Urbanization is defined as the growth of a population in a given concentrated area.
Growth trends that we should look at are; fertility, morality, and migration. Since the poorer
countries cannot afford to support the population in their rural areas, so the people tend to
migrate to the cities or urban areas because there are more job opportunities.
Urbanization is usually caused by high concentration of jobs for professionals and skilled
workers in urban centers, and the lack of employment opportunities in the more rural areas. In
addition, developing countries move away from economies based mainly on agriculture, causing
the farmers and their children to become industrial workers instead. Also with the improvement
of agricultural technology (breeds, chemicals, and machines) means that there is less need for
farmers. Most of the heavy industries are located in, and around major cities. This can be the
cause of many people moving away from rural areas, so they can be closer to their jobs.
The major city that I chose to talk about is; Comoros, Africa. “One of the major impacts
of urbanization in Africa is due to the increased generation of solid waste, which contributes land
conversion for landfills.” (Saundry, 2008) It has become a common practice to dump solid waste
on beaches, in rivers, and in the sea, especially in places like Comoros and Madagascar. This
practice has been discontinued in places like Mauritius and Seychelles, where they have adopted
a natural solid waste management plan.
The statistical data shows that urbanization population has doubled since 1970. If this
trend continues it will continue to devastate the incomes of those living in the rural areas.
“During the 1990s, urban livelihoods in Africa began to suffer a series of economic stresses,
which accelerated in 1997 and then accelerated again, with the inception of fast-track land
reform, from 2000.” (Potts, 2006) “[Africa continues to urbanize but the so called
'urbanization-development-nexus' debate remains unsettled. Is urbanization correlated with
economic development in Africa? Some argue that, although urbanization is positively correlated
with economic development in Europe and elsewhere, Africa's urbanization is parasitic and not
conducive to economic development. Others contend that there is nothing abnormal about
urbanization in Africa.]” (Obeng-Odoom, 2010).
There are many things that the people of Africa can do to start changing the urbanization
trends that are now occurring. It has been an over populated and under-educated country for far
too long. I believe that if they were to find better ways to manage the trends in agricultural and
industrial areas, that this country would be doing a lot better off. With-out any solutions or if the
people of Africa do not act quickly, then their problems are sooner or later going to become
Obeng-Odoom, F. (2010). "Abnormal" Urbanization in Africa: A Dissenting View. African Geological Review, 29(2), p13-48. doi:57270801
Potts, D. (2006). "All my hopes and dreams are shattered": Urbanization and migrancy in an imploding African economy. Geoforum(37), 536-551. doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2005.11.003