Urbanization has become very common in developing as well as developed countries. It is a process wherein general people migrate from rural to urban area in search of brighter social as well as economic feasibilities such as better education, good health care, proper sanitation, comfortable housing, immense business opportunities and versatile transportation. Urbanization is a gradual process, which is influenced by various economic, political and geographical factors. Show
Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material Grade Are you a Sri Chaitanya Student? +91 Verify OTP Code (required) I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy. Broadly, urbanization refers to the growth of towns and cities as people move from rural areas to urban centres with a hope to lead a better life. These days, the percentage of total population living in urban areas is increasing in most of the countries of the world. Hence, urbanization can also be termed as the progressive increase in thenumber of people living in towns and cities. Urbanization has become one of the common features of economic development in the world. As urbanization and economic development are closely associated, the economic development of a country indicates enhancement in the level of per capita income and standard of living of its growing population. The process of urbanization depends on the shift of surplus population from rural to urban areas along with the gradual growth of some industrialized urban centres. Due to social and economic pressures, people from backward villages tend to move towards urban areas in search of jobs as newly established industries and ancillary activities offer more job opportunities to the people migrating to cities. The pace of urbanization provided by the industrial growth is fast but gradually it starts declining when the proportion of urban population to total population of the country becomes very high. Causes of UrbanizationThe major cause of urbanization is a rapid movement of people towards cities and towns as they view the rural areas as places with hardship, backwardness or primitive lifestyle. Therefore, when large populations move to more developed areas like towns and cities, it leads to the phenomena of urbanization. We can classify the causes of urbanization as follows:
Effects of UrbanizationUrbanization can have both positive and negative effects: Positive Effects:
Negative Effects:
Solutions to Urbanization ChallengesUrbanization now has become a part of life in most of the cities around the world. Despite many challenges, governments are working hard to find out the solutions to minimize and resolve various problems pertaining to urbanization. Some of the solutions are mentioned as under:
Urbanization in IndiaLike other developing countries, India recorded an increasing trend towards urbanization from the very beginning. Urbanization in the country started at faster rate after independence due to its adoption of a mixed economy that gave rise to development of both public and private sectors. The census data based on rural-urban composition reveals a continuous rise in the rate of urbanization in India, particularly during the second half of the present 21st century. Some areas of India have emerged as large urbanized centres with large-scale industrial and trading activities. These areas have started offering number of employment opportunities leading to a shift of population from rural to urbanized areas at a faster rate. The degree of urbanization in India enhanced considerably from 2007 to 2017. At present about 34% of India’s population lives in urban areas and an increase of about 3% is recorded since 2011 Census indicating a remarkable increase in the pace of urbanization in our country. In fact, there is a good correlation between the level of per capita income and the pace of urbanization in India. The coefficient of correlation between the proportion of urban population to total population and the level of per capita income is estimated at 0.5 which is significant. Unfortunately, the higher degree of urbanization cannot significantly reduce the degree of unemployment in India as there is an insignificant positive correlation (0.18) between the proportion of urban population and the rate of daily status of unemployment. Instead there is a mild negative correlation (0.22) between the proportion of urban population and the percentage of population below the poverty line in India. Urbanization StatisticsIt is estimated that more than one half of the world population lives in urban areas. According to recent surveys almost 55% of the world’s population resides in urban areas whereas in 1950, it was only 30%. It is also predicted that by 2050 about 68% of global population is going to be projected as urban. Today regions under the most urbanized category include Northern America (82%), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). The level of urbanization in Asia is still low approximating 50%. On the other hand, Africa remains more than half as rural (57%) with only 43% of its population living in urban areas. The urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Asia has become the home to 54% of the world’s urban population followed by Europe and Africa (13% each). Growth in the urban population is contributed by overall population increase as well as the upward shift in living standards. These two factors together are projected to add 2.5 billion to the world’s urban population by 2050 with almost 90% of this in Asia and Africa. Conclusion Urbanization is changing the landscape of human settlement with significant implications for living, environmental and developmental conditions in different parts of the world. Sustainable development to acquire urbanization depends mainly on successful management of urban growth especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where most rapid urbanization is expected during next few decades. Integrated policies are needed to improve the lives of both urban and rural dwellers to strengthen and develop linkages between urban and rural areas. Under present scenario, urban growth is closely interlinked to three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e., economic, social and environmental. Appropriate policies are needed to ensure that the benefits of urbanization are shared properly. No one should left behind to use infrastructure and social services. Majority of all the major programmes of urban development suffer from the resource crunch. Right from the beginning of the planning period, urban development has been low on the development agenda and only 3-4 per cent of the total plan outlay is being allocated to the urban sector. Strategies should be made focusing on the needs of the urban poor and other vulnerable groups for housing, health care, education, decent jobs and safety. As such not a single country of the world is able to achieve modernization by excluding its cities.There is no doubt that a careful and strategic planning of urbanization can make the life of human beings more comfortable and our world more beautiful. What were the main causes of urbanization?The main causes of urbanization are industrialization, commercialization, rural-urban change, change in the way of living, employment opportunities, social benefits, etc. Urbanization is a process where the population shifts from rural to urban areas due to various factors.
What are the causes of urbanization class 8?Industrialization: More people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on account of improved employment opportunities. Commercialization:Better commercial opportunities and returns compared to rural areas.
What are the 3 causes of urbanization?Causes of Urbanization
Economic, political, and social issues merge with circumstances of modernization to make people want to migrate from rural to urban areas.
What are the five effects of urbanization?Negative effects of urbanisation:
Development of Slums. Water and Sanitation Problems. Poor Health and Spread of Diseases. Traffic Congestion.
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