SOCI 390 Urban Sociologysociology.morrisville.edu/Class Notes/SOCI390/Third-World-Urbanization.pdfWHERE ARE THE LARGEST CITIES? Concentrated in China, India, Western Europe and coastal

1

SOCI 390

Urban Sociology Professor Kurt Reymers PhD

FALL 2012

D The City in the Future

1 The ldquoThird Worldrdquo in Asia

Africa and Latin America Urbanization is out of control in third world nations which account for

frac34rsquos of the worldrsquos population (45 billion

people) and most of its land mass

These regions have in common an inability to sustain economic development and (with some exceptions) have a declining quality of life


1 The Third World cont

a Misconceptions i Primitive Development ndash in fact many urban areas in

developing countries are remarkably highly industrialized already

ii Countries go through stages of modernization ndash No ndash urban development is not

evolutionary instead think of the historical socio-spatial perspective The development of urban areas is linked to the specific

historical factors of (E) integration into the global economy (P) elite power and (C) the effects of class structure

2


1 The Third World cont a Misconceptions

iii ldquoPeripheral urbanizationrdquo The third world is no longer on the ldquoperipheryrdquondash the edges ndash of the global

economy but is closely linked to it

b Demography and Third World Urbanization

ldquoThe Demographic Transitionrdquo

New medical technology has led to dramatic population growth in third world countries



The Demographic Transition




3


Video Journey to Planet Earth

The major trend in global urban development are

the new Megacities

MEGACITY A vast urban area containing a number of cities and their surrounding suburbs ldquosuper citiesrdquo with more than 10 million people Most are found in low-income nations

In the year 2003 there were 20 megacities worldwide By 2015 the number of megacities is expected to grow to 36


4

Economic Development in Global Perspective

Source Macionis John SocietyThe Basics 9th ed Prentice-Hall NJ

5

In 1950 only 29 percent of the world pop (25 billion) were

urban by 2025 over 60 of the world population will be

urban

WHERE ARE THE LARGEST CITIES

Concentrated in China India Western Europe and coastal

North amp South America Africa and Australia


c The Primate City

Third world countries today often have a single gigantic city that is overurbanized (has excessive population) measured by comparing the size of the largest city with other large cities

For example Bangkok Thailand

pop 6500000

16x larger than that of the next largest city (Samut Prakan)

For example Lagos Nigeria

pop 13500200

4x larger than Kano (36 mil)


6


d Shantytown Development

The effect of overurbanization in primate cities is to strain social services and the housing sector shantytowns develop

Different types of shantytowns exist some are illegal

settlements built from ramshackle huts on the outskirts of a city others are working-class suburbs with legitimate status (gained through political activism)





Rio de Janiero Brazil Salisbury Zimbabwe Africa


e Coping Strategies and Social Movements

Greater dependency on communal living ndash social support is very important among shantytown dwellers


Informal economies

emerge people are involved in

illegal trade not protected by law

(selling cigarettes alcohol drugs

bodies) this creates slums which

contrast sharply with the high tech

highly paid professional services of

the city core

7



- Political Breakdown occurs Law enforcement may be involved in rather than fighting such trends

- These conditions may lead to grassroots social movements which try to make shantytowns legal parts of cities some are successful others less so



f Photos and Other Info on Urbanization by Region

i Latin America

Mexico City - 2 Rio De Janiero (Brazilrsquos economy)

ii Asia

Manila Phillipines

iii SkyscraperPagecom

(useful for comparing infrastructure development with population figures)


2


1 The Third World cont a Misconceptions

iii ldquoPeripheral urbanizationrdquo The third world is no longer on the ldquoperipheryrdquondash the edges ndash of the global

economy but is closely linked to it

b Demography and Third World Urbanization

ldquoThe Demographic Transitionrdquo

New medical technology has led to dramatic population growth in third world countries







3




the new Megacities




4



5



urban





c The Primate City



pop 6500000



pop 13500200



6















Informal economies







the city core

7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




3




the new Megacities




4



5



urban





c The Primate City



pop 6500000



pop 13500200



6















Informal economies







the city core

7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




4



5



urban





c The Primate City



pop 6500000



pop 13500200



6















Informal economies







the city core

7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




5



urban





c The Primate City



pop 6500000



pop 13500200



6















Informal economies







the city core

7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




6















Informal economies







the city core

7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




7








i Latin America


ii Asia

Manila Phillipines




Documents

SOCI 390 Urban Sociologysociology.morrisville.edu/Class Notes/SOCI390/Third-World-Urbanization.pdfWHERE ARE THE LARGEST CITIES? Concentrated in China, India, Western Europe and coastal