The Effects of Rapid Urbanisation on Urban Areas

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The Effects of Rapid Urbanisation on Urban Areas

Urbanisation is the growth in the proportion of people living in urban

areas compared to rural areas and has rapidly taken place over the

last 200 years, particularly between 1800 and 1850, where there was a

population explosion. Also, more recently, between 1950 and 1990, the

proportion of people in the world living in urban areas increased by

20%. Currently the rate of urbanisation is much less rapid in MEDC’s

than LEDC’s as a large majority of the population are already living

in urban areas. The two main factors affecting urbanisation are

migration, and natural growth. Firstly, the main reason for migration

is ‘push and pull’ factors, and these in this case are things that

attract them to urban areas, and things that push them away from the

rural areas. Secondly, natural growth affects urbanisation because, in

urban areas, there are more young people on the whole, giving birth,

and therefore a higher birth rate, and lower death rate, due to easy

access to hospitals and medication etc. These two factors therefore

raise the proportion of people living in urban areas meaning

urbanisation has taken place. Urbanisation has dramatic affects on

countries, leaving behind both advantages and disadvantages. Sao

Paulo, in Brazil, is a classic example of an area where rapid

urbanisation has taken place.

Sao Paulo is the third largest city in the world, with a population of

24 million, and is forever growing (sprawl). Urbanisation has affected

this city dramatically, causing various problems to the standard of

living and housing, transport, and is causing more and more

un-employment. Due to the extreme rate of natural growth, and

migration to Sao Paulo, the city cannot develop at a fast enough rate,

resulting in a lack of housing. Due to a high demand in housing, the

house prices can be increased, meaning the poorer people are forced to

build their own squatter settlements. Around about 8 million people in

Sao Paulo live in these squatter settlements, whi8ch is about 30% of

the population.

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