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Chapter 18

Changing Trends
in Urbanisation

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

What is urbanisation?
Process whereby the proportion of people living in
urban areas increases

Urbanisation in developed countries


76% of the population live in urban areas
Began in the 19th century
Result of industrialisation and steady economic growth

Urbanisation in developing countries


40% of the population live in urban areas
Started after 1945 when the Information Age began
Industrialisation and economic growth have not kept up
with urbanisation, resulting in many urban problems

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

2,000km

Percentage of urban population in the world

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Factors that influence urbanisation


Push factors encourage people to leave a certain place
Pull factors attract people to move to a particular place
It is a result of both push and pull factors that rural
people are migrating to urban areas

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Pull factors of cities

Push factors of rural


areas

More jobs

Fewer jobs

Higher-paying jobs

Lower-paying jobs

More job security

Less job security

More retirement benefits (e.g. pensions) Less retirement benefits


More housing

Less housing

Better housing

Poorer housing

More educational opportunities

Fewer educational opportunities

Better health care services

Poorer health care services

Better infrastructure

Poorer infrastructure

More accessible

Less accessible

Better recreation facilities

Poorer recreation facilities

Better sporting facilities

Poorer sporting facilities

More entertainment

Less entertainment

More variety of food (restaurants)

Less variety of food

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Urbanisation in the Caribbean


About two-thirds of the countries in the Caribbean have
more than 50% of the population living in urban areas
The percentage of urban population is projected to
increase to 84% by 2030
Reasons for the increase:
1. Rural-urban migration
2. Natural increase in urban population
3. Migration from other countries in the Caribbean

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Country

% urban
population

Country

% urban
population

Anguilla

100

Jamaica

52

Antigua

37

Martinique

95

Bahamas

89

Montserrat

13

Barbados

50

Netherlands Antilles

69

Belize

N.A.

Puerto Rico

94

Cayman Islands

100

St. Kitts

33

Cuba

76

St. Lucia

30

Dominica

71

St Vincent

55

Dominican Republic

64

Suriname

74

Grenada

39

Trinidad & Tobago

74

Guadeloupe

100

Turks

45

Guyana

36

US Virgin Islands

93

Haiti

36

British Virgin Islands

61

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Rural-urban migration started in the early 20th century


The push and pull factors include:
Mechanisation on farms has caused increased rural
unemployment
Limited agricultural land to support the growing population
Lack of social amenities in rural areas
Development of transport infrastructure has made urban areas
more accessible
More and better-paying jobs in urban areas

People from some countries in the Caribbean have also


migrated to the urban areas of other countries in the
region in search of more job opportunities
This has contributed to growth in the urban population
of the destination countries

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Population growth in Port of Spain


Port of Spain is the capital, main port, and commercial
and banking centre of Trinidad
It has a municipal population of 49,000 (2001 census),
with a population density of about 3,650 persons per km 2

Year

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

The municipal population expanded between 1901 and


1960, when it reached a peak of almost 94,000
After 1960, the population declined as people moved
out to the suburbs in the north, west and northeast of
the city, outside the municipal boundary
This was because land in and around the central
business district became too expensive for many
people

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Benefits of urbanisation in Port of Spain


The city has become a major growth pole of Trinidad
and Tobago, contributing to the countrys overall
economic development
It has developed into an important port and a dynamic
centre for industrialisation and financial services
Most of the government offices are also located in the
city
Its population enjoys higher incomes and generally
better living conditions than those of the smaller towns
and the rural areas

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Problems of urbanisation in Port of Spain


In certain parts of the city,
squatting have developed
a result of rising
unemployment and the
lack of cheap housing
Associated social
problems include higher
crime rates
The volume of human and motor traffic has grown much
faster than the transport system can support, resulting in
problems such as traffic congestion
Air, land and noise pollution may cause health problems for
the people living and working in the city

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Severe flooding in POS on November 18, 2008


This was the worst ever recorded in the capital

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Ways of controlling urbanisation in the


Caribbean
1. Develop the rural areas

The government could improve the road links between the rural
areas and the urban areas
This would facilitate the transportation of agricultural products
to the urban ports for export, thereby enhancing the profitability
of farming and raising rural incomes
The government could also develop social amenities to
improve the quality of life in the rural areas

2. Establish new centres of growth

This would redistribute the population away from the traditional


centres of growth
E.g. Guyana has developed secondary towns in the interior
regions through the building of factories, housing, etc

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

3. Offer incentives

Tax incentives can be offered to encourage the development


of industries in the rural areas
This would provide employment opportunities for the rural
population

4. Impose travel restrictions

The government can make it more difficult for foreigners to


migrate into the country through visa requirements

5. Increase the pace of urban renewal

Rebuilding in the city can be sped up to keep pace with the


growth in the urban population
In Port of Spain, familiar buildings are being torn down to
make way for new structures such as multi-storey buildings
to house shopping malls and government offices

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Migration
Movement of people from one place to another
Temporary migration is movement that occurs on a
seasonal or daily basis
Permanent migration involves a change of residence
Internal migration
Movement of people within a country
Includes rural-urban migration and seasonal migration
Does not affect the total population of the country, but
changes the distribution of the population

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Rural-urban migration
Common in developing countries
Usually involves the younger people
They are attracted by the job opportunities and the
better amenities in the urban areas
Can cause depopulation of the rural areas and a rapid
increase in the urban population
Often results in squatter settlements or shanty towns
characterised by poor living conditions
Another common problem is increased crime,
stemming from rising unemployment of the unskilled
rural migrants

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Seasonal migration
Often for agricultural reasons
E.g. people moving to an area temporarily to work as
extra labour during harvest time
International migration
Movement of people across international boundaries
Affects the total population of a country
Many people move voluntarily, i.e. of their own free will
When people are forced to move due to social, political
or economic factors, it is called involuntary migration
E.g. prolonged droughts in Sahel, Africa, had forced
millions to flee Ethiopia to avoid starvation

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Immigration in the Caribbean


From outside the Caribbean
In the middle of the 19th century, people from China,
India and Indonesia migrated to the Caribbean to work
on the sugar cane and banana plantations
They later became citizens of the destination country
From within the Caribbean
In the early 20th century, Puerto Ricans migrated to the
Dominican Republic, Cuba and the US Virgin Islands to
seek employment

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Emigration in the Caribbean


The main destinations of
Caribbean migrants have
been the US and Europe
(especially Great Britain)
since the 19th century
People are moving abroad
in search of a better life
Improved transport links
between the Caribbean
and the rest of the world
have facilitated this
process

Year

Number of migrants

1995

96,788

1996

116,801

1997

105,299

1998

75,521

1999

61,683

2000

88,198

2001

103,546

2002

96,489

2003

68,815

2004

88,921

Number of Caribbean migrants


admitted into the US, 1995 2004

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Internal migration in the Caribbean


The most common form is rural-urban migration
The push and pull factors are similar to those in most
other countries

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Migration in Guyana

In the 19th century, migrants came from


Africa, India and China to work on the
sugar cane plantations
Between 1834 and 1917, about 240,000
unskilled males from India aged 20 to 25
years old migrated to Guyana
These migrants eventually became citizens
and started families in Guyana, accounting
for some 50% of the countrys population
today
In the mid-20th century, emigration started
to exceed immigration, resulting in negative
net migration
Emigration increased sharply in the 1980s,
with 10,000 to 30,000 emigrants each year

2,000km

Destination countries of emigrants from Guyana

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Causes of emigration
80% of the country is forested and sparsely populated
Lack of good jobs and opportunities for social
advancement
High levels of unemployment and under-employment
Agriculture, which contributes more than 50% of the
GDP, is the main employer
Natural hazards such as floods are a constant threat to
the agricultural sector
Little potential for the development of sun, sea and
sand tourism
Bauxite, gold and diamonds are the most important
minerals to be mined

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

Impact of emigration on the country


Significant brain drain
70% of the emigrants are highly-educated and skilled
middle-class professionals such as doctors, engineers,
teachers and nurses
Loss of skilled workers who are necessary for the
economic development of the country
Stagnation of economic development
Rise in unemployment and fall in foreign investments
due to the stagnant economy

Chapter 18: Changing Trends in Urbanisation

The future
The economy is showing signs of rebounding
Growth has been based on the expansion of the
agricultural and mining sectors
Contributing factors include a more realistic exchange
rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of
international organisations
The rate of negative net migration is decreasing
Negative net migration in 2006 was less than -8 per
1,000 persons, compared to a high of -13.6 per 1,000
persons in 1990

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