Economic Development and Change
Related to Urbanisation
Utilising a range of resources,
investigate the above statement
and construct own opinion.
Discussion Focus
‘Rates of urbanisation increase as levels of development
increase’.
To what extent is this statement true?
Discuss the view that urbanisation in both the developed and
the developing world is unsustainable.
Resources Bank – Read the following
articles. Highlight any keys points related
to the discussion focus
• The Guardian “Cities
in Numbers”
• Zurich “The risks of
rapid urbanisation in
developing countries”
• United Nations “A
world of cities”
‘Rates of urbanisation increase as
levels of development increase’.
To what extent is this statement
true?
A2 Geography Essay writing focus –
Section C
• Strong evidence of thorough, detailed and accurate
knowledge
• Strong evidence of critical understanding of concepts
• Examples are well developed
• Evidence of maturity in understanding role of values,
attitudes and decision making processes
• Explanations, arguments and assessments are direct,
focused, logical, perspective, purposeful and show balance
and flair
How to structure an argument
Point
Evidence
Explanation
Link to synoptic
Make an initial point
Bring in evidence from
your wider reading
Explain the
point/evidence
Link to others areas
from the specification
I do not fully agree with the above statement. As the world develops, we do become more urbanised. 10% lived in
cities in 1900 but 50% lived in cities by 2007. Sao Paulo is a good example of where urbanisation has increased with
development. As industry has took a hold in the city centre, thousands flocked to the city in search of prosperity,
causing former greenfield sites in the suburbs to become inhabited with favelas. It is the likelihood that a country
becomes most urbanised as it switches to a service-based economy. However, if you look at a country that is further
up the development continuum, such as the United Kingdom, you can see that people also move away from
urbanisation. Counter urbanisation is a common occurrence in MEDCS. As a country develops there are technological
advances which allows people to work from home, or the infrastructure has improved enough for them to be able to
commute. People therefore are able to move out of cities in to more rural areas. Increased development normally
means an increased GDP, which allows people the resources to make this change. Development also increases the push
factors from the city, such as pollution levels and congestion. Therefore, it is not strictly true that rates of urbanisation
increase.