Urbanisation

-problems associated
&
the possible solutions
[Preliminary Study 1]

Rahul Nair

Date : 9/12/2014

Def....
The process by which towns & cities grow
bigger & more people go to live in them, (Mac
Millan dictionary).
Urbanisation is a process whereby an
increasing proportion of a nations population
live in urban areas (Waugh, 1990).
Other scholars have simply defined
Urbanisation as the proportion of a country
that is urban.

Def ...cont*
Urbanisation implies a cultural & social
psychological process whereby people acquire
the material & non-material culture, including
behavioural patterns form of organisation &
ideas that originated in or are distinctive of
the city.
Debji (1991), defined urbanisation as a process
of concentration, which in two ways: the
multiplication of the points of concentration
and the increase in size of individual
concentrations.

Def.cont.*
Urbanization

is the shift from a rural to

and urban society & involves an increase in
the number of people in urban areas
during a particular year.
It is a result of the outcome of social,
economic, & political developments that
lead to urban concentration & growth in
large cities, changes in land use &
transformation from rural metropolitan
pattern of organization to governance

Global Urbanisation Trends

Global urban population is growing at a rapid pace

from 17% in 1951 to 20% in 2001 and approaching
41% by 2030 (Kadi, 2012).
Developing countries urbanise faster than
developed countries hence they face greater
challenges of urbanisation
U.S.A was 40% urbanised in 1890, 70% in 1960
and 75+ % in 1990.
This gradual pace is in contrast with that one of
developing nations e.g. Korea was 40% in 1970 and
78% in 1990 (Henderson, 2002).

Global urbanisation trends

By 2005 more than half of the worlds population

will be in urban areas; over two-thirds of this
population will be in Less Developed Countries, as
alleged by the world population patterns

Major Causes Of Urbanisation (India)

1). Natural Increase
High birth rates than death rates
fuelled by improved medical care, better sanitation and
improved food supply which lower death rates
2).Migration
rural poverty drives people from rural areas into large
cities in search for greener pastures(employment, food
shelter, education etc. )
Pushed out by factors e.g. poverty, environmental
degradation, religious strife, political persecution,
food insecurity, lack of basic infrastructure and services
in rural areas.
* Urbanisation in an Indian context was not a result of
industrialisation but of absolute poverty(in rural Areas).

migrationcont.*
or because people are pulled into urban areas by
advantages and opportunities of the city
(education,
electricity, water, employment etc.)

Even though in many Indian States the urban

areas
offer few jobs for the youths, they are attracted
there
by amenities of urban life (Tarver, 1996).

Problems associated with Urbanisation

a). Unemployment
One of the significant
feature of urbanisation in
Africa is that unlike in
Asia and Europe, much
growth is taking place in
the absence of significant
industrial expansion,
(Nsiah ).
Consequently this lead to a
large number of
unemployed masses in
urban areas

Problems cont.*
b). Pollution
i).Air pollution has
resulted
from the emission of
gasses, fumes and waste
smoke into the
atmosphere.
Overdependence on
motorised transport
has
also contributed to air
pollution ( large amount
of exhaust fumes)

Problems pollution cont.*

ii). Water pollution has resulted from poor sewage
facilities(inability of town municipals to handle ever
increasing urban population), disposal of industrial
waste and/or heavy metals into water bodies
iii). Noise pollution from large factory engines, motor
vehicle idling, unreasonably high radio volumes
iv). Land pollution uncollected refuge hips, people
littering everywhere

Problems Cont.*
c) Poor Sanitation
. Population growth-both natural
increase & immigration- is always
ahead of the housing supply in
urban area.
Rapid increase in urbanites
surpass gvt & town planners
ability to provide adequate
accommodation.
Consequently the poor are
forced to crowd into already
squalid
slums
or
settler
settlements
as
temporary
alternatives.

Problems
Poor Sanitation (Stats)

The Herald(1999), Harare on its own has a long

waiting list that is more than 100 000 and today
the population stands at over one million
(Madzingira et al, 2002)
These figures could have doubled considering the
fact that 14 years have passed since these figure
were published and the rapid increase in
urbanisation for developing countries.
Rate of urban growth is so great that the
government cannot adequately supply
accommodation, social services, health care,
transportation services

Problems Cont.*
d).Disease Outbreaks
The urban population is
more vulnerable to
diseases such as
HIV/AIDS, Malaria and
S.T.Is
Unhealthy environments &
overcrowded housing in
slums exposes the urban
poor to high rates of
infectious diseases e.g.
pneumonia, T.B, diarrhoea,
Cholera.

Problems Cont.*
e). Traffic Jam
Using a private car
has become very
common in
the world and such an
attitude creates
traffic
congestion in urban
areas

Problems Cont.*
f). Increased crime
and anti
social behaviour
Unemployed surplus in
urban areas usually
resort to crime &
prostitution
in order to sustain
their livelihoods.

Problems Cont.
Water & Sewage problems

Facilities are often ancient

and inadequate to support
the ever increasing
population levels
Very little of sewage is
collected as a result and
the is left to flow in
pathways
Providing the
infrastructure for
collection and treatment of
solid & liquid waste is often
beyond the resource of
mage cities

Possible solutions
The most effective way to tackle urbanisation
is to make the economy of villages and small
scale fully viable
Economies can be revitalized if the
government undertakes a massive rural
development programme
Surplus rural manpower should be absorbed in
the village themselves so as to reduce rural to
urban migration

Possible solutions
(traffic problems)
The most effective way to curb traffic
congestion in urban areas is to encourage the
population to use public transport
Control of volumes of traffic heavy haulage
trucks should not be allowed to enter the
inner city
Increase road capacity (dual carriage
systems)
Improve the traffic control systems- traffic
lights should be fully computerized and
constantly serviced

Possible solutions
Urban Slums

Governments should construct low cost multi

storey flats to accommodate the slum dwellers
Promote schemes that involve the provision of
tracts of urban land, which are divided into plots
and provided with basic supporting services e.g.
water, drainage and electricity. The plots are
then either sold or leased to those who wish to
build their own home on them.
Construction of skyscrapers to ease the problem
e.g. in Hong Kong where the idea has been more of
a norm

Possible solutions Cont.

Encourage

people to enter into the

informal sector to ease unemployment and
anti social behaviours
Government should provide funds to
promote entrepreneurship so that part of
the surplus un employed will be employed
Solutions to pollution problems include:
banning heavy vehicles from CBD's;
developing cleaner fuels, and providing
more litter bins in CBD's.

Possible solutions Cont.

Some cities have encouraged the growth of
out-of-town shopping centres to help traffic,
land price and pollution problems, by taking
some of the focus away from the CBD
Government should introduce schemes where
the local community will be closely involved in
the planning and building of new houses. Often
the government provide the materials, whilst
the local people built the buildings. The
government will then provide an improved
infrastructure and sewer systems

The End..