Urbanisation Then and Now
Urbanisation, which can refer to either the process by which rural communities grow into cities or the migration of people from rural to urban areas, has its roots in ancient human history. Historians widely agree that urbanisation first occurred in ancient Mesopotamia during the Uruk Period from 4300-3100 BCE. According to the researchers, the prosperity of one particular village attracted the attention of other tribes who then joined in on the growing settlement. But the first true city to emerge was Uruk around 4500 BCE, and then Ur around 3800 BCE.
Many scholars have worked to uncover why this shift took place, both to develop a better understanding of the historical phenomenon but also to gain useful insights into contemporary forms of urbanisation. One popular theory suggests that the growth of cities in Mesopatamia resulted from difficulties coping with the unpredictability of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which were prone to devastating flooding and at the same time guaranteed fecund river valleys. This paradox kept people wanting to stay for the agricultural surpluses but at the same time having to constantly protect themselves against environmental threats. Thus, cities located some distances away from the rivers provided both protection and a center from which to manage the distribution of food.
But regardless of why urbanisation took off in Mesopotamia, it certainly set a trajectory for human geography. In Europe, another major wave took place in the 19th century as a result of the industrial revolution. In England, the urban population increased from 17 percent in 1801 to 72 percent in 1891, primarily congregating in the cities of London, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham where factories offered promising jobs to poor peasants traditionally dependent on sustenance agriculture. Life in the cities, with their seeming abundance of work, entertainment and social services, was a far more interesting alternative.
And that lure has continued. Today, more people are living in cities than ever before, and researchers estimate that by 2030, around 60 percent of the global population will live in urban environments. But contemporary instances of urbanisation are not relegated to economically developed countries, as was the case prior to the 1950s. Since then, urbanisation has primarily occurred in less developed regions, and there are several reasons for that. One is the lack of resources in rural areas to accommodate an ever-expanding global population. The second is the lure of employment opportunities that people associate with cities, regardless of whether such jobs actually exist. The third is the desire for higher quality health care and education than what rural communities are able to provide. Lastly, urbanisation can actually relieve pressures on a natural habitat and areas of biodiversity, thus contributing to environmental conservation.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that while this shift in demographics promises many opportunities, it’s not without its challenges as well. Often times, the job market cannot keep up with the pace of urban growth. This means that many of the poor who migrate to cities will find themselves relocated without improving their economic situations. And without the family and community support that is often present in people’s hometowns, urban migrants can find themselves even worse off than they were back home. This in part explains the prevalence of urban slums in our cities today.
Another disturbing aspect of modern urbanisation is the high rate of crime that plagues most major cities, and which is as much due to population density as it is to increases in poverty. Multiple studies have confirmed positive correlations between population density and crime, so this comes as no surprise. But perhaps even more important in this analysis is the relationship between urban poverty and people’s vulnerability to participating in organised crime. One doesn’t have to look much farther than cities such as Los Angeles for evidence of what choices people—often youth—are forced to make to survive in modern cities.
But perhaps most pressing on the minds of both city inhabitants and city planners is how to feed these massive numbers of people. Depending solely on local agricultural production is neither feasible nor desired, as a decade of constant farming on any land would erode topsoil to a dangerous point. Thus, urban grocery stores are forced to depend on imported products, which takes business away from local farmers. One solution being tried out in numerous cities in North America and Europe is the transportation of rural farms to urban gardens and greenhouses, in the hopes of the proximity of the food being grown will make it more attractive to customers. Some large-scale urban farming initiatives are already underway and thus far have shown promising results. Thus, food production may also have to urbanise if cities are to become prosperous and safe places for all.