Why are cities growing so fast, and what challenges does urban growth create?
Global patterns of urbanisation, the causes and consequences of urban growth, and the social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities that rapid urban growth creates.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.1, covering global patterns of urbanisation, the causes of urban growth through rural-urban migration and natural increase, and the challenges and opportunities urban growth brings.
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What this dot point is asking
This is AQA GCSE Geography (8035) Paper 2, Section A (3.2.1 Urban issues and challenges). AQA expects you to describe the global pattern of urbanisation, explain why urban populations are growing through rural-urban migration and natural increase, and outline the social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities that rapid urban growth creates, ready to apply to a named city case study.
Global patterns of urbanisation
The number of megacities (cities of over 10 million people) is rising fastest in Asia, Africa and South America, with cities such as Lagos, Mumbai and Sao Paulo growing rapidly. In contrast, many HIC cities are experiencing counter-urbanisation (people moving out to suburbs and the countryside) and then re-urbanisation (regeneration drawing people back to city centres). The global trend, though, is a steadily rising share of humanity living in towns and cities.
Causes of urban growth
Urban populations grow for two linked reasons:
Challenges and opportunities
Rapid urban growth brings serious challenges: shortages of housing leading to squatter settlements (slums), poor sanitation and clean water, traffic congestion and air pollution, and unemployment or low-paid informal jobs.
It also brings opportunities: more and better-paid formal jobs (in industry and services), access to services such as health care and education, reliable electricity and water, and a generally higher quality of life than in the countryside, which is why people keep moving in despite the problems. A named case study (such as Rio de Janeiro or Lagos) is used to show how a real city manages these challenges and opportunities.
Try this
Q1. Define the term urbanisation. [2 marks]
- Cue. The increase in the proportion of a country's population living in towns and cities.
Q2. Explain two causes of rapid urban growth in lower-income countries. [4 marks]
- Cue. Rural-urban migration driven by push and pull factors, plus high natural increase among young migrants.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20194 marksExplain two reasons for rapid urban growth in lower-income countries (LICs) and newly emerging economies (NEEs). (Paper 2, Section A)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark "Explain" question from Paper 2 Section A (Urban issues and challenges), assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward two developed reasons, not just names.
Award credit for: rural-urban migration, driven by push factors in the countryside (poverty, drought, lack of jobs and services, farm mechanisation) and pull factors in the city (more and better-paid jobs, schools, hospitals, electricity and a perceived better life), so people move to the city. And natural increase, because migrants are mostly young adults of child-bearing age who then have children in the city, raising the birth rate while better healthcare lowers the death rate. The strongest answers explain the mechanism (push-pull, then young migrants having children), not just the term.
AQA 20216 marksAssess the challenges created by rapid urban growth in cities in LICs and NEEs. (Paper 2, Section A)Show worked answer →
A 6-mark question assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3. "Assess" means weighing how serious the challenges are.
Award credit for developed challenges: housing shortages leading to squatter settlements (slums) on unsafe land; poor sanitation and unsafe water spreading disease; traffic congestion and air pollution; high unemployment or low-paid informal work; and pressure on services such as schools and hospitals. The "assess" lift is to judge which challenges are most severe (for example sanitation and disease threaten life directly) and to note that cities also offer opportunities, so growth is not wholly negative. The strongest answers reach a supported judgement rather than just listing problems.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Geography (8035) specification — AQA (2016)