why changes in rural areas
LIC: limited local employment, poor living conditions, inadequate access to education and healthcare (push factors → urban areas)
MIC: allure of urban life, industrialisation and expansion of service sectors (pull factors → urban areas)
HIC: often propelled by migration of younger generations to urban areas for education and employment, leaving ageing pop in rural areas
consequences of rural depopulation
- Economic: decreasing rural pop can = decline of local economies, reducing business ability to grow, so decreasing employment opportunities
- Social: can erode community bonds, abandonment of cultural practices and traditions
- Env: land abandonment, environmental neglect, loss of agri productivity
causes rural-urban migration
Economic:
- employment opportunities, rural are agri dominant esp in LIC, low paid and high risks (natural hazards), so not stable.
- urban areas more jobs with wider range available. promise stability.
- uni graduates looking for industry-specific
Social:
- Young ppl isolated in rural areas, want more diverse lifestyle
- investment in urban higher, so public services better (healthcare etc)
Education:
- colleges + unis high conc in urban
rural-urban migration impacts (rural)
- population decline, leaving mostly ageing pop in rural area, more care needed
- economic slow down, lots of job vacancies, less money contributed to economy, so businesses close and services under pressure from lack of workers.
- brain drain as skilled workers move for better employment
- dereliction, abandoned businesses + empty houses
- cultures may fade as younger move out
- men more likely to migrate, so higher proportion of women e.g. poland
rural-urban migration impacts (urban)
- larger workforce, more economically active. boost economy, improves productivity
- brain gain, skilled workers moving in for skilled jobs
- overpopulation of cities, pressure on housing/services
- more waste, env degradation
- influx of migrants = locals unhappy with area changing to cater to migrants (political problems)
- younger population structure
- qual of life down as insufficient resources. squatter settlements can form from ppl moving to urban but cant afford
causes of urban-rural migration
- search for better qual of life: crime, overpop, pollution, high cost of living push factors of urban. for ppl who want less costly, quieter life, or older ppl who arent looking for economic opportunity
- HIC, more investment to rural, so not as isolated. jobs and services there so not against moving to rural
- better transport links, ability to work from home etc, so easy to live in rural with good economic opportunities.
urban-rural impacts (urban)
- relaxed pressure on services, so better healthcare, lower house prices etc
- decrease in wealthy older ppl, so less money spent on businesses in area, decline in business and econ activity
- lower avg age of area as often old ppl moving, could lead to issues such as anti social behaviour
urban-rural impacts (rural)
- larger workforce in rural areas potentially, contribute to economy, improves productivity
- increased pressure on services/housing who arent developed for larger populations. leads to increased house prices, means younger locals cant afford, and older immigrants buy houses.
- more waste so env degradation
- older population structure, ageing population?
consequences of urban growth
land use changes:
- prime agri lands lost to residential/retail/industrial/commercial purposes
- habitat and biodiversity loss
env impact:
- pollution (air, water, soil)
- resource depletion due to increased demand (water and energy)
lifestyle changes:
- more urban-like lifestyles, erodes rural character
- infra development: improved roads and telecoms can change landscape a lot
urbanisation
where an increasing proportion of the population in a geographical area lives in urban settlements.
urban growth
The absolute increase in physical size and total population of urban areas
suburbanisation
the process of population movement from urban areas to suburban areas on the outskirts of cities and towns
counter urbanisation
deconcentration of population in urban areas as people move out of suburban areas/cities into smaller towns and villages in rural areas
re-urbanisation
movement back to the city at a later stage in the urbanisation process. when people move back into inner city areas where populations had previously declined due to a range of social, economic and environmental issues
urban renewal
keeps the best elements of the existing urban environment (often safeguarded by planning regulations) and adapts them to new usage. helps to maintain some historic character of urban areas.
e.g. bank turned into restaurant, keeping the former’s look but altering inside to suit its new purpose.
urban redevelopment
complete clearance of existing buildings and site infrastructure and constructing new buildings, often for a different purpose
urban regeneration
involves both redevelopment and renewal.
in recent years, the term has become increasingly popular.
causes of urbanisation (rural-urban migration)
Push:
- high IMR in rural due to lack of clean water, elec and sanitation
- lack of infra e.g. roads shops and facilities
- natural disasters e.g. droughts make farming unreliable/unpredictable
- mechanisation of farming = high unemployment in rural
Pull:
- incentives/advertising campaigns to attract workers to move to city
- successful migrants encourage extended families to join them in urban areas
- more schools, doctors and healthcare services in urban
- more jobs with more reliable income
consequences of (rapid) urbanisation LIC/MIC
- migrants attracted by possibilities in city, but settle in shanty towns as can’t afford city, extreme poverty
- inadequate housing for rural migrants due to over-urbanisation, where urbanisation > econ development, so high unemp and high demand for resources
consequences of Urbanisation in HICs
- traffic congestion = pollution (air and noise)
- crime: as more ppl live in cities, higher chance of crime. social and economic inequalities trigger
- urban sprawl: destroys agri land, parks and open space. conflict caused by stakeholders on rural-urban fringe
- high cost of living due to comp for land
- high infra costs for water/sewerage systems, schools and health services
urbanisation in HIC - slow
- most people alr live in urban area, so cant rapidly urbanise (83% in urban in Uk)
rate of natural increase slowed as: - cost living high, so families not having kids/having less
- contraception more readily available
- careers increasingly important, reduced BR
- women in workforce so decreased FR
how do the 4 processes affect comp for land (HIC)
Urbanisation: price in CBD highest, inner city demand for housing from workers. higher class housing on outskirts.
Suburbanisation: CBD decline, ‘doughnut effect’ as wealthy move to suburbs. land rices rise on outskirts with increased demand
Counterurbanisation: land price in villages rise, second home ownership.
Re-urbanisation: land in inner city rises again as ppl return to city (increased demand for houses)
what is the concept of a world city
a significant production point of specialised financial and producer services that make the globalised economy run
- producer services include accountancy, advertising, banking/finance and law
have major role in global affairs, centres of economic power and political/cultural influence
how does the GaWC rank London? what does it signify? (globalisation and world cities)
- London is one of 2 Alpha ++ cities on the GaWC ranking, NY is the other.
- signifies London is more integrated than all other cities in terms of ‘advanced producer services’ including accountancy, banking/finance and law. London is a typical location for the HQ or significant offices of TNCs
