Urban Change (OCR GCSE Geography A (Geographical Themes)): Revision Notes

4.1.1 Urban Change

What is Urbanisation?

• Urbanisation:
  • Growth in the proportion of a country's population living in an urban area.
  • Nearly 60% of the world's population now live in cities, that's 3.8 billion people.
  • Happening fastest in LIC/NEE countries. Good transport, internet, and communication networks mean people can live in rural areas perfectly well in HICs.
  • Urban areas are growing rapidly, causing a range of opportunities and challenges.
  • Urban planning is important to maximise opportunities and minimise challenges.

Rural to Urban Migration

Rural to Urban Migration

1. Rural to urban migration:

• Movement of people from the countryside to the city.
• Rate is affected by push factors (things that encourage people to leave) and pull factors (things that encourage people to move to an area).

2. Urbanisation is caused by natural increase:

• Natural increase is when the birth rate is higher than the death rate (more people being born than dying), so the population grows.

3. Young Population:

• Young people move to cities to find work.

4. Family Growth:

• Young people who move to cities start families, increasing the population.
• Better healthcare means people in cities live longer.

5. Growth of Mega Cities:

• High rates of urbanisation lead to the growth of mega cities.
• A megacity has a population over 10 million.
• In 2020, there were 35 megacities, most located in Asia (red circles on the map below).