17.

3E: The Process of Urbanization

Urbanization is the process of a population shift from rural areas
to cities, often motivated by economic factors.

Learning Objectives
Analyze the proces of urbanization and its effects on
economics and the environment in society

Key Points
Urbanization may be driven by local and global economic
and social changes, and is generally a product of Rural and Urban World Population: Over time, the world’s
modernization and industrialization. population has become less rural and more urban.
Urbanization has economic and environmental effects. Urbanization tends to correlate positively with industrialization.
Economically, urbanization drives up prices, especially real With the promise of greater employment opportunities that
estate, which can force original residents to move to less- come from industrialization, people from rural areas will go to
desirable neighborhoods. cities in pursuit of greater economic rewards.
Environmentally, cities cause “heat islands”, where less
vegetation and open soil raise city temperatures by 2 to 10 Another term for urbanization is “rural flight. ” In modern
degrees Fahrenheit. times, this flight often occurs in a region following the
Recently in developed countries, sociologists have observed industrialization of agriculture—when fewer people are needed
suburbanization and counterurbanization, or movement to bring the same amount of agricultural output to market—and
away from cities, which may be driven by transportation related agricultural services and industries are consolidated.
infrastructure, or social factors like racism. These factors negatively affect the economy of small- and
middle-sized farms and strongly reduce the size of the rural
Key Terms labor market. Rural flight is exacerbated when the population
suburbanization: A term used to describe the growth of decline leads to the loss of rural services (such as business
areas on the fringes of major cities; one of the many causes enterprises and schools), which leads to greater loss of
of the increase in urban sprawl. population as people leave to seek those features.
rural flight: A term used to describe the migratory patterns As more and more people leave villages and farms to live in
of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. cities, urban growth results. The rapid growth of cities like
urbanization: The physical growth of urban areas as a result Chicago in the late nineteenth century and Mumbai a century
of rural migration and even suburban concentration into later can be attributed largely to rural-urban migration. This
cities. kind of growth is especially commonplace in developing
counterurbanization: A demographic and social process countries.
whereby people move from urban areas to rural areas.
Urbanization occurs naturally from individual and corporate
gentrification: A shift in an urban community toward
efforts to reduce time and expense in commuting, while
wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing
improving opportunities for jobs, education, housing,
property values; often resulting in poorer residents being
entertainment, and transportation. Living in cities permits
displaced by wealthier newcomers.
individuals and families to take advantage of the opportunities
of proximity, diversity, and marketplace competition. Due to
Urbanization and rural flight
their high populations, urban areas can also have more diverse
Urbanization is the process of a population shift from rural areas social communities than rural areas, allowing others to find
to cities. During the last century, global populations have people like them.
urbanized rapidly:
13% of people lived in urban environments in the year 1900
29% of people lived in urban environments in the year 1950
One projection suggests that, by 2030, the proportion of people
living in cities may reach 60%.

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 This evaporation, in turn, has a cooling effect. However in
cities, where less vegetation and exposed soil exists, the
Megacities Re ect Growing Urbanization
majority Trend
of the sun’s energy is absorbed by urban structures and
asphalt. During the day, cities experience higher surface
temperatures because urban surfaces produce less evaporative
cooling. Additional city heat is given off by vehicles and
factories, as well as industrial and domestic heating and cooling
units. Together, these effects can raise city temperatures by 2 to
10 degrees Fahrenheit (or 1 to 6 degrees Celsius).

Suburbanization and Counterurbanization

Recently in developed countries, sociologists have observed
suburbanization and counterurbanization, or movement away
from cities. These patterns may be driven by transportation
infrastructure, or social factors like racism. In developed
countries, people are able to move out of cities while still
maintaining many of the advantages of city life (for instance,
improved communications and means of transportation). In fact,
counterurbanization appears most common among the middle
and upper classes who can afford to buy their own homes.
Race also plays a role in American suburbanization. During
World War I, the massive migration of African Americans from
the South resulted in an even greater residential shift toward
suburban areas. The cities became seen as dangerous, crime-
infested areas, while the suburbs were seen as safe places to live
and raise a family, leading to a social trend known in some parts
of the world as “white flight. ” Some social scientists suggest
that the historical processes of suburbanization and
decentralization are instances of white privilege that have
contributed to contemporary patterns of environmental racism.
Megacities Reflect Growing Urbanization Trend – YouTube:
In the developing world, huge cities with sprawling slums have In the United States, suburbanization began in earnest after
developed as agriculture and rural occupations have been World War II, when soldiers returned from war and received
supplanted by mechanized industries. generous government support to finance new homes. Suburbs,
which are residential areas on the outskirts of a city, were less
Economic and Environmental Effects of crowded and had a lower cost of living than cities. Suburbs
Urbanization grew dramatically in the 1950s when the U.S. interstate
highway system was built, and automobiles became affordable
Urbanization has significant economic and environmental
for middle class families. Around 1990, another trend emerged
effects on cities and surrounding areas. As city populations
known as counterurbanization, or “exurbanization”. The
grow, they increase the demand for goods and services of all
wealthiest individuals began living in nice housing far in rural
kinds, pushing up prices of these goods and services, as well as
areas (as opposed to forms).
the price of land. As land prices rise, the local working class
may be priced out of the real estate market and pushed into less Suburbanization may be a new urban form.Rather than densely
desirable neighborhoods – a process known as gentrification. populated centers, cities may become more spread out,
composed of many interconnected smaller towns. Interestingly,
Growing cities also alter the environment. For example,
the modern U.S. experience has gone from a largely rural
urbanization can create urban “heat islands,” which are formed
country, to a highly urban country, to a country with significant
when industrial and urban areas replace and reduce the amount
suburban populations.
of land covered by vegetation or open soil. In rural areas, the
ground helps regulate temperatures by using a large part of the 17.3E: The Process of Urbanization is shared under a CC BY-SA
incoming solar energy to evaporate water in vegetation and soil. license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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