Urbanization

The term 'urbanization' refers to the increase of persons living in urban areas i.e. towns and cities.

Urban Growth

This refers to an increase in the size of an urban area, it may be due to urban sprawl.

Urban Sprawl

This refers to the expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural areas.

Two Main Causes Of Urbanization In The Caribbean

1. Migration - Persons living in rural areas migrating to urban areas. This migration is influenced by push and pull factors.
2. Natural Increase - More births than deaths in urban areas resulting in a natural increase in the urban population.

Disadvantages/Problems Associated With Urbanization

• Traffic - Traffic results from multiple people commuting throughout the area, especially during rush hour times and causes congestion on the road network.
• Crime - Crime is usually higher within urban areas. Sometimes associated with poverty and unemployment rates as well as illegal drugs.
• Overcrowding - This is where too many people are living in limited space which can lead to stress on infrastructure such as utilities as housing within an area.
• Housing Shortage - The cost of housing within urban areas is usually much higher, resulting in many persons not being able to afford it, and there's often a deficit of houses to the number of residents.
• Pollution - There are much high quantities of garbage in urban areas As well as more air pollution caused by common emissions from vehicles and industries.

Advantages/Benefits Of Urbanization

• Employment - Urban areas usually have more employment opportunities as well as higher paying jobs in some cases.
• Labour - Since there are more people in urban areas, there is a large available labour force to work.
• Commerce - There's much more economic activity due to the presence of more businesses in urban areas.
• Infrastructure - Infrastructure within urban areas is usually more developed and reliable.
• Transport - They are usually more transport options in urban areas or even the option of walking.

Methods For Controlling Urbanization

• Rural Development - Developing and bettering existing infrastructure within rural areas such as utilities and roads.
• Decentralization - This is where government offices are spread out instead of being centered in the capital city.
• Population Control - This is done through the use of legal abortions. This is often done in Cuba.
• Transport - Investing in new forms of transport to get people from other areas into the urban areas and back.
• Agricultural Development - Modernizing and developing the agriculture sector in rural areas.