Urban Growth: Causes and Impacts on Less Developed Countries

Why Does Urban Growth Happen?

Urban Growth happens due to two main factors:

• Natural Increase

• Migration

Natural Increase occurs when the number of births in an area exceeds the number of deaths. If there are more births, the population increases. Conversely, if deaths outnumber births, it is known as natural decrease.

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Migration into urban areas is defined by factors known as push and pull factors. Push factors are reasons that drive individuals away from an area, while pull factors attract them to an area. Let’s look at some examples of these factors when considering migration into urban areas.

Rural to Urban migration is a common trend as countries develop. High-Income Countries (HICs) experienced significant rural to urban migration prior to 1950, driven by a century and a half of industrial development.

Urban Growth in Low Income Countries and Newly Emerging Economies

Since the 1950s, LICs and NEEs have seen rapid urbanisation, with urban populations doubling as industrial advancements have taken place. Some reasons for this increased urban population include:

• Cities offering better opportunities and wealth, despite sub-par housing and low wages.

• Increased industrial and job opportunities in urban areas.

• Improvements in healthcare leading to lower infant mortality rates and death rates, while birth rates remain high, resulting in natural population increase.

• Population growth and lack of infrastructure in rural areas leading to significant rural to urban migration.

Governments also promote urbanisation for various reasons:

• As industry grows, governments can collect more taxes due to higher business profits.

• Developing cities attract international corporations, who might establish factories or industry buildings, providing employment opportunities.

• Increased financial activity in urban areas helps generate funds to improve urban areas and make them safer.

Challenges of Urban Growth

Urbanisation in LICs and NEEs often occurs faster than the country can manage. Rapid urban growth leads to several challenges:

• Infrastructure: Cities in LICs struggle to build sufficient infrastructure for their growing population. Transport, roads, schools, hospitals and power grids are often out of date or not suitable for a larger urban population. To improve them, the country needs access to money which it may not have.

• Health: As housing and infrastructure aren’t sufficient for the growing population, people’s health is put at risk. Overcrowding and damp living conditions can lead to the rapid spread of illnesses, particularly in poorer urban populations. For example, in East and South-East Asia, approximately 370 million people live in slums that dramatically increase their risk of illness.

• Social instability: Integrating a growing population into cities is challenging. People can become trapped in poverty, and competition for jobs increases. If urbanisation is not managed properly, crime rates can rise, leading to increased violence, theft and social unrest.

Squatter settlements

A notable issue with rapid urban growth is housing. When housing development fails to keep pace with population growth, especially in megacities, squatter settlements expand to compensate.

Squatter settlement in Mumbai, India

These settlements are known by different names around the world, such as skid row in the USA, favelas in Brazil, and shanty towns in the West Indies. These areas typically lack adequate housing, sanitation and energy, and often receive insufficient government support.

In developing countries, about a quarter of urban inhabitants live in impoverished settlements. The United Nations predicts that this situation will likely worsen by 2030.

Some cities have developed mega-slums, which are large, overcrowded areas within megacities. 

Informal settlements provide several problems for cities and solving those problems is often very complex, taking a very long time. These challenges include:

• Fire and flooding risk

• Air pollution from unregulated fuel burning

• Spreading illness

• Unemployment and crime rates rising

• Informal employment, slavery and child exploitation

• Public transport issues

To read specific case studies about how NEE and LIC cities have attempted to overcome informal settlement problems, click here.

Key Terms

Term	Definition
Natural Increase	When the number of births exceeds the number of deaths, leading to population growth
Natural Decrease	When the number of deaths exceeds the number of births, resulting in a population decline
Migration	The movement of people from one place to another
HICs (High Income Countries)	Countries where GNI (Gross National Income) per capita is 1,035 or less
Megacities	Cities with more than 10 million inhabitants, often with significant global or regional influence
Squatter Settlements	Informal settlements with inadequate housing, sanitation, and energy
Mega-slum	Large, complex overcrowded areas that present problems related to pollution, sewage and crime for a megacity