Effects of Rural to Urban Migration

Rural to urban migration reduces

population in rural areas, which decreases
farming activities, leading to food
insecurity. BBC notes that rural to urban
migration can lead to child labour when
many young males leave for cities in
search of employment. This causes a
drop in school enrolment. Rural to urban
migration also causes overcrowding in
urban centres, which leads to a strain on
social amenities
Rural to urban migration provides
manpower to industries, which facilitates
production and economic growth. The
World Bank Group reveals that rural to
urban migration benefits rural
communities due to the money that
relatives in urban centres send home.
However, it causes negative effects on the
urban environment and increases the risk
to illnesses.
Rural urban migration also contributes to
an increase in crime rate within urban
centres. Excessive or rampant rural to
urban migration increases the rate of
unemployment, which reduces the
standards of living among urban
communities. In addition, rural to urban
migration affects women in rural areas
because they are forced to attend to many
chores at home and in farms.
Rural urban migration also causes
psychological effects, such as the stress
that result from traffic, high living costs
and taxes.
What causes urban sprawl?
Urban sprawl is created by economic
growth and population expansion. The
term “urban sprawl” refers to low-density
commercial and residential development
on land previously unencumbered by
human inhabitants and structures such as
offices, apartment complexes and
shopping centers. Wealth is a primary
driver of sprawl: the improvement of local
economies brings workers and their
families, who then branch out farther and
farther from town centers as space
becomes increasingly limited.

The Benefits and Challenges of Urbanization

Urbanization is inevitable due to

technological advances and an increasing
population. Industrialization allows people
to make a living in methods other than
farming; this has led to many people
abandoning the rural lifestyle.
Urbanization is a process that is occurring
in nearly every part of the world inhabited
by humans. It has led to a greater quality
of life for many, but it also has its
challenges.
Definition
Urbanization is the process of increasing
population growth in cities and suburbs; it
also includes the increase of
industrialization. There is more
involvement in government, industry and
trade in urban areas. The word
urbanization derives from "urb," which is
the Latin word for city. The United States
and Europe had the majority of
urbanization occur during the Industrial
Revolution in the 19th century. There is no
universal standard of how urbanized
areas are classified. In America, an
urbanized area has a population of at
least 50,000.
Causes
Living in a rural area provides less job
opportunities. Farming is one of the major
forms of income in rural areas. The
unpredictable nature of environmental
factors, such as rain and drought, leads to
a fluctuating income. The standard of
living is difficult to improve; therefore,
families opt to move to urban areas. There
is a greater variety of jobs in cities. Lack
of space in rural areas due to a growing
population also leads to urbanization.
Benefits
The convenience of goods and services
is one of the benefits of urbanization.
There is access to more educational and
medical services, which allows increased
literacy and better health. There is also
less use of personal vehicles and more
availability of public transportation. There
is more social integration in urbanized
areas. People of different religions, ethnic
backgrounds, social classes and races
reside in the same area. This leads to
more understanding and acceptance of
differences. Another benefit of
urbanization is the possibility of greater
earning potential because of the
availability of more jobs.
Challenges
The rapidity of growth in urbanized areas
is a challenge. Although there are more
opportunities, the constantly increasing
population leads to more competition. This
leads to large amounts of people that are
out of work and extremely poor. Pollution
is an issue that plagues many urbanized
areas. Factories and vehicles emit fumes
into the air, which may lead to respiratory
issues. The development of more area to
build houses and businesses negatively
affects the environment. The destruction
of habitats displaces many animals. It may
also be difficult to finance the increase of
an urbanized area due to its rapid growth.
 What are the positive effects
of urbanization?

The primary benefits of urbanization are a

sustained economy and a centralized
population. Recent developments in
countries in which large, planned cities
are being built to accommodate the
demand for urban locations have also
revealed environmental advantages to
urbanization. Increased populations also
drive governments to improve public
transportation and services within cities. 
China is emerging as a model for positive,
sustainable urbanization. The mass
migration of workers from rural areas to
urban centers is a crucial factor in the
country's current economic health. When
people move to urban areas, the demand
for goods and services, which is usually
already high in more populated areas,
increases even more. The increased
supply and demand stabilizes economic
markets.
Additionally, increased urbanization
inspires city planners to think more
creatively in reducing carbon footprints.
China, in particular, is earning praise for
designing large, low-carbon cities. In a
country in which pollution is already a
grave concern, such attention to
environmental matters is crucial to the
success of future urbanization. Much of
China's public transportation in larger
urban areas has been improved for higher
efficiency. The centralize populations also
create larger workforce pools for
corporations and make it easier for the
former rural poor to find work and
increase their standard of living.