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Unlock This CourseOur world is becoming increasingly urban. For the first time in human history, more people now live in urban areas than in rural ones. However, this urban growth isn't happening at the same rate everywhere. Some cities are booming while others are shrinking and the patterns vary dramatically between different parts of the world.
Key Definitions:
In 1800, only 3% of the world's population lived in urban areas. By 1950, this had increased to 30%. In 2007, we reached a tipping point when over 50% of people lived in urban areas. By 2050, this is expected to reach 68%. However, these global figures hide massive regional differences.
Urban growth is happening much faster in LICs and MICs than in HICs. While cities in Europe might grow at 0-0.5% per year, cities in Africa can grow at 3-5% annually. This means an African city might double in size every 15-20 years!
Growth rate: Slow (0-1%)
Stage: Late urbanisation
Features: Ageing populations, suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation, some urban regeneration
Growth rate: Moderate to fast (1-3%)
Stage: Rapid urbanisation
Features: Growing middle class, industrial development, emerging megacities
Growth rate: Very fast (3-5%)
Stage: Early urbanisation
Features: Young populations, rural-urban migration, informal settlements
The stage of economic development heavily influences urban growth patterns:
Population dynamics play a crucial role in urban growth variations:
The timing of industrialisation and urban development varies globally:
Lagos exemplifies rapid urban growth in an LIC:
Manchester shows different patterns as a city in an HIC:
One of the most visible aspects of global urban growth is the rise of megacities (cities with over 10 million inhabitants):
In 1950, only New York and Tokyo qualified as megacities. Both were in HICs.
By 2020, there were 34 megacities worldwide. The majority are now in MICs and LICs, particularly in Asia.
The world's largest urban areas are now:
• Housing shortages
• Informal settlements
• Infrastructure gaps
• Service provision
• Environmental issues
• Ageing population
• Shrinking tax base
• Maintaining infrastructure
• Urban decay
• Economic restructuring
• Economic development
• Innovation hubs
• Cultural diversity
• Efficient resource use
• Sustainable planning
The varying rates of urban growth present different challenges for sustainable development:
The UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 aims to "Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" - but the path to achieving this looks very different depending on where in the world a city is located and its growth rate.
• Urban growth varies dramatically between regions and countries
• HICs typically have slow growth or even shrinkage in some cities
• MICs have moderate to fast growth, especially in Asia
• LICs have very rapid growth, particularly in Africa
• These variations create different challenges and require different solutions
• Understanding these patterns helps us plan for more sustainable urban futures