Urbanization in Developing Countries - Essay Example

Introduction Urbanization is the rapid growth of the size of population living in cities and towns. This is mainly as a result of people migrating from rural areas to towns, which is highly visible especially in developing countries. According to statistics, it is estimated that more than half i.e. approximately 60% of world’s population will be living in urban areas by the year 2030 (Knox, 2005). It is also estimated that more than 150000 people migrate to towns on daily basis, with less developed countries showing a higher trend than that of developed countries. For an urban area to be categorized as such, there are various indicators which must be present. These are for example the population density, percentage of under dependence on agriculture, public utilities among others but which may vary according to the state or country in question (Martine, 2008). This paper is a critical evaluation of the causes and negative effects of urbanization in developing countries. Urbanization in Developing Countries Urbanization as stated herein is the increased settlement of people in towns mostly after they relocate from rural areas. It is a phenomenon which has continued to attract attention especially since it is considered a recipe for numerous negativities. There are various reasons why the rate of urbanization has been increasing in developing countries. To begin with, it has been found out that lack of job opportunities in the rural areas is a major contributing factor (Lynch, 2005). Most of the people living in rural areas depend highly on rain fed Agriculture as their lifeline. Apparently, the world has continued to experience harsh climatic conditions due to global warming, which has tampered with rainfall patterns such that areas that used to receive high amounts of rainfall are now suffering from lack of it and when it rains, it creates havoc in terms of flooding. This implies that people can no longer depend on farming alone to sustain their day to day financial requirements (Lynch, 2005). In addition, rural areas in developing countries are experiencing overpopulation as a result of low infant mortality rate coupled with high birth rate, which means that there is a lot of competition on the already available land (Bhatia, 2000). For example, a family that owns a land of 10 acres but comprising of 10 heirs means that each heir would inherit 1 acre of land which would then be subdivided among their offspring. In the end, each one of the residents after a generation is left with minimal space to conduct any viable development. As a result of these limitations, most of rural dwellers opt to migrate to towns where they end up acquiring cheap accommodation in substandard environments such as ghettos and shanties. It may also be necessary to observe that industrialization leads to mechanization especially in Agriculture and in this case, it means that the demand of manual laborers becomes low thereby creating the problem of unemployment, which in itself is a recipe for rural urban migration (Bhatia, 2000). Majority of developing countries also are experiencing a rapid growth of new industries, which are creating more demand for labor (Martine, 2008). This is a development which is attracting young men and women to migrate from rural areas especially due to the fact that investors usually situate their premises in urban areas where there are high numbers of people who can provide ready market for the processed goods. The high demand for manufactured goods is due to the fact that urban dwellers do not participate in food production and therefore depend solely on their salaries and wages to budget for their daily needs. On the contrary, rural dwellers depend on their small chunks of land for food not forgetting the fact that the limitation of resources lowers their purchasing power thereby discouraging investors from establishing industries in those areas. It is also important to note that most of the governments in developing nations have failed to decentralize national resources such that rural areas continue to remain underdeveloped. Poor politics of marginalization and corruption play a key role in creating these disparities noting the fact that most of the political representatives of those living in rural areas shift with their families into the city once they are elected to power leaving the electorate to suffer from abject poverty. In this context, investors are put off by the lack of sufficient infrastructure such as roads, communication, electricity and other enabling factors that make it possible for industries to operate (Lynch, 2005). On the other hand, urban areas are well equipped with these facilities thereby attracting more and more industries as well as other investments. Basically, the young generations also in these countries are equipped with quality education which enhances their entrepreneurial skills such that they endeavor towards creating employment for themselves. This however is not possible if they are not facilitated with the necessary infrastructure especially if their specialty is in sectors that involve technology such as computers, welding, and electronics among others. In addition, there are those who are not interested at all in handling manual tasks as a result of the perception that white collar jobs attract good remuneration (Martine, 2008). These people will definitely end up in urban areas as rural areas do not present such opportunities not withstanding the high cost of living in cities and towns as opposed to that in rural areas. It may also be notable that rural areas have a deficit of social amenities and access to entertainment, which is a probable cause for young people migrating to urban centers. Indeed, every person desires to live in an area where he or she can access facilities such as hospitals, schools, banks etc without having to struggle. In general, these are referred to as push factors and are all common in the developing nations (Martine, 2005). Reasons as to why Urbanization is Undesirable Urbanization is a process, which is undesirable especially for a developing country. To begin with, the migration of people from rural areas into towns in search of better paying jobs always end up causing disappointment since all such people cannot be absorbed in the limited number of industries at a go. Though there is a rapid growth of industries, the demand for jobs exceeds their availability. It is for this reason that informal settlements continue to emerge based on the fact that housing in the cities is expensive for someone who does not have a regular income (Davis, 2007). Despite this, these people have to survive regardless of their economic status and it is for this reason that some of them turn to alternative sources of income such as drug peddling, stealing and prostitution among other criminal activities, which increases the levels of insecurity not only in the informal settlements but also in the whole country in general. Due to this, the government is compelled to invest more on provision of security by procuring apparatus as well as employing and training more security agents, monies which could be used in improving other sectors such as education, health or infrastructure. In India for example, it is estimated that approximately 30% of urban dwellers live below poverty line whereas they account for approximately 25% on national statistics on poverty (Davis, 2007) Informal settlements such as slums rarely have sufficient waste disposal and management facilities and clean piped water and therefore lack proper hygienic conditions suitable for healthy living (Davis, 2007). This in itself compromises the health of inhabitants, who become vulnerable to water borne diseases and other infections such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid etc, which puts more pressure on the government to spend by accommodating those infected. In addition, an explosion of population in cities and towns means that the government has to restructure and expand facilities such as sewer lines, water supply and other infrastructure especially roads so as to accommodate the demand and also to reduce time wastage as a result of traffic jams. Istanbul for example, 2005 reports indicate that the pressure exerted on these facilities as a result of rural urban migration has become too much such that restructuring them can only be possible at a cost of approximately 10 million dollars (Knox, 2005). Urbanization, as earlier stated, contributes to shifting of focus by individuals from agriculture to other income generating options. As a result, food production and supply becomes threatened and this causes food insecurity, which may force the government to import food from other countries (Bhatia, 2000). A country which is not self sufficient in terms of food production becomes vulnerable to external shocks such as instability in foreign currencies, which may lead to high rates of inflation in food prices. When this happens, the leadership is put to task by the citizens who may not be able or willing to understand what is causing the prices of food stuff to go up ad become unaffordable. In such a case, government critics may take the advantage to mobilize people to stand against the leadership through mass protests which may eventually result to a civilian coup. In addition, rural urban migration weakens trade in the rural areas as this reduces the number of potential consumers and customers to services offered by small scale traders. More often than not, businesses in these areas remain stagnant while others close down due to lack of sufficient returns on investment. Most people when they leave for the cities go with the hope that they would find money to send back home but are faced with frustration and disillusionment, which does not help much those left behind in the villages. The greater effect of this is that more people find it a reason to relocate to the urban centers where at least they would be able to start their businesses (Bhatia, 2000). Families also disintegrate as a result of members moving into different cities thereby loosening family bonds, which may have psychological effects on children especially if they are forced to grow up under the care of one parent. Urbanization has been categorized as one of the major contributing factors to pollution (Knox, 2005). This is due to the concentration of industrial activities in cities and towns, which dispose off their untreated waste and smoke into the environment thereby endangering the lives of inhabitants in terms of air and water pollution, which may have a far reaching effect on marine life and tourism after such waste finds its way into water bodies. In Mexico City for example, it is estimated that more than 4000 premature deaths are recorded every year as a result of illnesses associated with effects of pollution. In deed, the city is said to be experiencing a population growth rate which can be observed through the ever growing crowds of people and the number of vehicles entering the streets on daily basis and which continue to emit pollutants to the environment. It is estimated that more than 600 new vehicles are introduced every day into the city’s streets on daily basis (Martine, 2008). However, the governments in developing nations can develop strategies to avert the consequences of rural urban migration. For example, they should come up with a strategy such as decentralization of national resources so as to facilitate growth and development in rural areas (Lynch, 2005). Every village or county for that matter should be availed with funds, which should be managed by leaders from the locality and not the central government due to the fact that those in the locality are well aware of the problems facing the residents. This would facilitate development of infrastructure such as roads, electricity and other facilities such as hospitals and schools, which would attract investors to delocalize their industrial activities. Subsidies should also be used as a way of motivating these investors to build their industries in the rural areas, which are well equipped with raw materials and availability of cheap labor. If this is achieved, people especially young graduates would have a reason to stay in the rural areas as they would be able to find jobs and consequently, more local traders would have sufficient market for their goods and services. In addition, agriculture should be supported through the provision of subsidized farm inputs and implements as well as marketing services in order to create value for those in the sector. This would counter the overdependence on white collar jobs thereby reducing migration into towns. However, it would also be important to protect natural resources such as forests and wetlands from agricultural and other economic activities by encouraging people to avoid subdividing their land and instead set aside specific areas for building houses in order not to limit farming areas with structures. The issue of pollution in urban areas can also be solved through enactment of bylaws to control emission of raw waste into the environment (Martine, 2008). Those industries that flout the laws should be made to face severe consequences such as the withdrawal or suspension of operating licenses. Vehicles should be subjected to thorough inspection continuously to ensure that those that are unfit to be on the roads are denied licenses. This would help much in controlling the amount of carbon released into the air and also the amount of noise pollution in towns, which would be beneficial in lowering the number of casualties arising from such endangerment. In addition, importation of private vehicles should be subjected to heavy taxation in order to control vehicle congestion in cities, which would reduce traffic jams significantly. Otherwise, carpooling may be taken as an option whereby carpoolers would be facilitated with certain privileges such as cheap parking lots and special lanes on the highways as a motivation factor (Martine, 2008). This should be complemented with the establishment of satellite towns placed under different municipalities in order to decongest the cities and reduce pressure on resources such as water and sewer lines. Conclusion Urbanization is basically the migration of large populations of people from rural areas to towns and cities. In developing nations, industrialization is a common pull factor as it creates numerous job opportunities, which attracts job seekers from all corners of a nation. Overpopulation in rural areas also puts pressure on the available land thereby forcing people to migrate to towns since they cannot benefit economically from subsistence farming that is highly dependent on rainfall, which has become scarce due to climate change and global warming. Underdevelopment in rural areas due to neglect denies opportunities for entrepreneurs who opt to move to towns where there is a favorable environment for starting businesses. Negative impacts of urbanization include and not limited to; increase in crime rate, mushrooming of informal settlements, pollution, overcrowding in cities as well as putting pressure on the government to spend more in expanding social amenities and infrastructure so as to cater for their rising needs. Bibliography Bhatia, A. (2000).Rural Urban Migration: A Study of Socio-Economic Implications, South Asia Books Davis, M. (2007). Planet of Slums, Verso Knox, P. (2005).Urbanization: An Introduction to Urban Geography, Prentice Hall Lynch, K. (2005). Rural-Urban Interaction in the Developing World, Routledge Martine, G. (2008). The New Global Frontier: Urbanization, Poverty and Environment in the 21st Century, EarthScan Read More