Urbanisation & Economic Geography (2)

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1 GEOG1101: Introduction to Economic Geography Tuesday 20 October, 2009 Urbanisation & Economic Geography (2) Kevon Rhiney Department of Geography and Geology University of the West Indies, Mona

2 Lecture Outline: Urban growth processes Urbanisation around the world World Cities Urbanisation in the developing world

3 Urban Growth Processes Deindustrialisation A decline in industrial employment as firms scale back activities in response to lower levels of profitability Decentralisation Relocation of routine production activities to smaller metropolitan areas, rural areas, or overseas Disagglomeration Negative effects of urban size and density

4 Urbanisation Around the World Between 1980 and 2000 the number of city dwellers worldwide rose by 1.1 billion Cities/towns now account for more than half the world s population

5 Source: United Nations (2008), World Urbanisation Prospects: The 2007 Revision.

6 Regional Trends and Projections More Developed Regions: Linked to the industrial revolution of the 18 th Century (economic growth) This trend is expected to continue, albeit slowly Level of urbanisation (74%) is high but the rate of urban growth is much lower Average growth rate between 1950 and 2000 was 1.4 percent; expected to decline to 0.4 percent by 2030 The slow down is a result of reduced rates of natural increase and rural-urban migration.

7 Regional Trends and Projections Less Developed Regions: Urbanisation is a recent phenomenon The level of urbanisation (40%) is much lower in LEDCs (with the exception of LAC) The urban growth rate in the less developed areas is much higher 3.7 percent between 1950 and 2000 (cf. 1.4%) Urbanisation linked to high levels of natural increase and rural-urban migration Despite similarities, marked differences exist in the level and pace of urbanisation among different LEDCs.

9 Average annual growth rate of urban population [source: Knox & Marston (2007)]

10 World / Global Cities (i) sites of leading global markets for commodities, commodity futures, investment capital, foreign exchange, equities, and bonds sites of clusters of specialised, high-order business services sites of concentrations of corporate headquarters

11 World / Global Cities (ii) sites of concentrations of national and international headquarters of trade and professional associations sites of leading NGOs and IGOs that are international in scope sites of the most powerful and internationally influential media organisations

12 World / Global Cities (iii) First tier: London, New York and Tokyo Second tier: e.g. Brussels, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, Zurich Third tier: e.g. Amsterdam, Madrid, Miami, Mexico City, Seoul, Sydney Fourth tier: e.g. Barcelona, Dallas, Manchester, Munich, Melbourne, Philadelphia

13 World Cities in the Global Urban System [source: Knox & Marston (2007)]

14 Urbanisation in the Developing World The Unintended Metropolis demographic growth exceeding economic development urbanisation without industrialisation overurbanisation: growth of cities beyond the capacity of job and housing markets

15 Urbanisation in the Developing World Concentration of Megacities Cities with more than 10 million people. Characterised by both primacy and a high degree of centrality within their national economy. E.g. Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Kolkata (Calcutta), Dhaka, Jakarta, Lagos, Manila, Mexico City, New Delhi, Sao Paulo and Shangai.

17 Urbanisation in the Developing World Urban Primacy Worldwide 15% of urban population in capital cities Sub-Saharan Africa 33% of urban population in capital cities Latin America, Middle East, North Africa approximately 25% of urban population in capital cities

18 Urbanisation in the Developing World Recent phenomenon Taking place in countries with the lowest levels of economic development Involves greater numbers of people Migration is greater in volume and more rapid

19 Urbanisation in the Developing World Industrialisation lags behind the rate of urbanisation Characterised by massive slum areas of spontaneous settlements o Slum cities vs. Cities with slums Greater pressures for rapid social change

20 Urbanisation in the Caribbean [source: Potter et al (2004). The Contemporary Caribbean. Page 291]

21 Urbanisation in the Caribbean Contributing factors: o Rural-urban drift o Natural increase o Economic diversification o Historical antecedents Problems and Challenges o Overpopulation o Unemployment and Poverty o Crime o Environmental degradation o Housing

Shrinking Cities. Economic Geography Dr. Gordon Winder Summer Term 2008 Georgina Gilchrist

Shrinking Cities. Economic Geography Dr. Gordon Winder Summer Term 2008 Georgina Gilchrist Shrinking Cities Economic Geography Dr. Gordon Winder Summer Term 2008 Georgina Gilchrist Overview Introduction Reasons for urban decline Case Study: Detroit Case Study: Manchester Summary Introduction