Urban Change
Key definitions:
Urban area = A town or city
Rural area = Countryside
Urbanisation = More people moving to urban areas/ the creation of new
urban areas.
Urban change = The change in the number of people living in urban
areas.
What causes urbanisation to increase?
Urbanisation is the result of rural-urban migration and natural
increase.
Rural-urban migration = the movement people from the
countryside into towns.
Natural increase = where the birth rate is higher than the death
rate.
What causes natural increase?
A natural increase in population occurs when there is high
proportion of young adults aged 18-35.
→ Therefore, more children will be born.
The smaller proportion of older people means the death rate is
lower.
Improvements to health care, particularly in urban areas of poorer
countries, can also result in a lower death rate.
→ Natural increase therefore tends to be higher in LICs(such as
Cambodia) and in some NEEs(such as India).
What cause rural – urban migration?
Rural-urban migration is caused by push and pull factors.
These are real or imagined disadvantages of living in a rural
areas and advantages of living in a town or city.
Push factors are reasons people want to leave the countryside.
Pull factors are reason people are attracted to the city.
Push factors Pull factors
Farming is hard and poorly There are more well-paid
paid. jobs.
Desertification and soil A higher standard of living is
erosion make farming possible.
difficult. They have friends and family
Drought and other climate already living there.
hazards reduce crop yields. There is a better chance of
Farming is often at getting an education.
subsistence level, producing Public transport is better.
Key definitions:
Urban area = A town or city
Rural area = Countryside
Urbanisation = More people moving to urban areas/ the creation of new
urban areas.
Urban change = The change in the number of people living in urban
areas.
What causes urbanisation to increase?
Urbanisation is the result of rural-urban migration and natural
increase.
Rural-urban migration = the movement people from the
countryside into towns.
Natural increase = where the birth rate is higher than the death
rate.
What causes natural increase?
A natural increase in population occurs when there is high
proportion of young adults aged 18-35.
→ Therefore, more children will be born.
The smaller proportion of older people means the death rate is
lower.
Improvements to health care, particularly in urban areas of poorer
countries, can also result in a lower death rate.
→ Natural increase therefore tends to be higher in LICs(such as
Cambodia) and in some NEEs(such as India).
What cause rural – urban migration?
Rural-urban migration is caused by push and pull factors.
These are real or imagined disadvantages of living in a rural
areas and advantages of living in a town or city.
Push factors are reasons people want to leave the countryside.
Pull factors are reason people are attracted to the city.
Push factors Pull factors
Farming is hard and poorly There are more well-paid
paid. jobs.
Desertification and soil A higher standard of living is
erosion make farming possible.
difficult. They have friends and family
Drought and other climate already living there.
hazards reduce crop yields. There is a better chance of
Farming is often at getting an education.
subsistence level, producing Public transport is better.
