World Urbanisation : The Growth
of Urban areas in LEDCs
Key Background Facts
•
The world’s cities have been growing very rapidly
since 1900
•
In the first half of the century (1900-1950) most growth was in MEDC
cities (London / New York / Paris).
•
In the second half of the century (1950—present) most growth has been
in LEDC cities (Mexico City / Sao Paulo / Lagos / Calcutta / Mumbai…….)
•
The top 10 cities of the world are now mainly in ASIA and S. AMERICA
•
These are set to continue growing very fast while many cities in MEDCs
are now losing population.
•
Top statistic : Mexico City is now the world’s largest city with 28 million
The rural PUSH in LEDCs
The urban PULL in LEDCs
People leave the countryside
because of the problems of living
there:
•
Drought and floods kill crops
and animals
•
Lack of amenities like piped
water, drains and sewers
•
Lack of schools and doctors
for their children
•
Few job choices other than
low-paid, boring farm work.
•
Little chance of improving
their standard of living.
People migrate to the cities because
of the hope of a better life there:
•
•
•
•
•
More regular chance of food
Schools and doctors for their
children
Chance of factory work—which
is regular pay and better pay.
Chance of better housing with
electricity, water, toilet…
More excitement from the
shops and social side of city life
Case-Study : Drought in NE Brazil —> Sao Paulo
In the last 20 years the climate of NE Brazil has become drier. People have traditionally farmed cattle and worked on sugar-cane plantations. But less rain has led to sugar
plantations closing down and less work at cane-harvesting time for the families who rely
on this work. Families with cattle have watched them die as the grass they graze on is
burnt brown by the sun. As child deaths have risen from a poor diet and contaminated
water, families have decided the only hope for any future is to migrate to cities like
Sao Paulo on the Brazilian coast further south. They either hitch lifts on trucks, or
use their last savings on a bus ride to the bright lights of the cities .
Life in the shanty towns : Key
Features & Main Consequences
Families build shacks on land which doesn’t
belong to them—they are illegal squatters
They build on land which noone else wants : marshy land,
steep slopes, next to rubbish
tips—wherever there is less
chance of being ‘noticed’ and
forced off.
High death rate from landslides (steep slopes), drowning (marshy river edge) or
disease (rubbish tips).
No drains or proper water
supply. So sewage builds up
in ditches and families are
forced to use dirty water.
Shacks built from any material
that can be found—bits of wood,
plastic, corrugated iron sheets.
Families cannot build anything very
big—so families are forced to live very
close together in cramped conditions
Disease (cholera, TB) build up
and are spread very quickly
High chance of shacks being
destroyed in hurricanes,
tropical storms or floods.
High levels of sickness means parents can’t get a regular job or find work.
Even if they do, the huge number of job-seekers means wages are very low
As parents are too sick to work (or die—and leave kids as
orphans), children have to find some way of earning money—
(so can’t go to school). Many recycle rubbish from city tips.
Children grow up with no education—can’t read or write, so never
get a decent job. So become poor parents themselves in the
shanty town –the cycle passes on to a new generation.
Case-study : In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whole families recycle old tyres to make cheap
flip-flops to sell to other shanty-dwellers. The young children collect old tyres from city
dumps. Older men cut up inner-tubes into flat pieces of rubber. Older women cut out flipflop shape and sew a toe-thong and ankle strap on. Teenage daughters sell flip-flops from
pavement stalls to other people in the shanty town. This a) recycles the rubbish b) gives
an income to the family c) provides shanty people with cheap shoes & keeps feet clean!
Improving life in the shanty towns
Self-Help Scheme 1 : In Mumbai
(Bombay), India— orphan boys collect
scrap paper from city rubbish dumps.
What they earn is used to pay women in
the shanty town to cook a meal for them.
The women teach the boys to read and
write. They also teach each other how to
use telephones, talk to the city council,
and save their money. They have
persuaded the city council to give them
some land to build houses on. The women
dig the drainage ditches and build the 2room houses themselves once they know
they will not be bull-dozed off the land.
Self-Help Scheme 3 : in Sao Paulo
(Brazil) the city council provide halffinished council houses. They build the
basic shell of the house using breezeblock and concrete, each house has
electricity, drains, toilet, water and a
shower. It is left for the new arrivals
to finish off the council house plaster the walls, paint it, put in internal
doors and furnish it. This means the
council can spread its money further
and build more houses.
Self-Help Scheme 2 : In Lusaka,
(Zambia) the city council lay out
plots, roads, put in drains and water
taps. They also provide the building
materials. It is up to the new
arrivals in the city to build their
own shacks. It means they are built
of proper materials, in an organised
layout, with drains and water— but
is quite a low-cost solution.
Many shanty-towns do improve over time. As
families get some savings, they replace a
wooden wall with a brick wall— or a tin roof
with a tile roof. They get electricity
(sometimes illegally by tapping into the main
power lines) and might arrange for rubbish
to be collected. The city council may even
pave the roads. As a result these areas are
sometimes called ‘slums of hope’ - where
people improve their homes over time when
they can afford it. It’s a bit of Shanty town
DIY
Stopping the Problem at its Source : Gertrude's Goat
Some people think it is better to try to keep poor families in
the countryside by making their lives better there, so
they don’t want to move to the cities (taking away the
PUSH reasons). In Kenya (Africa) Oxfam give a goat to
poor families in rural areas. The goat gives milk (makes
children healthier and stronger), provides manure
(makes crops better so there’s some to sell) and eats
scraps. When it has a baby goat (kid) it is given back to
Oxfam to pass on to another family—to start it all
again. The family can keep any more kids the goat has.
URBAN AREAS IN MEDCs
Who is moving where:
Urbanisation : People are moving INTO many UK cities like
Manchester, Leeds and Hull. Some are students—going to
University in the large cities, some are elderly people too old to look after themselves and moving into retirement homes from where they’ve lived in the country,
and some are immigrants looking to start a new life and looking for a job and
somewhere to live (eg many Australian teachers and nurses live in London)
Suburbanisation : People moving out to the SUBURBS—the housing estates to-
wards the edge of the city. These are often families with young children who can
afford a bigger house, separate bedrooms for the growing kids, a garden to kick a
ball about in—and away from the gangs, traffic and pollution of the inner city.
Counter-urbanisation : People leaving the city altogether and moving to a new
home in villages close enough so they can COMMUTE in to the main city for work,
shops or a night out (eg moving out of Hull to Hedon, Keyingham or Roos). It is
mainly families with children, or retired couples who want to live in commuter
villages in the countryside but be near enough the city for the things they need.
Re-urbanisation : Some people are choosing to move BACK INTO CITY CEN-
TRES. A lot of new developments happen close to the city centre (CBD) and new
residential areas are being built on what was derelict factory land (‘brownfield
sites’) eg Victoria Dock development just before the tidal barrier in Hull, and Canary Wharf in the east end of London. They are close to the shops, the night life
and don’t need to use a car to be in the CBD within minutes.
Area of the
city
Where it is
What it’s like
Example area
CBD (Central
Business
Distrcit)
Right at the centre of the Lots of well-known shops, depart- Around Princes
city where all roads meet ment stores, offices, night clubs, Quay and Prospect
bars
Street in Hull
Inner city
Surrounding the CBD—
where the original
factories were built over
100 years ago.
Old factories, some knocked
down, rows of 19th Century terraced houses. Some new blocks of
flats
Walton street area
(Hull fair)
Flats opposite Hull
Royal Infirmary.
Suburbs
Towards the outer edge
Lots of housing built from the
1950s up to the present day.
Some local shops
Bilton (around
Asda), Sutton,
Hessle, Cottingham
Rural-urban
fringe
Where the city meets the
countryside
A mix of farms and new houses
being built, new shops, new roads
Kingswood (the big
new Asda)
Commuter
villages
Villages within 40 mins.
driving time of the city
Farming villages which have had
estates of new housing built
Keyingham, Roos,
Patrington
Urban Problems (Issues) in MEDCs and
how to Manage (solve) them.
Traffic Congestion
•
•
•
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So many roads all lead into the CBD that traffic gets concentrated
The ‘RUSH HOUR’ into the city in the morning and out again in the
evening is typical where there are lots of COMMUTERS
Finding somewhere to PARK can be difficult– many people are worried
their cars will be damaged/robbed if they park them in the open.
Crossing the busy roads are dangerous for elderly, disabled, the
young, those with push-chairs...etc
Solutions:
Hull : Bus lanes—encourages people to go by bus, not car.
York: Park-and-ride—people park in the suburbs are carry on into the CBD
by bus
Sheffield : Super-tram—moves many people about without any pollution
London: congestion charge—car is charged if it goes into the central area
Industrial Decline and Unemployment
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•
•
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Factories are closing down as they are old and out-of-date
New factories are setting up on the rural-urban fringe or moving to
low-wage LEDCs
High levels of unemployment mean youths have nothing to do and get
bored —> vandalism, joy-riding…..etc
As people have no income they turn to other ways of getting
money —> mugging, car-theft, drug pushing, prostitution
Solutions:
Sheffield : Meadowhall and Manchester : Trafford Park large shopping
centres have been built on BROWNFIELD sites—old factory areas.
Hull : The Deep and KC Stadium….making the city have a better image to
attract new firms to locate in the city.
Hull : Sutton Fields Industrial estate…...an area of the city set aside for
new industries to attract firms to the city by making factory units for rent
Lack of modern housing
•
•
•
Many of the old rows of terraced houses are over 150 years old with
no indoor toilet, hot water, central heating…..and are damp and dingy
They were built by factory owners for their workers— so don’t have
gardens or anywhere to park a car
Children play in streets or roam around.
Solutions:
Hull : Orchard Park and Bransholme…. New estates of modern houses and
flats built further out from the city centre on the edge of the city.
Hull : high-rise flats built on the site of previous terraced houses—Hessle
road opposite Hull Royal Infirmary
Urban Problems (Issues) in Hull—and how they’ve
tried to solve them (manage them)
Problem : Hull has a poor image across
Problem : Not enough people want to shop in
Hull—they prefer the indoor shopping malls of Sheffield (Meadowhall) or Leeds (White Rose Shopping
Centre)
Solution : Princes Quay indoor shopping centre
built in an old dock. New St. Stephens Development
built next to the train station.
the UK. Seen as an old-fashioned city with
not a lot going for it.
Solution : KC Stadium built—as a home
for Hull FC and Hull City. Also stages top
name gigs. Brings lots of visitors to the city
who get to see a top-quality stadium.
Problem : Congestion
in the city centre puts
people off working &
shopping in city centre
Solution : City Centre now traffic-free
and Pedestrianised.
Makes it safer and
cleaner. Queens Gardens and large-screen
TV make it even more
attractive.
Problem : Not many people
want to visit Hull. It’s seen as a
‘poor northern city’
Solution : Marina built for
rich people’s boats. ‘The Deep’ aquarium is built to give Hull a
21st century visitor attraction
Problem : Lots of people are
Problem : Huge congestion
moving out of Hull to live in suburbs and Holderness villages
for lorries getting to Hull docks
and the ferry terminal
Solution : Big new housing
Solution : Clive Sullivan Way
development built on old disused
docks—Victoria Dock
(Brownfield land) Attracts a lot
of people who want to live close
to the city centre with views
across the River Humber
is built as fast dual carriageway
to let lorries get from Leeds
and Manchester (M62) to docks
Evaluation—Has it worked?
More people are now choosing to shop in Hull and it is
getting more tourists than ever before. The docks are
busier with many firms across N. England choosing to
use Hull’s North Sea Ferry terminal. More people are
now living in central Hull in places like Victoria Dock—
and paying more council tax to Hull City Council.
The Rural-Urban Fringe - the battleground for
the land around the edge of a city.
Problem :
• Many people want to move out of cities to live in the suburbs (on the edge
of the city) or out to villages within commuting distance of the city.
• This is causing cities to ‘grow’ onto farmland at their edge
• And traditional villages are changing into commuter (suburbanised) villages
• There are pressures to build on farmland in this zone around cities.
Causes: Many
families want to
move to villages
nearby due to PULL
factors
Causes: Many
families want to
leave cities like Hull
because of the
PUSH factors:
• Quieter
• Safer place to
bring up kids
• Less stress for
retired people
• Close to countryside for walks
• Nice views
• Part of a village
community
• People think the
schools are
better
• Congestion
• Traffic danger
for small kids
• Pollution
• Street crime
• Gangs
• Drugs
• Only a small
garden
• Crowded estates
Consequences for Hull
• Families are moving out of
the city
• The population is falling
• There are fewer people to
pay council tax
• Less customers for shops
Consequences for rural
fringe
• Farmland is being built on
at the city’s edge
• New roads are being built
in rural areas
• New shopping centres are
opening—Kingswood
Consequences for villages
• New housing estates are built
around villages
• Locals don’t like their villages
changing
• Pub and shop owners get more
customers as village numbers rise
• More traffic on roads as people
commute into the city for work
Greenbelts - a way of limiting the growth of cities.
• Some cities have GREENBELTS around them— this is where there are
special laws which stop developers building on farm land.
• The land in a greenbelt is farmed in the normal way— it’s just that
house-builders and other developers can’t get planning permission to
build on the land—so it has to stay as countryside.
• It helps stop cities like Manchester and Leeds getting too big
• It forces house-builders to think about building on BROWNFIELD
land in existing cities instead of concreting over the countryside.
• It means the countryside is never too far away from city people.
• But some say it stops people having new houses at a reasonable price
Date and
City
1970s
Glasgow
1980s
London
Docklands
1990s
Sheffield
2000s
Hull
Original Problem
What was done
Pros
Cons
Evaluation
Old tenement housing which
was over 100 years old. No
central heating. Outside
toilets. Dark and damp
rooms. Small and cramped.
Redevelopment:
Blocks of high-rise flats
built
Large windows
Central heating
Hot & cold water
Inside toilets
Built too quickly
Damp walls
No play areas for kids
Stress for parents
Quick improvement for many
people. But flats quickly lost
popularity with families with
small kids.
Renovation:
Old tenements improved –
rewired and 2 knocked
into 1
Kept character of old
buildings
Kept people in inner city
People had bigger homes
Not everyone could be
rehoused – half the people
sent to overspill estates on
the edge of the suburbs
Fine for those that stayed.
But overspill population had
to move to outer estates. No
jobs created.
East End Docks declined as
ships became too big to get
this far up the River
Thames. Started to unload
further down the Thames
where the water was
deeper.
Docks & warehouses became
derelict. Many dockers
unemployed
Area was cleared and
landscaped. Transport
improved with city airport
and railway extension.
Businesses and offices
encouraged to build in the
area. New apartments
built. Became an upmarket area of houses,
offices and wine-bars
Derelict area becomes
modernised and improved.
Office jobs grow as new
office blocks built at
Canary Wharf.
Affluent housing built.
Area becomes an ‘in’ place
to work and live.
Most of the jobs needed
good qualifications.
Most of the new houses
were expensive and took
people with good incomes.
Not much done for the local
services – hospitals, schools
or roads.
The area was transformed
from derelict docks to busy
modern office area. But
most of the jobs and houses
were for ‘outsiders’. Most
new developments were out
of the price range of the
unemployed docker- families
of the East End.
Large area of steel
factories and housing next
to the River Don.
Government stopped
subsidies for British Steel –
and the industry collapsed
quickly with firms shutting
down - & high unemployment
Transport improved.
New high tech business
encouraged to set up.
New retail centre
encouraged – Meadowhall.
Leisure and recreation
facilities built. Aim was to
improve the city IMAGE
World student games held
at the sport stadium.
Many ‘gigs’ held at Don
Valley stadium.
Meadowhall is a very
popular shopping centre.
Sheffield seen as an
improving city.
Lots of money spent – but
not that many new jobs
created.
Many of the jobs are lowpaid and low-skilled (in
shops and transport)
1970s ‘Cod War’ with
Iceland left the fishing
industry in decline. The city
was dominated by fishingrelated jobs. As trawling
came to a halt thousands of
people became unemployed.
Clive Sullivan road built.
Humber Bridge built.
Shopping improved with
St Andrews Quay,
Kingston Retail Park &
Princes Quay.
The Deep & KC stadium
built to improve ‘image’.
Hull has become seen as a
more ‘modern’ city.
Many visitors to KC stadium
and The Deep. Firms from
across N. England use ferry
port of Hull with improved
roads. New houses at
Victoria Dock.
Not many new jobs created.
Not a lot done to improve
the housing for poorer
people.
Orchard Park Estate and
Bransholme still have big
social problems as there is
high unemployment there.
Sheffield has managed to
redevelop a large area of
derelict industry. It has
managed to improve the
image of the city. But this
hasn’t created many jobs
yet. And not much done to
improve the housing of
people.
Hull seen as a success in
bringing shoppers back to
the city centre. Also Victoria
Dock housing area is very
popular – with people moving
into the city centre. But Hull
still has an ‘image’ problem –
and outer estate problems.