URBANIZATION

For the majority of human history most people have lived in rural areas. However, in the past fifty years an irregularity has occurred. For the first time in history the majority of the population now live in urban areas due to urbanization (The process of human movement and centralization towards and into cities and urban areas, with the associated industrialization, urban sprawl) This is a result of people moving from rural surroundings so the city, a natural population increase in cities (births minus deaths), and the reclassification of previously rural areas that have been built up.
Countries are classifies as either ‘developed’ or ‘undeveloped’. Developed is the term used to describes the countries that have already been urbanized (aka- world powers), whereas undeveloped is the term used to describe the countries that have yet to be urbanized. There are a total of 131 developed countries, which means that 61 countries are undeveloped. About 16 million people migrate each year to urban areas from rural areas in developing countries which accounts for about one half of recent urban growth.
So why are all of these people deserting the farmlands and heading for the ‘Big Apple’? The reasons are copious but there are a few that are dominating. Some of the “push” factors (those are the factors that push people out of rural areas) include the deteriorating quantity and quality of agricultural lands, poor market transportation and the lack of supporting institutions for agriculture (i.e. credit for small scale farmers). In addition to the push factors there are the “pull” factors (those are the factors that pull people into urban areas). Some of the pull factors include the access to better jobs, education, healthcare, and higher living standards. So basically it comes down to people wanting to escape adverse rural conditions and seize the opportunities that are found in large cities.
In Many people today are campaigning against urbanization. They claim urbanization has hurt the environment and that people have, all in all, not benefited from it. They blame urbanization for polluting the environment and destroying natural habitats for animals. These people, however honorable their reasoning, fail to see the good things that have come from urbanization. Many more people can read and write today because of the opportunities that lie in large cities. Not only are more people literate, but more people also have access to better medical care. Urbanization has also significantly increased the middle class worldwide, which many economies have benefited from. People that fight against urbanization can not see that it is just the result of a maturing human race and that although there are definite drawbacks (pollution, crowding, etc.) but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.