What is urbanisation?

Urbanisation is the growing proportion of a country's people who live in towns and cities (rather than in the countryside). Around the world, more than half of all people now live in urban areas — and the share keeps rising.

• In HICs (high-income countries), most people already live in cities, so urbanisation is slow.
• In LICs and NEEs (low-income countries and newly emerging economies), urbanisation is happening fastest — this is where the world's cities are growing most quickly.

Key term — urbanisation: an increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas. Note it is about the share of population, not just the total number of city dwellers.

The rise of the megacity

A megacity is a city with a population of over 10 million people. In 1950 there were only a couple; today there are around 30–40 megacities, and most new ones are in Asia, Africa and South America.

Watch out: the definition line is 10 million — a large city of, say, 3 million is not yet a megacity.

Where is urban growth fastest?

Why cities grow

Two main processes make a city's population grow:

• Rural–urban migration — people move from the countryside into the city.
• Natural increase — the birth rate is higher than the death rate. Cities tend to have a young adult population, so many babies are born there.

Rural–urban migration is driven by push factors (things that push people away from the countryside) and pull factors (things that pull them towards the city):

• Push: poverty, drought and crop failure, farm mechanisation cutting jobs, and a lack of services (schools, hospitals, electricity) in rural areas.
• Pull: more jobs, higher wages, better schools and hospitals, and a more reliable supply of services and electricity.

Push or pull factor?

Tap a reason, then tap the box it belongs in.

Match the term to its meaning

Tap a term on the left, then tap its correct meaning on the right.

Case study: Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria, on the south-west coast of West Africa. It has grown into a megacity of over 15 million people and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.

• Regionally & nationally: Nigeria's main industrial and financial centre — it generates a large share of the country's wealth.
• Internationally: a major port and hub for trade, banking and the Nigerian film industry ("Nollywood").
• Causes of growth: rapid rural–urban migration from poorer parts of Nigeria, plus high natural increase (a young, growing population).

Lagos: opportunities of growth

Rapid growth brings real opportunities for people in Lagos:

• Economic: many jobs in industry, the port, banking and services; wages are usually higher than in rural areas.
• Social: better access to services — more schools and healthcare than in the countryside, and a greater chance of a reliable electricity and water supply.
• A large informal economy (street selling, small workshops, recycling) gives incomes to people who can't find formal jobs.

Exam tip: AQA wants you to see growth as a mix of opportunities (jobs, services) and challenges — never all good or all bad.

Lagos: challenges of growth

Growth much faster than the city can plan for creates serious challenges:

• Squatter settlements (slums): areas such as Makoko (a "floating slum" on the lagoon) are overcrowded, with homes built from scrap on stilts.
• Clean water & sanitation: many people lack piped clean water and proper sewers, so water-borne disease spreads.
• Waste & energy: huge amounts of rubbish and an unreliable electricity supply.
• Unemployment, crime, traffic & pollution: not enough formal jobs; severe traffic congestion ("go-slows") and air pollution.

Improving life for the urban poor: self-help and upgrading schemes give residents better materials, water and services so they can improve their own homes, rather than simply bulldozing the settlements.

Opportunity or challenge?

For urban growth in Lagos, tap whether each is an opportunity or a challenge.

Your turn — why Lagos grows

Is it a megacity?

Case study: London, UK

London is the capital of the UK, in the south-east of England on the River Thames. With around 9 million people, it is by far the UK's largest city.

• Importance: the UK's political, financial and cultural capital, and a leading global city for banking, business and tourism.
• Migration & character: decades of national and international migration have made London extremely multicultural — over 300 languages are spoken there.

London: opportunities

London's size and diversity create many opportunities:

• Social & cultural: a rich cultural mix of food, festivals, music and religion; lots of recreation, parks, museums and entertainment.
• Economic: a huge range of employment in finance, tech, media, tourism and services.
• Transport: an integrated public transport system (Underground, buses, rail, Overground) helps people move around the city.

London: challenges

Growth also brings social, economic and environmental challenges:

• Inequality & deprivation: some inner-city boroughs have urban deprivation — worse housing, health and education than wealthier areas nearby.
• Housing: a shortage of affordable homes; pressure to build on brownfield (used) or greenfield (unused countryside) land.
• Waste & dereliction: large amounts of waste to dispose of, and areas of derelict old industrial land.
• Urban sprawl: the city spreads outward into the rural–urban fringe, and commuter settlements grow around it.

Regenerating London Docklands

Urban regeneration means improving a run-down part of a city. A famous UK example is the London Docklands.

• Before: the old docks in East London closed in the 1960s–70s, leaving derelict land, lost jobs and poor housing.
• Regeneration: from the 1980s the area was redeveloped into Canary Wharf — new offices, homes, shops and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
• Result: thousands of new jobs, modern housing and transport — though critics say some original residents could not afford the new homes.

Exam tip: a good regeneration answer names the place, says what it was like before, what was done, and gives positive and negative results.

What is regeneration?

Brownfield vs greenfield land

To house a growing population, cities must decide where to build:

Misconception: brownfield land is not "dirty" land — it simply means land that has already been built on before. Reusing it helps limit sprawl onto greenfield sites.

Which land is it?

Sustainable urban living

Sustainable urban living means running a city so that it meets people's needs now without spoiling things for future generations. Key strategies:

• Water & energy conservation: collecting rainwater, fixing leaks, insulating homes and using renewable energy.
• Waste recycling: sorting and reusing waste to reduce landfill.
• Green space: creating parks and gardens for wildlife, exercise and cleaner air.

Reducing traffic congestion

Fast urban growth causes traffic congestion and air pollution. Sustainable transport strategies aim to get people out of private cars:

• Better public transport — reliable buses, trams and rail (like the London Underground) carry many people at once.
• Congestion charging — London charges drivers to enter the city centre, cutting the number of cars.
• Cycling & walking — cycle lanes and hire schemes offer clean alternatives.

Why it matters: fewer cars means less congestion, lower air pollution and lower carbon emissions — a more sustainable city.

Cutting car use

Your turn — a more sustainable city

The key ideas to know

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