Rise of Megacities
- Not only is the world more urban, but the urban area is increasing
- Many cities are sprawling into and engulfing rural regions to create conurbations, further adding to the growth of urban areas
- As the growth of cities continues, the term megacity is used to describe cities with more than 10 million people
- New York was the first megacity in 1950, with Tokyo 2nd
- In 1975 there were 4 - New York, Tokyo, Osaka and Mexico City
- By 2000 there were 15
- In 2018 that rose to 33 with Tokyo having close to 37.3 million people
- By 2025-2030, it is estimated that around 630 million people will live in close to 43 megacities around the world
- With Asia alone, having at least 33 megacities, including Mumbai and Delhi, India; Shanghai, China; Seoul, South Korea and Lagos in Nigeria
- This scaling up of the urban environment is the fastest in human history
- Largest growth of megacities is seen in Asia
Reasons for growth
- Economic development
- Megacities dominate national and regional economies of countries
- Many companies have their headquarters in megacities
- Encourages population growth which leads to the desirability of goods and services
- All megacities act as service centres within the formal economic sector
- However, megacities in EMEs are also important manufacturing centres (Mumbai in India or Dhaka in Bangladesh) with thousands working in the informal economy
- Population growth
- Young people are drawn to live in megacities with their vibrancy, fast pace and opportunities
- There is also ‘internal growth’ where people who have moved into the cities have children, so sustaining population growth (Mexico City, Mumbai, Pearl River Delta in China)
- Rapid growth, often means that peri-urban, grow more rapidly than urban centres and this can lead to development of slums
- Economies of scale
- Cheaper to provide goods and services in one place than spread across several cities
- Financial savings for local governments in respect of infrastructure provision
- Communication and transport are centralised, making savings in time and money
- Availability of skilled and unskilled workers (higher numbers allows for choice)
- Multiplier effect
- As a city prospers, it acts as a beacon to people and businesses
- This encourages inward investment
- This leads to yet more development and growth
- Generating further need for skills and labour and job growth
- This cycle multiplies the positive effects and growth continues (San Francisco and the digital development)