Urbanisation Chapter Notes | Geography for Grade 9 PDF Download

Introduction

Urbanisation

• Cities have existed for thousands of years, originating in river valley civilisations like Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Indus Valley, and Ancient China.
• Urban centres grew quickly after the Industrial Revolution.
• In the last 50 years, there has been a huge increase in the number and size of cities, known as urbanisation.
• Urbanisation means a rise in population and industrial activities in a settlement.
• It involves the growth in the number and size of cities.
• People move from rural to urban areas, changing the nature of society.
• Urban areas are larger, denser, and more diverse compared to smaller, less populated, and uniform rural areas.
• Rural culture is gradually being replaced by urban culture.
• Urbanisation is closely tied to modernisation and industrialisation.
• The rise of megacities shows the recent increase in urbanisation:
  • In 1900, 13% of people lived in urban areas.
  • By 1950, 29% of people lived in urban settlements.
• A projection suggests that by 2030, 60% of the global population may live in cities.
• Rapid city growth, like in Chicago in the late 19th century and Mumbai later, is mainly due to rural-urban migration.
• This growth is common in developing countries.
• Before 1950, urbanisation was more common in more economically developed countries (MEDCs).
• During the 19th and early 20th centuries, industrialisation in Europe and North America led many to move to cities for jobs.
• Since 1950, urbanisation has slowed in MEDCs, and some big cities are losing population as people move to rural areas.
• In 2011, Northern America had the highest urbanisation level at 82.2%, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean at 79.1%.

Causes of Urbanisation

• Industrial growth, social factors, modernisation, and economic opportunities drive urbanisation.
• More people moving from rural to urban areas also contributes to urbanisation.
• Industrial Growth
  • Industrial growth creates many job opportunities.
  • Rural people move to cities for these jobs.
  • In India, while the urban population grows at 40% per year, industrial growth is about 60% per year.
• Social Factors
  • Cities attract people with better living standards, education, and the desire for a respectable status.
  • Life in cities offers social benefits like better access to services and opportunities.
• Employment Opportunities
  • Rural areas mainly rely on agriculture, which depends on the monsoon.
  • Droughts or natural disasters force rural people to move to cities.
  • Cities offer many job opportunities in sectors like health, education, transport, sports, recreation, industries, and businesses.
  • People migrate to urban areas hoping for better-paying jobs.
• Modernisation
  • Urban areas have advanced technology, better infrastructure, medical facilities, and communication.
  • People in cities adopt new ways of living, including housing, attitudes, clothing, food, and beliefs.
• Education Opportunities
  • Education is vital for improving living standards.
  • Cities have well-established schools, colleges, and universities.
  • These institutions attract students from various places, offering diverse career options.
• Advanced Transportation and Communication System
  • Rural areas lack good transportation and communication, making life challenging.
  • Cities have well-connected, easy, and affordable transport and communication networks.
  • This convenience encourages people to move to urban areas.

Positive Impact of Urbanisation

• Urbanisation has positive effects when managed properly.
• It leads to job creation, technological and infrastructural progress, better transport and communication, quality education, medical facilities, and improved living standards.
• Efficiency
  • Cities are more efficient than rural areas.
  • Basic amenities like water and electricity are easier to provide.
  • Flats in cities house many people in a small area, saving space.
• Convenience
  • Cities offer easy access to education, health, social services, and cultural activities.
  • Life in cities is more comfortable due to improving transport and communication networks.
• Concentration of Educational Facilities
  • Cities have more schools, colleges, and universities.
  • These institutions train and develop people for various careers.
  • Students have a wide range of educational choices for their future.
• Better Social Integration
  • People of different castes, groups, and religions live and work together in cities.
  • This promotes social harmony and breaks down cultural barriers.
  • Urban society includes everyone, encouraging people to live together peacefully.
• New Markets
  • Markets attract people to cities.
  • Urbanisation opens new ways of marketing, including online platforms.
  • Anyone can sell products by posting ads or creating websites from home.
• Economic Improvement
  • Urbanisation is linked to industrialisation and economic growth.
  • Innovative industries earn foreign exchange for the country.
  • More enterprises and organisations create jobs, increasing economic value.

Negative Impact of Urbanisation

• Urbanisation has negative effects, depending on a country’s development level.
• These impacts affect economic, environmental, social, and cultural aspects.
• Housing Problems
  • More people in cities lead to overcrowding.
  • This causes a shortage of houses due to lack of utilities, poverty, unemployment, costly materials, and limited space.
• Unemployment
  • Joblessness is high in urban areas, especially among educated people.
  • More than half of unemployed youths live in metropolitan cities.
  • High income in cities is offset by the high cost of living.
  • Rural-to-urban migration increases urban unemployment.
• Development of Slums
  • High living costs, rapid growth, and unemployment lead to slums and unlawful settlements.
  • Slums and squatters spread due to poverty and lack of resources.
• Water and Sanitation Problems
  • Overpopulation strains sewage systems in cities.
  • Limited resources make sanitation poor, with sewage flowing into rivers, lakes, and seas.
  • This spreads diseases like typhoid, dysentery, plague, and diarrhoea, causing sickness and deaths.
  • Overcrowding leads to water scarcity as supply cannot meet demand.
• Urban Crime
  • Overcrowding, unemployment, poverty, and lack of resources, services, and education lead to social issues.
  • Violence, drug abuse, and crime are common in fast-growing urban areas.
  • Poverty-related crimes are highest in rapidly expanding regions.
• Destruction of Habitats
  • Urbanisation harms the environment by destroying natural habitats.
  • Converting natural areas to cities destroys ecosystems and species.
  • For example, paving over wetlands kills ecosystems and dependent species.
  • Erosion in valleys washes away fertile soil during urbanisation.
• Lifestyle Differences
  • Rural and urban lifestyle differences cause cultural conflicts.
  • Rural people moving to cities may face identity issues and struggle to adapt.
  • Failure to adjust can lead to insensitive, disinterested, or aggressive behaviour.
  • This disrupts the traditional balance and order of communities.
• Pollution
  • Air pollution is a major drawback of urbanisation.
  • Air quality is worse in cities than in rural areas.
  • Factories and vehicles release harmful gases and smoke, causing air pollution.
  • Water pollution occurs as waste from factories and industries contaminates streams and rivers.

Ways to Manage Urbanisation

• Urbanisation cannot be stopped, but its problems can be managed.
• Development is essential, so effective management is needed.
• Build Sustainable and Environment-friendly Cities
  • Governments should make laws for environmentally sound cities and smart growth.
  • People should not live in unsafe or polluted areas.
  • Encourage sustainable use of resources and support green infrastructure, industries, and recycling campaigns.
• Provision of Essential Services
  • Authorities must ensure access to education, health, sanitation, clean water, technology, electricity, and food.
  • The goal is to provide jobs and wealth creation activities to help people afford these services.
• Creation of More Jobs
  • Private investment should be encouraged to create jobs and reduce urbanisation’s negative effects.
  • Tourism and sustainable use of resources can create more jobs for urban populations.
• Population Control
  • Stakeholders should promote family planning through medical clinics and counselling.
  • This helps reduce the high rate of population growth in cities.

Satellite Cities

• Satellite cities are smaller areas near large metropolitan cities.
• They are self-sufficient and independent, helping major cities expand.

Purpose Served by Satellite Cities

• Rapid urbanisation challenges major cities worldwide and in India.
• Cities are overcrowded due to migrants from different areas.
• Limited space leads to high land prices, unaffordable for many.
• Satellite cities are built near major cities, offering similar conveniences and facilities.
• They follow an integrated township model with residential and commercial spaces and good infrastructure.
• This is a new concept in India, gaining popularity around major cities.
• Satellite cities reduce congestion in main cities.
• They offer affordable housing for people working in main cities.
• They provide jobs, infrastructure, and commercial and residential spaces.
• Examples in India include Gurugram and Noida (near Delhi), Kalyani (near Kolkata), Thane (near Mumbai), and HITEC City (near Hyderabad).

Smart Cities

• The term ‘smart city’ is a concept that came about towards the end of the 20th century.
• The idea is rooted in the future of cities and their development.
• Smart cities integrate information and communication technology (ICT) and Internet of things (IoT) in a manner to manage the city’s assets and thereby, promote a better quality of life.
• These assets could be the systems of local departments, schools, libraries, transportation, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement and other such services.
• When the definition is narrowed down, it could vary from country to country or even city to city, depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, and the resources and aspirations of the city residents.
• For example, a smart city would have one connotation in India and a different one in Europe.
• Even within India, there is no one way of defining a smart city.

The core infrastructure elements in a smart city would include the following facilities:

• Adequate water supply
• Assured electricity supply
• Sanitation, including solid waste management
• Efficient urban mobility and public transport
• Affordable housing, especially for the poor
• Robust IT connectivity and digitalisation
• Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation
• Sustainable environment
• Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly
• Health and education

Difference between Smart City and Sustainable City

• Smart cities use information technology, like artificial intelligence, to manage services, infrastructure, and facilities.
• Smart city efforts often focus on transportation, highways, policing, security, city services, cost reduction, and infrastructure management.
• Sustainability may not always be the main focus of smart cities.
• Sustainable cities aim for environmental protection and a good quality of life.
• Quality of life is measured by self-reported happiness.
• Sustainable city efforts focus on green cover, public transport, architecture, community facilities, blue infrastructure, streets, and public spaces.
• Smart city technology is often used in sustainable cities.

Fact Corner

• In 2015, Juniper Research named Barcelona the 'World’s Smartest City'.
• Barcelona’s smart traffic management, smart grids, and traffic lights reduced transportation issues and vehicle emissions.