Chapter 7: Urbanization in the Less Developed Countries

Chapter 7: Urbanization in the Less Developed Countries

By 1950 only about 30% of the globe was urbanized, with North America leading the world, with over 70% of its population living in towns and cities. China is one of the notable countries making strides to urbanization, using their communist form of government to fuel the process. 

Factors Promoting Urban Growth

 There has been a trend of more births than deaths, which has led to a change in demographics, increasing the total population who of course need housing. Also, immigrants converge upon cities, because there is easy access to housing, health and educational facilities. 

Many countries have seen the success of the United States' urban systems and are beginning to follow in its path. One notable case is China, which is using its communist system to promote economic growth. Furthermore, they believe that by encouraging movement into the cities will make it easier to control the general population. 

Theories of Urbanization and Economic Development

There are many different explanations that have been proposed to explain the recent trend of urbanization. Some include the theory of trickle down effects which states that the success of other regions will eventually "trickle down" to lesser developed countries. Another theory is that of underdevelopment, which states that the lesser developed countries are stuck in this economic situation because they are being held down by the more financially and militarily advanced countries, and only now are they being encouraged to participate in the world economy. 

Useful Websites

Urban population growth