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Urbanization in Developing Countries

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Explain urban growth trends in the world's poorest countries. What causes urbanization in poor countries.

Discuss the statistical data and implications of the urbanization in Africa. Please include references.

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This solution explains urban growth trends and the causes of urbanization in the world's poorest countries. The statistical data and implications of the urbanization in Africa are also discussed. Supplemented with an informative article on urbanization in Africa. References are included.

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1. Explain urban growth trends in the world's poorest countries.

Simply put, urbanization is the shift from a rural to an urban society, and involves an increase in the number of people in urban areas during a particular year. Urban growth trends are increasing in both the developed and developing countries. However, rapid urbanization, particularly the growth of large cities, and the associated problems of unemployment, poverty, inadequate health, poor sanitation, urban slums and environmental degradation pose a formidable challenge in many developing countries, (1) some of the world poorest countries.

In support of this urban trend, available statistics show that more than half of the world's 6.6 billion people live in urban areas, crowded into 3 percent of the earth's land area (Angotti, 1993; UNFPA, 1993) (2) (3). The proportion of the world's population living in urban areas, which was less than 5 percent in 1800 increased to 47 percent in 2000 and is expected to reach 65 percent in 2030 (United Nations, 1990; 1991) (4) (5). However, more than 90 percent of future population growth will be concentrated in cities in developing countries and a large percentage of this population will be poor. (1)

b. What causes urbanization in poor countries?

In poor countries, urbanization is the outcome of, and thus caused by, social, economic and political developments that lead to urban concentration and growth of large cities, changes in land use and transformation from rural to metropolitan pattern of organization and governance. Thus, urbanization is the driving force for modernization, economic growth and development, which are the drivers of urbanization in developing countries. (1) In other words, social, economic and political developments cause urbanization.

In Africa, one significant feature of the urbanization process is unlike Asia and Europe, ...

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