been illegally rigged to the electricity supply but some have no electricity at all.
Telephone lines are uncommon, most people do not have them. Open sewers are usual as there are
no sewage mains. In heavy rains these can overflow leading to diseases like cholera. As few people
have bathrooms people wash on the streets outside their houses or go to the river. There are few
toilets for slum dwellers and those there are are often poorly maintained and so disgusting people
don’t want to use them and go on waste land or in the open sewers. There are few schools or health
facilities for the people as they are too poor to pay for them and the authorities did not plan these
facilities.
Jobs
Many trades are practised in Dharavi. It makes many things that people living in the rest of
Mumbai need. Common industries are the making of clay pots, blacksmiths, metal smelting and
recycling, paper recycling, plastic recycling and snack food preparation. There are many, many
others.
Economics in Mumbai
There are not enough jobs in Mumbai for all who want one. There is no unemployment benefit so
everyone must work. There are 2 possibilities:
1. The Formal Economy – e.g. working in textiles, rubber or chemicals; 3 big industries in
Mumbai
These jobs are sought after because:
a) work is guaranteed by a contract
b) pay is regular and you know what you will
earn
c) Benefits like holiday pay, sick pay and pensions d) Taxed so government raises money for
schools, roads, hospitals etc.
You need skills and qualifications to get many formal jobs
2. Informal Economy – a) legal e.g. cleaner, rubbish sorter, cycle rickshaw driver
b) illegal e.g. prostitution, theft
These jobs have problems because:
a) Work is irregular
b) you never know how much money you will
make
c) You get no work benefits
d) the work is often dangerous
Because so many people want a job in the formal economy wage rates are kept very low
Problems of working in the Informal Economy
1. Income is low so cannot afford to send children to school (may be needed to work) or afford
decent housing.
2. Do not earn enough money to send any back to rural area which may have been original
intention.
3. No pension or sick care so big problems when sick and when you get old.
4. Informal jobs are often low skilled e.g. paper sorting so no improvements are made in skill levels
so chances of a better job stay limited
5. Informal workers pay no tax so Mumbai authorities have low tax revenues and a lack of money
to improve services.
Advantages of Informal Economy
1. Many low paid workers are attractive to firms needing lots of labour so many TNCs are locating
in India.
Other Problems of Urbanisation in Mumbai
1. Water
There is not enough water to go around. Daily deficit in water supply – 552 million litres.
Slum dwellers often cannot get water. Many are forced to use untreated water causing diseases like
cholera
2. The sewage system cannot cope
Open sewers are a major health hazard
3. Air pollution
There are so many cars and factories in the massive city that air pollution is terrible
4. Rubbish is not dealt with
In slums there is often no rubbish collection as not planned for + streets are too narrow for rubbish
trucks. Waste gets thrown on railway lines, in drains, onto roads and onto open spaces creating
filthy conditions.
5. Infrastructure close to Collapse
10 million journeys are made into the CBD each day. The roads and railways can hardly cope.
Traffic congestion is a major problem. It is getting worse as more Indians get richer and buy cars.
Not enough homes are being built to cope with the growing population. There isn’t enough water,
electricity or phone lines for everyone who wants one. Waiting times for a phone line can be huge.
How have authorities tried to cope with rapid urbanisation?
1. By creating jobs
Industrial development, especially by TNCs, has been encouraged by:
a) building new roads to ease congestion
b) moving some industries and commerce (shops + markets) to the outskirts of town (New Bombai)
to reduce land values and congestion in the CBD
c) ensuring businesses gain rapid access to water and electricity and by improving the port facilities,
roads and phone lines to make the right conditions for businesss.
2. Improving Housing
a) Building new low cost homes (but never enough for all who want one)
b) Supplying water, sewage, electric etc to slums but there is always too little money and new slums
are growing all the times so this has limited effect.
c) Some slums have been knocked down as they were illegally built. Sometimes residents are rehoused elsewhere but not always.
3. Education, Healthcare
Many charities run schemes to give slum dwellers access to education and basic health care. Again
not everyone can be helped as resources are limited.
How can people help themselves?
Case Study – Rochinha – Rio de Janerio - Self Help Schemes
A Self help scheme is where local authorities help the squatter settlement residents to improve their
homes. Grants, loans and materials are offered to help residents make temporary homes more
permanent. Wooden shacks are therefore turned into brick and concrete structures, tanks are fitted
to roofs to catch rainwater and an electricity supply is obtained.
Case Study – Sanjay Ghandi Nagar – Site and Service Scheme
A Site and Service Scheme is a more formal way of helping squatter settlement residents, where
land is divided into plots and basic infrastructure is provided before residents start to build their
own homes. Sanjay Ghandi Nagar used to be a slum located in the CBD of Mumbai. It grew up on
wasteland during the construction of a new building and became a permanent slum illegally built on
land owned by the city authorities. On several occasions the government demolished people’s
houses but the residents had nowhere to go so they kept rebuilding on the land. A charity called
Nivara Hakk thought it was wrong of the government to treat people like this and helped the
residents negotiate with the government. Eventually an agreement was reached that the residents
would be given time to save to contribute towards buying some new land to build permanent homes
on. Eventually after much arguing the slum dwellers were given new land by the government in the
suburbs of Mumbai. The slum dwellers built their own houses on the land with a range of materials
depending on what they could afford. The government provided electricity and water pipes on the
land but the electricity doesn’t always work and there is only water between 2 and 5 am so people
get up early to collect water for the day ahead. The new community is much further away from the
CBD which is bad as many have a long, expensive journey to work but at least the slum dwellers
know they legally own the land their homes are built on and the government didn’t have to spend
much money helping the people as they did all the hard work themselves given the opportunity.
Case Study – Dharavi – Local Authority Scheme – (Reurbanisation)
In Dharavi the Mumbai Mteropolitan Authority has ambitious plans to turn Dharavi into a world
class suburb of offices, homes and leisure facilities. They are embarrassed that such a massive slum
should exist in the heart of the city and that it creates a bad impression on visitors to the city.
Mumbai is the business capital of India and there is a shortage of space for quality retail and office
developments as India’s economy is booming. They asked interested private companies to submit
bids for the land on which Dharavi sits along with detailed plans as to how they would redevelop
the slum area. Developers had to come up with plans that would help the current slum dwellers as
well as make the developers profits. Mukesh Mehta was in charge of one successful tender. He
intends to rehouse slum dwellers in apartments in blocks of flats. Each apartment will have a toilet
and bathroom and all facilities will be connected e.g. electricity. Only slum dwellers who can prove
they lived in Dharavi prior to 1995 are eligible for a new flat. On the new land available office
space, retail malls, golf courses and even a cricket stadium are planned. These will make a lot of
profit for the developers and some of this profit is being used to build the houses for the slum
dwellers.
However there is huge dissatisfaction with the scheme amongst slum dwellers. Firstly there is no
provision for people who have made Dharavi their home in the last 5 years so they will have to go
and squat somewhere new. Also the homes may be fine to live in but the residents of Dharavi also
use their homes as workshops producing goods sold right across the city. Many people will be
unable to continue to trade if they are stuck on the seventh floor of an apartment block. They will
also be liable to pay all taxes and charges incurred on their homes and they are unlikely to be able to
afford these. Therefore people allocated new homes may be forced out of the flats as they will not
be able to afford to live there. Slowly the whole area will be taken over by big business and richer
residents and slum dwellers will be driven into other slums elsewhere.
Attitudes towards Urbanisation
In rural areas
1. Old people don’t like urbanisation as they get left behind in the rural villages. They worry about
who will farm the land and look after them when they are too old to work.
2. Commercial farmers who have benefited from the green revolution like urbanisation as they
make more money by selling their produce if more people start to live in towns and cities.
3. Some people like farmers like urbanisation as it takes pressure off the land which was being
overfarmed and damaged due to increasing population pressure in the countryside.
In urban areas
1. Business people like urbanisation as it keeps wage rates low and means that they can remain very
competitive and make large profits.
2. The city authorities don’t like urbanisation because they cannot keep up providing the
infrastructure, housing and other facilities demanded by the rapidly growing population. They think
the slum dwellers make the city look a mess and in places like Dharavi they want the land to expand
the CBD but the slum gets in their way.
3. Some home owners who find themselves living near slum dwellers don’t like urbanisation as
they think the slum dwellers are dirty and the slums are dangerous places that they don’t want near
them.
4. In some ways the city authorities like urbanisation as it helps businesses in Mumbai develop.
They also realise that the migrants play a crucial role in keeping the city going by recycling masses
of materials used in the city and in meeting the needs of other city dwellers by cooking much of the
cities food, making many of the products sold in the city and not least washing many of the
residents clothes in the city’s laundry facility.