PUSH AND PULL FACTORS

CAUSES OF URBANISATION

Urbanisation can occur due to a range of factors:

1. natural population growth
2. migration and ‘rural push’/ ‘urban pull’ factors

NATURAL POPULATION GROWTH

Urbanisation can occur due to the natural rise in population. The world’s population continues to increase due to advances in medicine and better living conditions. For example, more women and children are now surviving childbirth thanks to medical progress. Due to the improvement in medicine and increased immunisation programs, more children are also surviving to adulthood, and in addition people are living longer. That is, our aged population is also increasing. This means that there are more children being born than people dying.

According to the United Nations, the twentieth century experienced the most rapid decrease in mortality in human history. Globally, life expectancy at birth rose from an average of 47 years in 1950–1955 to 71 years in 2005–2013. The United Nations World Urbanisation Prospects (2013) expects the current world population of approximately 7.2 billion to increase to 9.8 billion by 2050. Furthermore, the UN predicts that India’s population will be the largest in the world by 2028, surpassing China, and that Nigeria’s population will eventually exceed that of the United States.

MIGRATION AND PUSH – PULL FACTORS

Migration can be internal and external. Internal migration is when people resettle within a country; for example, when rural dwellers move into the city. External migration is when people move between countries – from one country to another. 

A range of factors contribute to the movement of people as a result of migration. These factors are split into two key groups: push factors and pull factors. As the names suggest, push factors motivate people to leave their place of residence, and pull factors attract people to a new place. 

Following World War II, Australia attracted European migrants who were looking for a better life than their war-devastated countries could provide. Disruption in some countries pushed people out of their homelands towards more peaceful areas. Wars and civil wars are clear examples of push factors. Other examples are poverty, displacement, environmental hazards and famines. 

Pull factors are forces that attract or entice a person to relocate to a new area or location. These factors generate optimism for residents who hope that they will receive better conditions than in their current situation. These factors range from better employment opportunities to access to medical and health services. 

COMPLETE the following questions:

1. Identify two causes of urbanisation.

2. Why does the world's population continue to increase?

3. Distinguish between internal and external migration?

4. Research and copy the definition for:
   a.  life expectancy
   b.  migration

COMPLETE the following tasks:

1. COPY in your workbook the 'push and pull factors' listed above.

COPY the text below into your workbook:

All megacities in the developing world have similar challenges or problems:

1. Access to employment – formal and informal.

2. Provision of shelter and housing – rise of squatter settlements/slums;
    upgrading housing; new housing projects.

3. Water and sewage provision and waste disposal.

4. Health and nutrition – overcrowding, unclean water, vermin, dangerous
    housing and utility connections and parasites.

5. Air water and noise pollution.

6. Congestion and provision of transport infrastructure.