Lecture Notes: Urbanization and City Growth

Introduction

• Topic: Urbanization and city growth trends worldwide.
• Presenter: Mr. Sin, Geography channel host.
• Key Focus: Migration from rural to urban areas, creation of mega and meta-cities.

Urbanization Trends

• 2007 Milestone: First time more people lived in urban areas than rural globally.
• 2050 Projection: Over two-thirds of the world's population will reside in urban areas.
• Urbanization Definition: Migration from rural to urban areas.

Mega and Meta-Cities

• Mega City: Urban area with over 10 million residents.
• Meta City: Urban area with over 20 million residents.
• Current Trends:
  • Mainly located in core countries.
  • Projected shift towards periphery and semi-periphery countries.
  • Influenced by global migration and birth rate differences.

Regional Focus: Africa

• Population Growth: Expected to double by 2050.
• Urban Growth Rates:
  • Fastest urbanization rates globally.
  • Consistent growth across all African regions (1950-2015).

Challenges of Urban Growth

• Demand for Resources: Increase in demand for water, housing, food, and electricity.
• Infrastructure Strain: Pressure on sewer systems, roads, and public transportation.
• Informal Settlements: Emergence due to lack of affordable housing:
  • Favelas, squatter settlements, slums.
  • Typically lack access to basic amenities like water and electricity.

Counter Urbanization and Suburbanization

• Core Countries:
  • Experiencing counter urbanization (shift from urban to suburban areas).
  • Rise of boom burbs, exurbs, and edge cities.

Definitions

• Boom Burb: Rapidly growing suburban city with its own identity.
• Exurb: Settlements beyond suburbs, connected to metro areas.
  • Residents often work remotely or shop locally.
• Edge City: Has its own economic district, located on urban outskirts.

Urban Sprawl and Decentralization

• Urban Sprawl: Expansion of urban areas outwards.
• Urban Decentralization: Shift of people/businesses from urban core to outskirts.
  • Results in more control for peripheral areas over budgets and policies.

Transportation and Connectivity

• Roadway Expansion: New roads and public transit facilitate movement.
• Integration: Edge cities and boom burbs connected by highways to CBD and each other.

Bid Rent Theory

• Concept: Land value decreases with distance from CBD.
• Impact: Affects spatial layout; denser, taller buildings near CBD; more spread out further away.

Future Trends

• Technology and Communication Advancements: Drive suburban migration, influencing businesses and public services.
• Geographical Variation: Different growth challenges based on location.

Conclusion

• Current Trends: High urbanization in periphery/semi-periphery; suburbanization in core countries.
• Practice Exercise: Answer questions for comprehension (provided in video).

• Recommendation: Subscribe to the channel for more geography content and resources.
• Additional Resource: "Ultimate Review Packet" for AP Human Geography help.

End of Lecture