The Mega-City: Out of Control Chapter 14

Industrial Revolution Over the 1000 years prior to the Industrial Revolution, the maximum population rarely exceeded 100,000 people In the 300 years since, over 300 cities have populations over 1 million

Improved Food Availability Traditional methods of transportation and food preservation did not allow food to be transported to cities Cities were limited to the amount of food that could be grown in the Hinterland

Industrial Revolution Gradual improvements in transportation i.e. better roads, canals, trains and eventually trucks Food preservation technologies also evolved including canning and bottling and finally pasteurization and refrigeration. Improvements in farming equipment and the development of pesticides increased farm yields.

Movement of Jobs With the industrialization people began to move off the farms and into the factories. With better farming technologies, fewer people were required to run a farm.

Movement of Jobs Industrialization also forced the craftsman out of work. Factories could produce goods cheaper and craftspeople could not compete. Cobblers, blacksmiths, etc gave up their professions to move into the city and look for work

Elimination of health risks Before the industrial revolution disease was rampant throughout cities. With the industrial revolution came sewage and garbage disposal techniques Fewer people died which increases population density as well

Mass Transit Prior to the revolution, cities could only grow so large as transportation was limited to horses or walking. After the revolution people could live further way and commute to work on trains.

Sources of urban growth Two sources fuel urban growth: Natural birth Migration Internal International LDCs: new births and rural-to-urban migration (about 50% each) MDCs: birth rates are lower and people move from urban to rural, so degree of urbanization from these factors does not increase

Immigration Only factor that increases the degree of urbanization in cities is immigration

Push factors in LDCs Rural areas of LDCs offer Few job opportunities Few educational opportunities Minimal medical personnel and facilities Non-existent land ownership (wealthy landowners operate cash crops) These factors push people to the cities (Can be different in MDCs. How?

Pull factors in LDCs Opportunities for Better jobs Excitement and culture Educational opportunities Better medical personnel and facilities Greater availability of food

City life In MDCs Adequate infrastructures Roads fire protection medical facilities sewer systems clean water transportation In LDCs Inadequate infrastructures More homelessness Lower life expectancy rates

Options for LDC city life Life on the street Most dangerous, precarious Life in the slum areas Usually “working poor” Have transportation to get nearby low-paying jobs Life in shantytown (squatters) Land owned by others; build homes with scraps; outskirts of city; difficulty making a living; often a sense of community

Urban sprawl It is the physical (often uncontrolled) growth of a city into surrounding areas. This creates problems: Beyond legal borders of city-so city regulations may not apply Land-use conflicts, between farmers and new folk Social conflicts over expectations of mew folk Inefficient land use-loss of farm land Increased energy consumption and air pollution Increased tax burden to city-taxpayers have moved away