Urbanization
The global population has experienced a rapid rise in urbanization that has led to a massive transition in landscape patterns and land cover of the populated regions. A report by the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicates that majority of people in the developed nations live in cities compared to individuals in the developing countries. As such, urbanization can be defined as an alteration in size, concentration, and heterogeneity of the urban areas (Cyril, Oldroyd, & Renzaho, 2013). Equally, it is a process whereby a significant number of a country’s populace resides in cities, with their source of livelihood being non-farm occupations.
Field’s Explanation of the Forces Driving Urbanization
According to Field’s explanations, the major driving forces of urbanization are commerce, population, inventions, and state building. For instance, the Pirenne model extrapolates that trade played a significant role in the development of urban centers in Europe. The growth was due to a rise in maritime trade during the second millennium, which led to a population increase in commercial centers. Consequently, cities acted as the primary points of production since various industries can only operate near major towns (Fields, 1999). This eventually promoted migration into these regions, thereby enhancing urban formation. The political and administrative organizations in city areas facilitate urbanization as the institutions expedite the creation of the modern economy. Notably, Field’s arguments align with other forms of study which contend that the major cause of urbanization includes economic, political, educational opportunities, and social factors (Arouri, Youssef, Nguyen-Viet, & Soucat, 2014). In essence, most individuals move to urban centers in search of employment and a change in lifestyle.
Is Urbanization a Permanent Process?
Urbanization is a continuous process marked by a set of rural and urban transformations in the form of industrial patterns, job acquisition, lifestyle change, and social public amenities. For instance, economic development marked by an increase in a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results in high job opportunities. This leads to urban development in terms of housing to accommodate the expanding population (Chen, Zhang, Liu, & Zhang, 2014). Furthermore, technological inventions such as automobiles that help to promote trade in different areas significantly make the phenomena a permanent course. Equally, constant agitation for improved infrastructure, enhanced living conditions, and water availability among the city dwellers facilitates urbanization in other areas. The continuous movement of people from rural areas to cities in search of employment and a change in lifestyle is an endless process which is observed to facilitate urbanization.
Are American Cities Unique?
Most of the American cities are characterized by high population resulting from the ever-increasing populace of immigrants. Considerably, the American capitals are described by straight broad avenues that allow easy movement of automobiles except for the cities of Boston and Lower Manhattan that were established during the colonial period. A hierarchy of roads, lanes, and service paths defines most of the United States’ urban centers in which the city blocks are segmented by narrow alleys to enhance the delivery of commodities (Roth & Clark, 2016). Importantly, there is a grain and structure to the building formation in American cities in which antiquarian tributes are rare compared to those in Europe. Based on these features, a majority of the American cities tend to be different from other towns around the globe thereby making them unique.
Examples of Problems Faced by Cities in Developing Nations
Problems encountered by most of the urban centers in the developing nations are significant compared to those of the developed countries. A majority of these cities lack essential urban amenities such as clean and safe water hence increasing cases of diseases. Outdated governance structures and insufficient provision of services are linked to the colonial institutional structure and constant political uncertainty. Consequently, other nations do not entail urban planning and development sectors leading to the rise of slums and expansive development of suburban regions (Güneralp, Lwasa, Masundire, Parnell, & Seto, 2017). The cities not only experience traffic congestion but also a high level of unemployment whereby 60% of occupations are found in the informal segment. As such, the total amount of business activities in the developing nations does not represent their actual GDP. Other challenges include insecurity and unregulated commercial areas that encroach pathways.
Conclusion
Urbanization is the process through which the majority of a country’s populace lives in the city, with their primary source of income being non-farm activities. The primary drivers of urbanization include trade, population, and production, among others. Moreover, the increased development of trade areas not only helps to create urban centers but also raises the urban population. Equally, some industries only operate near major towns. Consequently, the resultant high level of job opportunities in these localities aids in urban development. However, . most cities in the developing nations are marked by poor planning, high level of unemployment, inadequate provision of essential services, and insecurity.
References
Arouri, M. E. H., Youssef, A. B., Nguyen-Viet, C., & Soucat, A. (2014). Effects of urbanization on economic growth and human capital formation in Africa. Retrieved from https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01068271/
Chen, M., Zhang, H., Liu, W., & Zhang, W. (2014). The global pattern of urbanization and economic growth: Evidence from the last three decades. PloS one, 9(8), e103799. Retrieved from journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103799
Cyril, S., Oldroyd, J. C., & Renzaho, A. (2013). Urbanisation, urbanicity, and health: A systematic review of the reliability and validity of urbanicity scales. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 513. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-513
Fields, G. (1999). Urbanization and the transition from agrarian to industrial society. Berkeley Planning Journal, 13(1). Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7242m3b1
Güneralp, B., Lwasa, S., Masundire, H., Parnell, S., & Seto, K. C. (2017). Urbanization in Africa: challenges and opportunities for conservation. Environmental Research Letters, 13(1), 015002. Retrieved from http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa94fe
Roth, L. M., & Clark, A. C. R. (2018). American Architecture: A History. Boulder: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/title/american-architecture-a-history/oclc/1041040039