Why do cities in the developing world grow so fast, what problems do shanty towns create, and how are they managed?
The causes of rapid urban growth in a city in the developing world; the problems of shanty towns and rapid growth; and the strategies, including self-help schemes and site-and-service schemes, used to manage them.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on cities in the developing world, covering the causes of rapid urban growth, the problems of shanty towns, and management strategies such as self-help and site-and-service schemes, with a developing-world city example.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain why cities in the developing world grow so rapidly, describe the problems of the shanty towns (squatter settlements) this creates, and explain the strategies used to manage and improve them. You should refer to a named city, such as Mumbai or Rio de Janeiro.
Why cities grow so fast
Two forces drive rapid growth: migration and natural increase.
Shanty towns and their problems
A shanty town (squatter settlement, called a favela in Brazil or bustee in India) is an area of poor-quality housing built illegally by people who cannot afford proper homes.
The problems are severe:
- Poor housing - overcrowded, flimsy homes with no planning, often on dangerous land prone to landslides or flooding.
- No services - little or no clean water, sewerage or electricity, so disease such as cholera spreads.
- Health and poverty - few clinics or schools, high unemployment, and much work in the low-paid informal sector.
Management strategies
Authorities and residents use several approaches:
- Self-help schemes - the council provides cheap building materials, small loans and legal land rights, and residents improve their own homes step by step. This is cheap and gives people pride and security.
- Site-and-service schemes - the council lays out plots with water, sewerage and electricity already connected; people then build their own home on a serviced plot.
- Upgrading - existing shanty towns are improved with paved roads, a clean water supply, sewers, clinics and schools rather than being cleared.
Examples in context
Example 1. Mumbai, India. Huge rural-urban migration has created densely packed bustees such as Dharavi; upgrading and self-help schemes provide water, sanitation and improved homes.
Example 2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Favelas built on steep hillsides face landslide risk and poor services; "favela upgrading" programmes have added paved paths, sewers, electricity and clinics.
Try this
Q1. Name one push factor that drives people from the countryside to the city. [1 mark]
- Cue. Rural poverty, drought, small farms or lack of services (any one).
Q2. State what a site-and-service scheme provides. [1 mark]
- Cue. A plot of land with services (water, sewerage, electricity) ready for people to build on.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksExplain the causes of rapid urban growth in cities in the developing world.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain answer wants developed reasons, so use push and pull factors and natural increase.
People are pushed from the countryside by rural poverty, where farms are too small to live on, by drought or crop failure, and by a lack of jobs, schools and health care.
People are pulled to the city by the hope of better-paid jobs in factories and services, and by better schools, hospitals and electricity.
This rural-to-urban migration is often by young adults, who then have children in the city, so the population also grows by natural increase (more births than deaths).
Markers reward push factors (rural poverty, drought, lack of services), pull factors (jobs, services, electricity) and natural increase, each clearly explained as a cause of growth.
SQA N5 style6 marksFor a developing-world city you have studied, describe the problems of shanty towns and explain solutions used to improve them.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark answer wants problems described and solutions explained, so split your marks: roughly three on problems and three on solutions.
Problem 1. Homes are built from scrap materials with no planning, so they are overcrowded, easily damaged and built on dangerous land such as steep slopes prone to landslides.
Problem 2. There is often no clean water, sewerage or electricity, so disease such as cholera spreads, and there are few jobs, schools or health services.
Solutions. Self-help schemes give residents cheap materials, loans and legal land rights so they can improve their own homes a step at a time.
Further solutions. Site-and-service schemes provide a plot with water, sewerage and electricity already laid on, ready to build on; and authorities upgrade existing shanty towns with paved roads, clinics, schools and a clean water supply.
Markers reward each problem described and each solution explained and matched to a problem. Naming a real city and area such as Rio's favelas or Mumbai's Dharavi strengthens the answer.
Related dot points
- Indicators of development - social, economic and composite measures such as GNP, birth and death rates and literacy - the difference between developed and developing countries, and why a range of indicators gives a more reliable picture than one alone.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on development indicators, covering social, economic and composite measures such as GNP, birth and death rates and literacy, the difference between developed and developing countries, and why a range of indicators is more reliable than any single one.
- How population data is gathered by census and the problems of collecting it in developed and developing countries; the Demographic Transition Model; and the use of population pyramids to show and explain a country's age and sex structure.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on population, covering how population data is gathered by census, the problems of collecting it in developed and developing countries, the Demographic Transition Model, and how population pyramids show a country's age and sex structure.
- The land use zones of a city in the developed world; recent urban changes and the problems of housing, traffic and the city centre; and the management strategies used to deal with them.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on cities in the developed world, covering urban land use zones, recent changes, the problems of housing, traffic and the city centre, and the management strategies used to deal with them, with a UK city example.
- The changes in rural land use and farming in a developed country - mechanisation, diversification, organic farming, GM crops and the growth of larger farms - and the impacts of these changes on the landscape, the environment and people.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on rural change in a developed country, covering changes in farming such as mechanisation, diversification, organic farming, GM crops and larger farms, and their impacts on the landscape, environment and people, with a UK example.
- The impact of modern agricultural developments in a developing country - the Green Revolution, GM crops, irrigation, biofuels and appropriate (intermediate) technology - on the landscape, farming and people.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on rural change in a developing country, covering the impact of the Green Revolution, GM crops, irrigation, biofuels and appropriate technology on the landscape, farming and people, with a developing-world example.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Geography Course Specification (C833 75) — SQA (2025)
- National 5 Geography - Course overview and resources — SQA (2025)