HSC GEOGRAPHY: URBAN PLACES

MEGA CITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Overview of this unit of work

the nature, character and spatial distribution of mega cities in the developing world

the challenges of living in mega cities such as housing, traffic infrastructure, water and power supplies, sanitation services, employment, and other social and health issues

the responses to these challenges such as self-help projects, community self-government, cooperation from NGOs, urban protest and the operations of informal economies

Overview of this unit of work This unit requires you to investigate geographically

the ways individuals, communities and government and non-government organisations are managing the challenges of living in mega cities in the developing world. Investigation from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including case studies and illustrative examples, should enable you to explain and evaluate traditional and innovative urban management strategies employed to protect and improve the quality of life for the majority of urban dwellers in the developing world.

What are Mega Cities?

Mega Cities are defined as very large agglomerations of at least 8 million inhabitants

The UN lists 22 mega cities of the developing world: Mexico City, Lima, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Lagos, Cairo, Istanbul, Tehran, Karachi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta, Bangkok, Dhaka, Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing, Seoul, Metro Manilla, Jakarta

Spatial Distribution of Mega Cities

Mega Cities

In 2008, the world reached an invisible but momentous milestone: For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion.

Mega cities have developed rapidly and recently particularly since 1950 in the developing world.

Generally the population of Mega cities grows at a faster rate than the population of the nation due to rural urban migration and high rates of natural increase from young child-bearing age population

Rural-Urban Migration

Rural-urban migration:

PUSH factors are the reasons people leave an area = transformed rural areas – reduced work opportunities in rural areas due to: environmental degradation/ depleted resources/mechanisation/ landlessness/lack of education and health services/ poverty/ agribusiness/ commercialisation (cash crops)

PULL factors are the reasons why people want to move to an area = relatively more work in the cities/cultural & entertainment opportunities in the city/more choice of leisure activities bette services, safer environment, political stability

Rural-Urban Migration

Rural-Urban Migration

Task:

Rural-Urban Migration in Brazil Decision Making Activity

Class wiki rural-urban-migration.wikispaces.com