Urban Growth in LICs & NEEs (AQA GCSE Geography): Revision Note
Exam code: 8035
Specification links
The notes on this page cover part of 3.2.1 Urban issues and challenges on the AQA GCSE specification. (opens in a new tab)
3.2.1 - Key idea: Urban growth creates opportunities and challenges for cities in LICs and NEEs.
An example of how urban planning is improving the quality of life for the urban poor.
Causes of growth: natural increase and migration.
How urban growth has created opportunities:
Social: access to services – health and education; access to resources – water supply, energy.
Economic: how urban industrial areas can be a stimulus for economic development.
How urban growth has created challenges:
Managing urban growth – slums, squatter settlements.
Providing clean water, sanitation systems and energy.
Providing access to services – health and education.
Reducing unemployment and crime.
Managing environmental issues – waste disposal, air and water pollution, and traffic congestion.
Causes of urban growth
The UN predicts that by 2030, over 60% of the world's population will live in an urban environment
Urbanisation usually occurs because people move from rural to urban areas as a country develops
HICs saw the majority of their urbanisation before 1950
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, industrialisation occurred in most towns and cities throughout Europe and North America
Many people migrated from rural to urban areas for jobs in the rapidly expanding industries
Urban Population (% of total population)
| 1950 | 2000 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
World | 30% | 47% | 56% |
HICs | 53% | 76% | 81% |
NEEs | 20% | 41% | 54% |
LICs | 17% | 27% | 34% |
United Nations Population Division License: CC BY-4.0
Since the 1950s, LICs have seen rapid growth in urbanisation, particularly in South America, Asia and Africa
Between the 1950s and 2000, the urban population living in NEEs have doubled and in LICs by 2021, developed countries saw growth slow by less than half
There are three main reasons for urbanisation in LICs:
Mass rural-urban migration due to population growth and lack of resources in rural areas: Push factors
The lure of the city and the opportunities it represents, although many find informal employment and poor housing
Natural increase: As development occurs, healthcare improves; this reduces infant mortality and death rates, although birth rates tend to remain high
Opportunities of urban growth
Opportunities for urban growth in NEEs and LICs include:
The growth of urban industrial areas, which increases further economic development
Industrial development increases job opportunities and higher wages
Increased market share through industries selling their goods overseas; this increases companies' profits and taxes paid to their country
Better access to services such as education, healthcare, and the internet
Access to resources such as clean water, sanitation and electricity
Improved living conditions with a safer environment through street lighting and policing
Challenges of urban growth in LICs/NEEs
A major challenge faced by LICs and NEEs is the growth of informal settlements, particularly in megacities
They are unplanned and unregulated housing (informal settlements) with little sanitary facilities, freshwater or reliable energy supply
Depending on the country, these informal settlements are also called:
Favelas in Brazil
Shantytowns in the West Indies and Canada
Bustees on the Indian subcontinent
Skid row in the USA
Townships in South Africa
In developing countries, about a quarter of urban inhabitants (1.6 billion) live in these impoverished squatter settlements and by 2030 the UN estimates that 1 in 4 people on the planet will live in some form of informal settlement
Some cities have 'mega-slums'; these are very large, overcrowded areas usually within megacities
The largest are found:
Nairobi, Kenya, with a population of 1.5 million crowded into 3 sprawling settlements of mud huts and tin shacks – Kibera being the largest of the 3
Neza, Mexico City, Mexico, with a population of 1.1 million people
Dharavi, Mumbai, India, with 1 million people in a warren of narrow lanes, interconnected shacks and single-room living spaces that double as factories
Orangi Town, Karachi, Pakistan, with an estimated population of 2.4 million people across 8000 acres of concrete block homes with 8-10 people sharing two or three rooms
Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, with a population of 400,000 in iron and wooden shacks
These unregulated houses present serious risks such as fire, flooding and landslides
Other challenges are:
Dealing with the amount of waste produced as the city grows
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels, factories and car exhausts
Sewage and toxic chemical pollution of waterways
Congestion on poorly managed/planned road systems
Lack of public transport
Lack of qualified doctors, teachers, etc.
High levels of unemployment and crime
Informal employment and child exploitation
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The case study below and the one on Lagos (next revision note) are examples that you could use in your exam. However, you may have studied different case studies in your school lessons. It is not possible to cover all the case studies used by different schools within the revision note. To revise your own example, you need to ensure that you have covered the following:
The location and importance of the city
Causes of growth: natural increase and migration
How urban growth has created opportunities:
Social: access to services – health and education; access to resources – water supply, energy
Economic: how urban industrial areas can be a stimulus for economic development
How urban growth has created challenges:
Managing urban growth – slums, squatter settlements
Providing clean water, sanitation systems and energy
Providing access to services – health and education
Reducing unemployment and crime
Managing environmental issues – waste disposal, air and water pollution, traffic congestion.
You may find helpful information on Mumbai in our IGCSE Geography course
Case Study
Favela-Bairro Project, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Background
Brazil is an important agricultural and industrial power, with the strongest economy in Latin America, with Brasília as its capital
In 1950, Rio de Janeiro (Rio) was the capital of Brazil, with a population of 3 million
Today, it is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo) with a population of over 12.5 million
Rio is a major trading port with oil refining and shipbuilding industries
Main exports are iron, steel and crude petroleum
Rio is also a major tourist destination and hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Housing
Inward migration has put pressure on services and amenities, which has led to a housing shortage
Most rural migrants begin life in the favelas, of which Rocinha is the largest and most developed informal settlement, just south of Rio
Over 20 per cent of the population lives in around 1000 favelas in and around the city
Found mainly on the edges of the city, on poor-quality land that is not suitable for urban development
People have no legal rights to the land they occupy
Many of the favelas in Rio are now well-established
95% of favela homes are built of solid materials, such as brick, with 75% having a tiled floor
Some have electricity, running water, televisions, computers and access to the Internet
The newer and less well-established neighbourhoods are overcrowded, consisting of shelters made from materials like timber and corrugated iron and cling to the side of the mountain
The majority of the favela's residents illegally tap into the main electrical grid, making the electricity poles in the street unsafe, with several households connecting to the one pole
Many households in Rio do not have access to safe, running water, as many of the main water pipes are damaged and are leaking
Very few houses in the favelas have water directly to their houses
Approaches to improvement
The government has viewed favelas as eyesores, which portray a poor image of the city
Local communities, charities and government departments work in collaboration to improve conditions in favelas
The government has to balance improvements without attracting further inward migration and, therefore, further favela developments elsewhere
Site and service schemes in Rio
The Favela Bairro Project (favela neighbourhood project) began in 1994 and ended in 2008
The aim was to provide essential services to residents and to recognise them formally as neighbourhoods of the city
Families were taught to build stable foundations using strong materials
Residents living in homes deemed too unsafe on the steep hillside were relocated by the local government
Solid, brick homes were built with power, running clean water and sanitation pipes, reducing the impact of waterborne diseases such as cholera
Some residents were able to purchase the homes and were given legal rights to the land
The success of these schemes has been mixed, but many living conditions have been improved, but the topography of the area (steep hillsides) has restricted full development
Improvements are restricted by steep hillsides, heavy rains, floods and landslides
Funding is limited, making improvement for all residents impossible
Cultural activities such as samba, capoeira and reggae are run to stop youths from getting involved in gangs and organised crime
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