SCHOOL of ARTS and SCIENCES

C- AE12, Module No.5

Second Semester | AY 2024-2025

Course: Economic Development

Module: C-GEC3, Module No. 5: Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration
Time Frame: Week/s No.7 -8 (6 hours)
Schedule of synchronous sessions: Monday (MWF)/Tuesday (TTH)

1. Overview
Nowadays, urban life has become a very practical way of life in a world where the
city is the center of many emerging activities. It is very clear that urbanization is a major
phenomenon in the world. It transforms agricultural economies into thriving manufacturing
hubs and creating countless service jobs in emerging markets which will eventually
engender a radical change on those developing small cities and on their urban and
architectural layout.
Urbanization is the process through which cities grow, and higher and higher
percentages of the population comes to live in the city. Apparently, there is an increasing
competition for facilities in urban areas, which results in several negative effects. Many
people mainly farmers who move to cities in search of a better life and better occupational
opportunities end up as casual laborers. This leads to alarming problems of urbanization –
the growth of slums.
On the other hand, urbanization is not all that bad. In fact, it advances the country’s
business sectors by providing more jobs and a more diverse economy. A vast network of
goods and services has helped develop modern commercial institutions and exchanges
that have empowered the growth of urban areas. Furthermore, commercialization and
trade offer town and cities better business opportunities and returns compared to rural
areas.
This lesson provides a thorough examination of the factors leading to the growth of
urban areas. It also presents the positive and negative impact of urbanization. Towards
the end of the study, you will gain a wider understanding of the features of urban and rural
places.

2. Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

 Discuss the concept of urbanization and the factors that cause it.
 Explain the positive and negative effects of urbanization.
 Describe the physiognomies of rural and urban areas.

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3. Content / Discussion / Learning Resources / Links

A. Our previous lesson presented the Philippine and World population as well as the
United Nation’s projections of future population. A detailed discussion on the
Malthusian Theory of Population took place as well. Today, we are about to learn the
following concepts: urbanization, causes of urbanization, positive and negative impacts
of urbanization, and characteristics of rural and urban areas.

(igsmag.com)

Human populations have tended to increase over time. As more people were
born, small groups of individuals found reasons to come together to form groups and,
with the advent of agriculture, small sedentary communities. A small number of these
settlements grew into what we now call cities. This kind of growth often corresponds
with a shift from one way of organizing labor to another.
The world population has grown significantly, and our economies have become
more industrialized over the past few hundred years, and as a result many more
people have moved into cities. This process is known as urbanization. Even after cities
emerged, however, a large majority of people lived and worked in rural areas. It was
not until large-scale industrialization began in the eighteenth century that cities really
began to boom. Nearly half of all people now live in urban areas. They are attracted by
jobs in manufacturing and the professions, as well as by increased opportunities for
education and entertainment.
Urbanization is often discussed in reference to countries that are currently in the
process of industrializing and urbanizing, but all industrialized nations have

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Second Semester | AY 2024-2025

experienced urbanization at some point in their history. Moreover, urbanization is on

the rise all over

the globe. One effect of this huge increase in people living in urban areas is the rise of
the megacity, which is a city that has more than 10 million inhabitants. There are now
cities with even more than that. Tokyo, Japan, for example, has nearly 40 million
residents.
Another effect of urbanization is urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is when the
population of a city becomes dispersed over an increasingly large geographical area.
This movement from higher density urban cores to lower density suburbs means that
as cities expand, they often begin to take up significant tracts of land formerly used for
agriculture. Sprawl also increases the need for travel infrastructure, such as roads,
because people’s homes are likely to be farther away from where they work and the
amenities they enjoy.
As we move forward in the 21st century, the global population is likely to continue
growing. Urban areas will continue to grow with the population. This continual growth
presents complex challenges as we prepare for the cities of the future. How we choose
to manage urbanization will have consequences for our world for many years to come.

Urban-Rural Population

More than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas — increasingly in
highly-dense cities. However, urban settings are a relatively new phenomenon in
human history. This transition has transformed the way we live, work, travel and build
networks.
In the visualization we see estimates from the UN World Urbanization Prospects on the
number of people globally who live in urban and rural areas. In 2017, 4.1 billion people
were living in urban areas.

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This means over half of the world (55%) live in urban settings. The UN estimates
this milestone event when the number of people in urban areas overtook the number
in rural settings occurred in 2007 (Ritchie & Roser, 2018) .

Share of the world's urban population, by region 1950, 2010 and (projected) 2050

(statista.com)

By 2050, the urban population will almost double to 6.3 billion — two-thirds of all the
people on the planet. Cities are gaining 77 million new residents each year, equivalent
to the population of Turkey or Germany, or twice the state of California. Much of this
growth is sprawl. During the first three decades of this century, the global increase in
urban land cover is expected to be greater than all urban expansion so far in human
history.

4. Learning Check:
Describe the world’s urban population by region in 1950, 2010, and 2050
(projected) using the data on the graph provided below.

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Second Semester | AY 2024-2025

B. Causes of Urbanization

In developing countries, urbanisation usually occurs when people move from

villages to settle in cities in hope of gaining a better standard of living. The movement
of people from one place to another is called migration. Migration is influenced by
economic growth and development and by technological change (Marshall et al., 2009)
and possibly also by conflict and social disruption. It is driven by pull factors that attract
people to urban areas and push factors that drive people away from the countryside.
Employment opportunities in cities are one of the main pull factors. Many
industries are located in cities and offer opportunities of high urban wages. There are
also more educational institutions providing courses and training in a wide range of
subjects and skills. People are attracted to an urban lifestyle and the ‘bright lights’ of
city life. All of these factors result in both temporary and permanent migration to urban
areas.
Poor living conditions and the lack of opportunities for paid employment in rural
areas are push factors. People are moving away from rural areas because of poor
health care and limited educational and economic opportunities as well as
environmental changes, droughts, floods, lack of availability of sufficiently productive
land, and other pressures on rural livelihoods.
Rural to urban migration can be a selective process, as some types of people are
more likely to move than others. One of the factors involved is gender, because

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employment opportunities vary greatly with different jobs for men and women. Another
factor is age. Young people are more likely to move to towns, with more elderly people
and children left in rural areas. Selectivity in migration affects the population in both the
rural and the urban areas. If more men move to towns and cities than women, this
leaves a predominantly female society in rural areas.

Furthermore, urbanization is the shift of populace from a rural to an urban society.

In developing countries, the reasons for people leaving rural areas and moving to
urban areas varies from country to country, but in many cases it is creating slums of
fringe dwellers unable to find suitable employment.

Political Causes

During times of political unrest, families are forced to leave their rural farming
villages, and they migrate to the urban areas in search of shelter, food and
employment. When large numbers of people are driven from their rural villages,
especially in war-ravaged countries, the cities become saturated, and slums start to
grow on the outskirts of the cities.
Economic Causes
Poverty in rural areas, due to large companies creating commercial farms and
small farmers finding it harder and harder to make a living, forces people to move to
the urban areas in search of better employment opportunities. The rise of industry in
developing countries has provided more job opportunities in urban areas, and cities
have increased significantly in size due to this.
Education
Opportunities for education at universities and technical colleges draw young
people to the urban centers, where they hope to provide better prospects for the future
for themselves and their families. Urban centers in developing countries have become
hubs of education and training, as they are also in developed countries.
Natural Population Increase
There has been a natural increase of population in many developing countries
due to improved medical care, immunization programs, better sanitation and more
widespread education. Death rates have decreased, and there are fewer infant deaths,
resulting in population growth. As populations grow so does the urban sprawl. As the
cities become overcrowded with not enough employment to go around, more and more
people live in substandard housing.
Environmental Degradation
When the natural habitat of farming families is destroyed due to deforestation,
mining or industrial expansion, they are forced to find somewhere else to live. Often
small amounts of compensation from logging and mining companies provide the funds
for families to move to urban areas, but there is no guarantee of work in the cities, and
many families move there and are forced into poverty because they cannot find
enough work.
Social Causes
Many young people migrate to urban centers in search of lifestyle changes and
with the desire to become associated with the club scenes in large cities. Such scenes

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provide employment opportunities, but they sadly also attract gambling and crime
syndicates to develop (Fritzerald, 2017).

Positive and Negative Impact of Urbanization

The majority of people move to cities and towns because they view rural areas as
places with hardship and backward/primitive lifestyles. Therefore, as populations move
to more developed areas such as town or cities, the immediate outcome is
urbanization. This normally contributes to the development of land for use in
commercial properties, social and economic support institutions, transportation, and
residential buildings. Eventually, these activities raise several urbanization issues.
Positive Impact of Urbanization
1. Industrialization
Industrialization is a trend representing a shift from the old agricultural economics
to a novel non-agricultural economy, which creates a modernized society. Through the
industrial revolution, more people have been attracted to move from rural to urban
areas on account of improved employment opportunities. The industrialization has
increased employment opportunities by giving people the chance to work in modern
sectors in job categories that aids to stir economic developments.
2. Commercialization
Commerce and trade play a major role in urbanization. The distribution of goods
and services and commercial transactions in the modern era has developed modern
marketing institutions and exchange methods that have tremendously given rise to the
growth of towns and cities. Commercialization and trade come with the general
perception that the towns and cities offer better commercial opportunities and returns
compared to the rural areas.

3. Social Benefits and Services

There are numerous social benefits attributed to life in cities and towns.
Examples include better educational facilities, better living standards, and better
sanitation and housing, better health care, better recreation facilities, and better social
life in general.
On this account, more and more people are prompted to migrate into cities and towns
to obtain a wide variety of social benefits and services which are unavailable in rural
areas.
4. Employment Opportunities
In cities and towns, there are ample job opportunities that continually draw people
from rural areas to seek a better livelihood. Therefore, the majority of people frequently
migrate into urban areas to access well-paying jobs as urban areas have countless
employment opportunities in all developmental sectors such as public health,
education, transport, sports and recreation, industries, and business enterprises.
Services and industries generate and increase higher value-added jobs, and this leads
to more employment opportunities.
5. Modernization and Changes in the Mode of Living
Modernization plays a very important role in the process of urbanization. As
urban areas become more technology savvy together with highly sophisticated

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communication, infrastructure, medical facilities, dressing code, enlightenment,

liberalization, and other social amenities availability, people believe they can lead a
happy life in cities. In urban areas, people also embrace changes in the modes of living
namely residential habits, attitudes, dressing, food, and beliefs. As a result, people
migrate to cities and the cities grow by absorbing the growing number of people day
after day.

6. Rural-urban Transformation
As localities become more fruitful and prosperous due to the discovery of
minerals, resource exploitation, or agricultural activities, cities start emerging as the
rural areas transform into urbanism. The increase in productivity leads to economic
growth and higher value-added employment opportunities. This brings about the need
to develop better infrastructure, better education institutions, better health facilities,
better transportation networks, the establishment of banking institutions, better
governance, and better housing.
As this takes place, rural communities start to adopt the urban culture and
ultimately become urban centers that continue to grow as more people move to such
locations in search of a better life.
Hence, urbanization yields several positive effects if it happens within the
appropriate limits. However, extensive urbanization mostly results in adverse effects.
Below listed points are a few of them.
1. Housing Problems
Urbanization attracts people to cities and towns which leads to a high population
increase. With the increase in the number of people living in urban centers, there is a
continued scarcity of houses. This is due to insufficient expansion space for housing
and public utilities, poverty, unemployment, and costly building materials which can
only be afforded by a few individuals.

2. Overcrowding
Overcrowding is a situation whereby a huge number of people live in a small
space. This form of congestion in urban areas is consistent because of overpopulation
and it is an aspect that increases day by day as more people and immigrants move into
cities and towns in search of a better life. Most people from rural or undeveloped areas
always have the urge of migrating into the city that normally leads to congestion of
people within a small area.
3. Unemployment
The problem of joblessness is highest in urban areas and it is even higher among
educated people. It is estimated that more than half of unemployed youths around the
globe live in metropolitan cities. And, as much as income in urban areas is high, the
costs of living make the incomes seem horribly low. The increasing relocation of people
from rural or developing areas to urban areas is the leading cause of urban
unemployment.
4. Development of Slums
The cost of living in urban areas is very high. When this is combined with random
and unexpected growth as well as unemployment, there is the spread of unlawful
resident settlements represented by slums and squatters. The growth of slums and

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squatters in urban areas is even further exacerbated by fast-paced industrialization,

lack of developed land for housing, a large influx of rural immigrants to the cities in
search of a better life, and the elevated prices of land beyond the reach of the urban
poor.

5. Water and Sanitation Problems

Because of overpopulation and rapid population increase in most urban centers,
it is common to find there are inadequate sewage facilities. Municipalities and local
governments are faced with serious resource crisis in the management of sewage

facilities. As a result, sanitation becomes poor and sewages flow chaotically, and they
are drained into neighboring streams, rivers, lakes, or seas. Eventually, communicable
diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, plague, and diarrhea spread very fast leading to
suffering and even deaths. Overcrowding also highly contributes to water scarcity as
supply falls short of demand.
6. Poor Health and Spread of Diseases
The social, economic and living conditions in congested urban areas affects
access and utilization of public health care services. Slum areas in particular
experience poor sanitation and insufficient water supply which generally make slum
populations susceptible to communicable diseases.

Environmental problems such as urban pollution also cause many health problems
namely allergies, asthma, infertility, food poisoning, cancer and even premature
deaths.
7. Traffic Congestion
When more people move to towns and cities, one of the major challenges posed
is in the transport system. More people means an increased number of vehicles which
leads to traffic congestion and vehicular pollution. Many people in urban areas drive to
work and this creates a severe traffic problem, especially during rush hours. Also as
the cities grow in dimension, people will move to shop and access other social
needs/wants which often cause traffic congestion and blockage.
8. Urban Crime
Issues of lack of resources, overcrowding, unemployment, poverty, and lack of
social services and education habitually lead to many social problems including
violence, drug abuse, and crime. Most of the crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping,
riots, assault, theft, robbery, and hijacking are reported to be more prominent in the
urban vicinities. Besides, poverty-related crimes are the highest in fast-growing urban
regions. These acts of urban crime normally upset the peace and tranquility of
cities/towns (conserve-energy-future.com).
4. Learning Check:
What are the possible areas of conflict between the urban and national politics in
combating the current pandemic? How should the national government address health-
related setbacks?

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C. Characteristics of Rural and Urban Areas

Some people think that living in a city (urban) is more advantageous than living in a
province (rural). However, others insist upon the idea that living in a province is
unquestionably fascinating. Paul Mondal (n.d.) compares and contrasts the rural life
and the urban life by citing the characteristics of each area.
The ten essential characteristics of the rural community are as follows:
a. Size of the Community

The village communities are smaller in area than the urban communities. As the
village communities are small, the population is also low.
b. Density of Population
As the density of population is low, the people have intimate relationships and
face-to-face contacts with each other. In a village, everyone knows everyone.
c. Agriculture is the Main Occupation

Agriculture is the fundamental occupation of the rural people and forms the basis of
rural economy. A farmer has to perform various agricultural activities for which he
needs the cooperation of other members. Usually, these members are from his family.
Thus, the members of the entire family share agricultural activities.
d. Close Contact with Nature
The rural people are in close contact with nature as most of their daily activities
revolve around the natural environment. This is the reason why a ruralite is more
influenced by nature than an urbanite. The villagers consider land as their real mother
as they depend on it for their food, clothing and shelter.
e. Homogeneity of Population
The village communities are homogenous in nature. Most of their inhabitants are
connected with agriculture and its allied occupations, though there are people
belonging to different castes, religions and classes.
f. Social Stratification
In rural society, social stratification is a traditional characteristic, based on caste.
The rural society is divided into various strata on the basis of caste.
g. Social Interaction
The frequency of social interaction in rural areas is com-paratively lower than in
urban areas. However, the interaction level possesses more stability and continuity.
The relationships and interactions in the prima-ry groups are intimate. The family fulfills
the needs of the members and exer-cises control over them. It is the family, which
introduces the members to the customs, traditions and culture of the society. Due to
limited contacts, they do not develop individuality and their viewpoint towards the
outside world is very narrow, which makes them oppose any kind of violent change.
h. Social Mobility
In rural areas, mobility is rigid as all the occupations are based on caste. Shifting
from one occupation to another is difficult as caste is determined by birth. Thus, caste
hierarchy determines the social status of the rural people.
i. Social Solidarity

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The degree of social solidarity is greater in villages as com-pared to urban areas.

Common experience, purposes, customs and traditions form the basis of unity in the
villages.
j. Joint Family
Another characteristic feature of the rural society is the joint family system. The
family controls the behaviour of the individuals. Generally, the father is the head of the
family and is also responsible for maintaining the discipline among members. He
manages the affairs of the family.

Characteristics of Urban Community

Urban mode of life is quite contrary to traditional rural life, though it has affected
rural life which is also in the process of change. Its characteristics are represented by
the terms ‘urbanism’ and the process of its expansion is called ‘urbanisation’.

1. Large size and high density of population

The size of the urban community is much larger than the rural community. Not only
is this, in urban areas, there high density of population. Density increases the number
of short-term, impersonal and utilitarian social relationships a person is likely to have.
2. Heterogeneity
Urban population is heterogeneous. It consists of various shades of
people—different castes, classes, ethnic groups, religions, etc. They are not all alike.
Urban community is noteworthy for its diversity.
3. Anonymity
The sheer pressure of number marks for anonymity. Anonymity is a loss of
identity and sense of belongingness. The heterogeneity of city life with its mixture of
people of all races, castes, classes, creeds, occupations and ethnic origins heightens
the sense of anonymity.
4. Mobility and transiency
Urban life is dynamic. Social relations are temporary. Therefore, permanency
does not develop in urban relations. There is a high rate of geographical as well as
social mobility in urban areas. In America, on an average, a person changes his job
(occupational mobility) within six years. Consequently, his residence also changes.
Different types of mobility usually mean transiency of contact. As such, urban social
relations continue for a very short time. Urban dweller continually makes new social
contacts.
5. Formality of relations
In urban social life, relations are not intimate and kinship based. Most routine
social contacts in the city are impersonal and segmented. Formal politeness takes the
place of genuine friendliness. The impersonality of urban life is a necessary and
convenient way of urban living.
6. Social distance
City people are physically crowded but socially distant. Social distance is a
product of anonymity, impersonality and heterogeneity. Occupational differences may
be even more important sources of social distance. Urbanites become nigh-dwellers,
not neighbours. Apartment dwellers may live for years without any acquaintance with
many of the other occupants.
7. Regimentation

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The city is always in hurry. The life (work and entertainment) in the urban
community becomes ‘clock regulated’. Order, regularity and the punctuality are the
characteristics of urban life. On the streets, his movement is controlled by traffic lights,
on railway stations and other places by elevators and escalators.
8. Segmentation of personality
Most routine urban contacts are of secondary group rather than primary group
nature. Most contacts are instrumental, that is, we use another person as a necessary
functionary to fulfil our purposes. We do not neces-sarily interact with entire persons
but

with people in terms of their formal roles as postman, bus driver, office assistant,
policeman and other functionaries. We thus interact with only a segment of the person,
not with the whole person.

4. Learning Check:
If you had two choices, which one will you choose: rural life or urban life? Why?

5. Evaluation
Answer the following questions in not more than five sentences (for each).
1. Explain why cities hurt the environment more than rural areas do.
2. Does urbanization drive large-scale violence in developing countries?
3. Should more financial resources such as international loans be made available for
urban development in developing countries?
4. Give your insight on the Philippine governments’ current Build, Build, Build projects.

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Second Semester | AY 2024-2025

References
Books:
Samuelson, W and Nordhaus, W. (2009).Economics. McGraw – Hill Education.
Todaro, M. and Smith, S. (2015). Economic Development. Pearson.

Online sources:
Fritzerald, H. (2017). What Are the Causes of Urbanization in Poor Countries? Retrieved
from
https://www.theclassroom.com/what-are-the-causes-of-urbanization-in-poor-
countries-13660201.html
Mondal, P. (n.d.). Rural Community: Top 10 Characteristics of the Rural Community–
Explained! Retrieved from https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/rural-
sociology/rural-community-top-10-characteristics-of-the-rural-community-
explained/34968
Mondal, P. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/top-8-
characteristics-of-urban-community-explained/35080
Rapid Urbanization and Vertical Sprawl: How Can We Live Like This? (n.d.)
Retrieved from https://igsmag.com/features/rapid-urbanization-and-vertical-
sprawl-how-can-we-live-like-this/
Ritchie, H. and Roser, M. Urbanization (2018) Retrieved from
https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization.
What is Urbanization? (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.conserve-energy-
future.com/causes-effects-solutions-urbanization.php
Urbanization. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/
urbanization/

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