Urban Dynamics: Population Growth and City Functions
Functional Differentiation of Urban Areas
Urban areas serve various functions, each contributing to the city’s overall structure and operation:
- Administrative Services: Typically located in central parts of major urban areas, these zones may feature modern buildings or unique older neighborhoods. Central Business Districts (CBDs) are well-connected areas within this category.
- Commercial Function: Cities act as crucial national and international centers for trade and business, hosting specialized shops and department stores.
- Residential Functions: Residential areas are distributed across the city, including old towns, suburban neighborhoods, and areas for middle-class residents.
- Industrial Function: Industrial activities tend to be located on the outskirts or in designated industrial estates and technology parks due to their proximity to consumption centers.
The City as an Ecosystem
Cities exert significant pressure on their surrounding environments. Ecologically, cities have low production capacity, high dependence on their environment, and substantial energy and water consumption. This creates a fragile and unstable equilibrium, making cities vulnerable to ecological limits.
Demographics and Urban Population Worldwide
Global Population Dynamics
The fastest population growth is in Africa. Globally, there’s a trend of decreasing fertility rates. The global mortality rate is gradually decreasing, except in Europe, where it’s rising due to an aging population. Central and Southern Africa have the highest child mortality rates worldwide.
Aging Population
The proportion of people aged 65 and older is increasing globally. In developed countries, this group will make up 20% of the population by 2025. The causes of this demographic shift include decreased fertility, reduced mortality (leading to increased life expectancy), and migration.
Demographic Policies
Demographic policies are economic, social, and legislative measures taken by states to influence population variables. There are two main types:
- Malthusian: Aim to reduce population growth through birth control.
- Populationist: Seek to increase the population by encouraging birth and immigration.
Since 1950, the global population has grown to 6.7 billion. Many countries have implemented Malthusian or Neo-Malthusian policies to reduce fertility. The Cairo Conference highlighted that reducing poverty and eliminating discrimination against women are essential for managing population growth.
To balance GDP growth with social services, the European Commission promotes demographic renewal, employment, immigration integration, social protection, intergenerational equality, and improvements in productivity and education.
Increased Urban Population
Since the 19th century, the growth of cities has accelerated due to economic changes from the Industrial Revolution. Unequal land distribution and rural population growth led to significant rural-to-urban migration. This rapid growth in the number, population, and area of cities is called urbanization.
Different Rates of Urbanization
There are now more people in urban areas than in rural areas, but cities don’t all develop at the same rate. Developed countries have an annual urban growth rate of 0.8%, while developing countries have a rate of 3.6%. Challenges in developing countries include accurately counting the population, high birth rates leading to informal settlements, and a lack of infrastructure and services in large parts of the city.