Urbanization

The process by which the population of urban settlements grows is known as urbanization. The urbanization process has two dimensions:

• An increase in the percentage of people living in urban settlements, discussed on this page.

• An increase in the number of people living in urban settlements, discussed under Megacities later in this chapter.

The distinction between these two factors is important because they occur for different reasons and have different global distributions.

A century ago, social scientists observed striking differences between urban and rural residents. Louis Wirth argued during the 1930s that an urban dweller follows a different way of life than does a rural dweller. Thus Wirth defined a city as a permanent settlement that has three characteristics: large size, high population density, and socially heterogeneous people. These characteristics produced differences in the social behavior of urban and rural residents.

Large, Dense, Socially Heterogenous Urban Settlement

London, United Kingdom.

Urban-Rural Differences: Large Size

If you live in a rural settlement, you know most of the other inhabitants and may even be related to many of them. The people with whom you relax are probably the same ones you see in local shops and at church. In contrast, if you live in an urban settlement, you can know only a small percentage of the other residents. You meet most of them in specific roles—your supervisor, your lawyer, your supermarket cashier, your electrician. Most of these relationships are contractual: You are paid wages according to a contract, and you pay others for goods and services. Consequently, the large size of an urban settlement produces different social relationships than those formed in rural settlements.

Urban-Rural Differences: High Density

Urban areas have much higher densities of population, housing, and services than do rural settlements. High density produces social consequences for urban residents, according to Wirth. The only way that a large number of people can be supported in a small area is through specialization. Each person in an urban settlement plays a special role or performs a specific task to allow the complex urban system to function smoothly. At the same time, high density also encourages social groups to compete to occupy the same territory.

Urban-Rural Differences: Social Heterogeneity

The larger the settlement, the greater the variety of people. A person has greater freedom in an urban settlement than in a rural settlement to pursue an unusual profession or cultural interest. In a rural settlement, such individual expressions might be noticed and scorned, but urban residents are more accepting of diverse social behavior. Regardless of values and preferences, in a large urban settlement, individuals can find people with similar interests. But despite the freedom and independence of an urban settlement, people may also feel lonely and isolated. Residents of a crowded urban settlement often feel that they are surrounded by people who are indifferent and reserved.

Wirth’s three-part distinction between urban and rural settlements may still apply in some developing countries. But in developed countries, social distinctions between urban and rural life have blurred. According to Wirth’s definition, nearly everyone in a developed country now is urban. All but 1 percent of workers in developed societies hold “urban” types of jobs. Nearly universal ownership of motor vehicles, electronic devices, and other modern communications and transportation systems has also reduced the differences between urban and rural lifestyles in developed countries. Almost regardless of where you live in a developed country, you have access to urban jobs, services, culture, and recreation.

Percentage in Urban Settlements

Approximately 55 percent of the world’s population live in an urban settlement. The percentage living in urban settlements increased rapidly during the twentieth century, from 3 percent in 1800 to 6 percent in 1850, 14 percent in 1900, 30 percent in 1950, and 45 percent in 2000. The population of Earth’s urban settlements exceeded that of rural settlements for the first time in human history around 2008.

The percentage of people living in urban settlements reflects a country’s level of development. In developed countries, 79 percent live in urban areas, compared to 50 percent in developing countries (Figure 12-40). In Latin America, the percentage living in urban areas, 78 percent, is virtually the same as in developed countries. On the other hand, only 40 percent live in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa and 35 percent in South Asia. Not by coincidence these two developing regions have the lowest HDIs, according to the U.N. (see Chapter 10).

Percentage Living in Urban Settlements

Developing countries generally have lower percentages of urban residents than do developed countries, though Latin America has a percentage comparable to that of developed countries.

The below shows that the gap in urbanization between developed and developing countries is closing rapidly. In 1980, 69 percent lived in urban areas in developed countries compared to only 29 percent in all developing countries, and 23 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Changing Percentage Living in Urban Areas

The percentage living in urban areas is increasing more rapidly in developing countries, though the gap between developed and developing regions remains.

The higher percentage of urban residents in developed countries is a result of changes in economic structure during the past two centuries—first the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century and then the growth of services in the twentieth. The percentage of urban dwellers is high in developed countries because over the past 200 years, rural residents have migrated from the countryside to work in the factories and services that are concentrated in cities.

The need for fewer farm workers has pushed people out of rural areas, and rising employment opportunities in manufacturing and services have lured them into urban areas. Because everyone resides either in an urban settlement or a rural settlement, an increase in the percentage living in urban areas has produced a corresponding decrease in the percentage living in rural areas.

Pause & Reflect 12.4.3

What migration factor discussed in Chapter 3 might help to explain why the percentage of people in developed countries living in urban areas may not continue to increase?