1. Characteristics and definition of urban environments
 By population size, density of housing or number of dwellings (different countries have different
minimum sizes).
 By employment (large % of working population in manufacturing or office activities).
 By facilities or functions (usually have high level of services- piped water, sewerage, medical and
retail facilities).
 By government legislation.
How and why do they develop?
Main Reasons
 Migration from rural to urban areas
 Natural population increase (is greater in urban areas)
 Urban areas have better access to medical and other
services (greater life expectancy-attractive).
Urbanisation
Process by which more
and more people live in
towns and cities
Suburbanisation
Movement of people,
offices, factories,
shops away from
centre into suburbs.
Counterurbanisation
This is the movement
of people away from
cities and towns to
villages and small towns
in the countryside.
Reurbanisation
Movement of people
back into the central
area of a city after it
has had a period of
decline. City centre
redevelopment is
usually a catalyst for
this process.
City
Natural Increase
Increasing population.
accounts for approx. 60%
of rise (high birth rate,
low death rate)
Rural- Urban
Migration
Rapid migration accounts
for approx. 40% of rise
in urban population
Push Factors
1. Lack of job
opportunities.
2. Lack of
investment by
government.
3. Monotony and
harshness of
countryside life.
4. Increase in
commercialism and
mechanisation of
agriculture lessens
demand for labour.
5. Problems of crop
failure.
6. Insufficient land
reforms and over
population cause
lack of suitable
land.
Pull Factors
1. Better health
care.
2. Greater
educational
opportunities.
3. Better provided
services.
4. Perception of
excitement, pace
and bright lights of
city life.
5. Move public and
private investment
= greater job
opportunities.
6. Higher
wages/greater job
availability in cities
cumulative success
of relatives.

2. Application to the UK
1. Primary agricultural/craft economy (pre 1750’s/late 18th
century)
2. Urbanisation with economic development alongside the Industrial Revolution (Early
19th
century/1750’s-1850’s)
3. a) Rapid urbanisation with industrial growth, migration from rural to urban areas
(19th
century)
b) Suburbanisation: suburbs grow faster than the central areas, the city grows
outwards (1920’s onwards)
4. The suburbs continue to attract people but inner city population declines.
Development of peripheral industrial estates and retail areas (1950’s-1970’s)
1. Very slow
growth, most
employed in
agriculture
2. Increase in rate
of unbanisation
associated with
economic
development
3. Rapid rise in
urbanisation
4. Urbanisation slows
considerably; majority of
people live in towns and
cities employed in industry
and services.
5. Counterurbanisation
occurs and the urban
proportions stablises or
decreases as some
prefer to commute
6.
Reurbanisation
associated with
urban renewal
Cycle of
Urbanisation

3. 5. People move to adjacent rural areas or to smaller towns further away (1970’s
onwards)
6. Some movement back to the centre due to gentrification, redevelopment and/or
the creation of job opportunities in the central area (late 1980’s onwards).
Urbanisation in MEDCs
 Linked to industrial revolution.
As factories were built in town centre, terraced
houses were built to house workers. Services were
then developed which attracted even more
factories.
Related problems
Quick and cheap houses.
Overcrowding in houses
Poor water supply and sanitation resulting in
diseases.
 Suburbanisation: Also linked to
development of suburbs.
Centres became busy, noisy, polluted places.
People moved to live on edge of the city assisted
by the development of transport systems.
Resulted in towns and cities spreading outwards.
 Counterurbanisation: people leaving the
city to live in the countryside.
 Re-urbanisation: as cities redeveloped
their inner cities to attract companies and
people back to the city centre.
Urbanisation in LEDCs
Why the rapid growth?
 Modernisation of agriculture
More machinery and chemicals used reducing need
for labour.
 Rapid population growth
From natural increase and pressure to leave
countryside as local resources can not support the
population.
 Decline of traditional industries
Due to cheap imported goods from MEDCs,
workers have to look for new jobs in the cities
 Attraction of better housing
Related problems
Housing issues: production of basic housing
(favelas)
Employment issues: not enough jobs in
manufacturing industries.
Pollution: waste disposal problems in some areas.
Transport: hard to keep up with the spread of the
city= leads to increase in pollution.