POPULATION AND URBANIZATION
Chapter 15 Notes
World Population Change
The rapid population growth of recent
years has had a tremendous effect on
social life.
Population: number of people living in
an area at a particular time
Demography: the study of human
populations
Birthrate
• Annual number of live births
per 1,000 members of a
population
• U.S. rate is 14.6
• Fertility: number of births
occurring to women of
childbearing age
• Fecundity: biological capability
to bear children. Women have
the biological capacity to bear
between 15 and 30 children,
but most women reproduce
far fewer than that number.
Death Rate
• Annual number of deaths per 1,000 members of a population
• U.S. rate is 8.5
• Various kinds of death can be calculated to more accurately depict a society’s death rate.
• Infant mortality rate: number of death among infants under one year of age per 1,000
• Industrialized countries have a much lower infant mortality rate.
• Life expectancy: average number of years that a person born in a particular year can expect to
live
Migration Rate
• Migration: the movement of people from one area to another
• Migration rate: annual number of people who move into a specified area per 1,000 members of
that area’s population
• Push factors: factors that encourage people to move out of a place. Examples: persecution,
famine, racial discrimination, overpopulation
• Pull factors: factors that encourage people to move into a place. Examples: religious and political
freedom, economic opportunities, high standard of living
Growth Rate
• The rate at which a country’s population is increasing
• Calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birthrate and usually expressed as
percentages
• U.S. rate is 0.6 percent, meaning that about 6 people were added to the population for every
1,000 members
• Growth rates in more-developed countries are typically lower.
• A population growth rate of only 1 percent will cause that population to double in size in about
70 years.
Population Composition
• The structure of a population
• Age and sex are the factors most often used to show the composition of a population.
• Population pyramid: graphic representation of the age and sex distribution of a population
• Demographers use population pyramids to help make predictions about future population
needs such as health care.
Explaining Population Change
Malthusian Theory
• Thomas Malthus proposed that population grew geometrically, and would therefore outstrip
the ability to feed everybody.
• Two checks on population:
• Preventative—lowering birth rate (birth control)
• Positive—increasing death rate (war)
• Malthus failed to foresee advances in agriculture production and acceptance of birth control.
Demographic Transition Theory
• Population patterns are tied to a
society’s level of technological
development.
• Stage 1: Preindustrial: birth rate
and death rate high; fairly stable
population
• Stage 2: Developing industrial:
reduced death rate and high
birthrate; rapidly growing
population
• Stage 3: Developed industrial:
reduced birthrate and low death
rate; fairly stable population
Controlling Population Growth
The world now contains nearly 6.2 billion people, and the population continues to grow. Concerns about
rapid growth have led to strategies aimed at controlling this growth.
Family Planning
• The conscious decision by couples to have a certain number of children
• Involves using birth control
• Some countries offer incentives for small families, such as placing fines on additional children.
Economic Improvements
• Some critics of family-planning believe that economic development must proceed before people
in less-developed nations will voluntarily limit family size.
The Evolution of the City
Urbanization is the concentration of the population into cities. A city is a permanent concentration of a
relatively large number of people who are engaged mainly in nonfarming activities.
The Preindustrial City
• The first cities arose about 6,000 years ago and grew because of advances in agriculture.
• Life in early cities was crowded and dirty.
The Industrial City
• The Industrial Revolution changed life in the cities.
• Mechanization of agriculture led people to move to cities.
• Commerce and society became the focal point of life instead of the family.
Urban Challenges Today
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Urbanization in more-developed countries has usually resulted in increased rates of literacy,
greater economic opportunities, and improved health care.
Urbanization in less-developed countries has been less orderly and more rapid.
Overurbanization: a situation in which more people live in a city than can be supported in terms
of jobs and facilities.
– Inadequate housing, food, sewage disposal, and hospitals
– High rates of illness and death
Models of City Structure
Urban ecology examines the relationship between people and the urban environment.
– Human behavior determines the layout of the urban environment, and in turn the urban
environment affects human behavior.
– Areas of a city are created for set purposes, and as a result, people, buildings, and
activities are distributed in certain patterns.
Concentric Zone Model
• A typical industrial city spreads outward from the center, resulting in a series of circles or zones.
• Each zone used differently
• Residential areas constantly changing
• Geographical features might change structure
Sector Model
• Growth occurs in wedge-shaped sectors—not concentric circles—outward from the center to
the edge of the city.
• Transportation routes shape city.
Multiple Nuclei Model
• A city grows outward from several centers of activity (nuclei), not just one.
• Addresses use of automobile in cities
• Clustering occurs because it is beneficial: several stores grouped together will attract more
customers than one single store.
Urban Ecology Models—A Critique
• These three models describe ideal city growth conditions and are not expected to be exact
reflections of any one or all urban areas.
• They account for previous trends, such as suburbanization, but not some recent trends, such as
urban sprawl.
– Urban sprawl: poorly planned development on the edge of cities and towns
• Downtown residential areas are proposed to be low-income in these models, but in reality
downtown areas have become high-income residential areas.
• Ignore emotional ties of a population to a particular location.
Theories of City Life
Urban Anomie Theory
• Anomie means “normlessness.”
• Theory proposed by Louis Wirth.
• The city is an anonymous and unfriendly place, and living there carries serious negative
consequences for residents.
• Cities discourage primary group relationships. This lack of primary relationships
produces anomie.
• Contact with others is short-lived, formal, and shallow.
Compositional Theory
• The composition of a city’s population influences city life.
• Age, race, ethnicity, education, income, and occupation affect urban lifestyle.
• Five identifiable lifestyles among city dwellers
Subcultural Theory
• Characteristics of the city encourages primary group relationships. People form groups
around interests.
• Because of the city’s size and diversity, people can find others who share their interests
and lifestyles.