Urbanization is the process of bringing more people into urban areas. In other words, cities can expand because of the population growth. The idea of better cities has an impact on urbanization. Although it can happen naturally, externally-driven large-scale influxes are more frequently the cause. Cities experience rapid population growth as a result. Although there are many different effects of this process, it generally lowers quality of life.
Urbanization has a number of detrimental effects, but it has also had some benefits. There are more job opportunities due to the growing population of urban areas across all economic sectors. Additionally, it results in better medical and educational services. Additionally, urbanization can raise a nation's GDP, which measures the total amount of goods and services that nation produces. Urbanization can therefore increase cities' productivity and prosperity. Urbanization's effects on the economy cannot be disregarded.
Traditional, planned, and organic urbanization are the three main types. The center of developed cities typically has the highest concentration of human activity. It is common practice to build new roads and section off land for specific purposes. Poor cities are the epitome of urbanization because immigrants and newcomers frequently settle there. Peripheralization, the second type of urbanization, is the process by which residents from the suburbs move into the city's core.
Another important factor contributing to urbanization is the Industrial Revolution. It made it possible for factories to specialize in particular products by enabling new factories to access a large labor pool. Unfortunately, thousands of workers suffered from appalling living conditions as a result of the 19th century's industrialization. As a result, a lot of rural residents relocated to urban areas in search of paying employment. The slums where these migrants resided were overcrowded, filthy, and full of disease.
Urbanization rates differ between nations. Urbanization rates vary widely between nations, with some having higher rates than others. For instance, the United States, where more than 50% of the population resides in big cities, has a high rate of urbanization. Other nations, on the other hand, have low rates, with less than 10% of the populace residing in big cities. Although there are many different definitions, creating a precise understanding of urbanization should be the objective.
Urbanization has many benefits, but there are drawbacks as well. Income and the rate of urbanization are closely related. Better sanitary, water, and nutritional conditions are frequently linked to higher incomes. But in actuality, a significant portion of the populace lacks adequate access to basic resources and lives in urban slums. Thus, both the population living in cities and the cost of doing so rise as a result of urbanization.
The creation of the first villages marks the start of the urbanization process. During the Uruk Period in ancient Mesopotamia, this process first started (4300-3100 BCE). Although the causes of the early urbanization are unknown, experts believe that the existence of a prosperous village lured tribes to settle there. Permanent villages have existed since the Neolithic period, and holding magical rituals in caves is a much older practice. Yoruba towns in Nigeria were significant commercial hubs by the nineteenth century.
The process of counterurbanization has also emerged as urbanization keeps expanding. Due to emigration from large settlement areas, counterurbanization causes the size of the settlement area to shrink. Through this process, people are able to pursue their educational and professional objectives regardless of where they are located. However, it also makes the issue of urban overcrowding worse. Despite these difficulties, the counterurbanization process contributes to and frequently exemplifies the advantages of urbanization.
Less than 5% of the world's population resided in cities at the turn of the nineteenth century. The majority of people in the area make the decision to live in rural areas and pursue farming and other conventional jobs. The percentage of people living in cities increased to almost 40% by the end of the 20th century and is predicted to reach 50% in 2015.
Conflict over land rights has often accompanied urbanization in developing nations. Urbanization has accelerated the growth of slums in many areas. Rapid urbanization in other places has led to violence against peasants who oppose the process. As a result, cities have some of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Additionally, the growing population strains transportation infrastructure, contributing to traffic congestion and vehicle pollution.
