The concepts covered in this sheet go beyond what is covered in secondary school. This is supplemental information for students who want to find out more.
Urbanization, like industrialization, drastically transformed Western society. New technologies associated with industrialization caused economic activity to concentrate in urban centres. With industrialization came modern cities. The urban population has grown steadily since the start of the industrial era.
However, the rising population and the number of factories weren’t the only changes that took place in the cities. The rapidly changing cities forced authorities to think differently as they planned city development. This was the start of urban planning. The authorities had to manage hygiene, transport routes, public transportation, quality of life and population density. These were just some of the challenges that modern cities like London, Paris and New York had to take on.
Urbanization is when a greater number of people live in cities, creating a larger urban area. This process is directly linked to industrialization. It is in the cities that the inhabitants find a greater concentration of work and other attractions such as cinemas, shops and theatres.
The urbanization rate is represented by the number of people living in cities compared to the total population.
For example: An urbanization rate of 45% in a country would mean that 45% of inhabitants live in cities.
In the 19th century, the United Kingdom had the highest urbanization rate. Not all countries have the same rate of urbanization. Generally speaking, the rate of urbanization is similar to the rate of industrialization.
When a population's mortality rate is lower than its birth rate, this is known as natural growth. When there are more births than deaths, the population grows.
Populations were growing rapidly in 19th century Europe and North America. The main cause for this natural growth was better farming techniques.
A rural exodus is a demographic phenomenon that occurs when people move from rural areas to cities. Rural areas are abandoned in favour of cities.
This is what happened in industrialized countries during the 19th century. Farming required less labour, and craft work done in rural areas was gradually being replaced by factory work in urban areas. This caused peasants to leave the countryside in large numbers to find work in the city.
New forms of transportation, such as the train, made rural areas less isolated. It was easier for people to get to the city. Cities offered many opportunities and resources so people decided to stay.
The rural exodus wasn’t as simple as it appears. Newcomers to the city often had trouble finding housing. Too many people were rushing to move to industrial cities, which led to a housing shortage. Available housing was also very expensive. This is why urban areas quickly spread outwards, creating suburbs. Residents of the suburbs depended on the city for supplies and work.
Lack of housing wasn’t the only problem. The cities weren’t set up to accommodate so many people. There were numerous sanitation issues, including homes without running water, electricity, heating or ventilation. Often, cities had no water or sewage systems. In addition to unsanitary conditions, there were other organizational problems, including an outdated and insufficiently dense city centre, non-existent or inefficient public transportation and streets that were unsuitable for traffic.
City leaders had to find solutions to all of these problems. These solutions were originally meant to change cities and urban planning. Accordingly, several cities made efforts to transform. Over the years, urban planning focused more on controlling the city’s development and organizing the city’s growth.
Urban planning is the development and organization of all or part of a city by the public authorities. This development includes laws, projects and long-term planning.
Even today’s major cities face similar problems with water supply, transportation and travel, housing, etc.