EOH3101

PRINCIPLES OF
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
POPULATION & URBANIZATION
DR. SHAHARUDDIN MOHD SHAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES, UPM

Introduction

Geographical distribution of people in

rural areas, towns and cities significantly
influences the social, environmental and
economic aspects of population growth.

Example: In 1600s, the majority of the

North American population consisted of
farmers in rural areas. Today,
approximately 25% of people in the USA
are involved in agriculture, and the other
75% live in cities.
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Urbanization process of which

people increasingly move from
rural areas to densely populated
cities

What qualifies as an urban area?

Denmark

250 people
Greece 10,000 people
USA 2,500 people
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Rural
Urban

Important distinction
between rural and urban
areas
Rural

areas have occupations

that involve harvesting natural
resources such as fishing,
logging and farming
Urban areas most have jobs
that are not directly connected
with natural resources
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Difference in characteristics of
the urban and rural population

Urban areas are more heterogeneous

with respect to race, ethnicity, religion
and socioeconomic status compared to
populations in rural areas
People in urban areas tend to be younger
than in the surrounding countryside. This
is caused by influx of many young adults
from rural areas.

Urban and rural areas often have different

proportions of males and females

Cities in developing countries tend to have more

males
Example: In African cities, males migrate to the cities
in search of employment, while females remain in the
country and tend the farms and their children

Cities in highly developed countries often have a

higher ratio of females to males
Example: Women in rural areas often have little
chance of employment after graduating from high
school, so they move to urban areas
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The City as an Ecosystem

The ecosystem approach is used to better

understand how cities function and how
they change overtime.
4 variables in urban trends and patterns
POET
Population
Organization
Environment
Technology

 Population

Refers to the number of people

(birth, death, immigration and
emigration) and the composition
of the city by age, sex and
ethnicity
Organization

Refers to the social structure of the

city, including its economic
policies, method of government
and social hierarchy

 Environment

Refers to both the natural

environment such as location of the
city by the river or in the desert, and
also the citys physical
infrastructure, including roads,
bridges and buildings.
It also includes changes to the natural
environment that are caused by
humans, such as water and air
pollution
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 Technology

Refers to human inventions that

directly affect the urban
environment.
Example: aqueducts used to carry
water long distances to cities in arid
environments, and air-conditioning,
which allows people to live in
comfort in hot, humid cities.
The four variables (POET) do not
function independently, they are

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Environmental problems
associated with Urban Areas

Growing urban areas affect land-use

pattern and destroy or fragment wildlife
habitat by urban sprawl that encroaches
into former forest, wetlands, deserts or
agricultural land in rural areas
Example: Chicago, Boston and New
Orleans in the USA are former wetlands.

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Chicago

Boston

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New Orleans
before and after
Katrina (2005)

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Commuting from suburban areas

to city centres is a necessity for
workers living in large urban areas,
and since development is so
spread out, automobiles has
become a important tool to
accomplish everyday chores. This
heavy dependence on motor
vehicles increases air pollution and
causes other environmental
problems.
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Water flow in cities are affected by

covering of rainfall-absorbing soil with
buildings and paved roads. It is
polluted with organic wastes, motor
oil, lawn fertilizers and heavy metals.

This water (called urban runoff) is

cleaned up in sewage treatment plants
before being discharged into nearby
waterways. However, high levels of
precipitation can overwhelm the
treatment plants and result in the
release of untreated urban runoff. This
contaminates water far beyond the

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High density of automobiles, factories and

commercial enterprises in urban areas causes
a build-up of air-borne emissions, such as
particulate matter (dust), sulfur oxides,
carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides and volatile
organic compounds (VOC).

Urban areas in developing nations have the

worst air pollution in the world.
Example: In Mexico City, the air is so polluted
that schoolchildren are not allowed to play
outside during much of the school year.
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Mexico City
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Urban Heat Island

Caused by the heat released
by human activities which is
retained by paved streets and
buildings and slowly released
into the atmosphere.
Cities

are also warmer than

the surrounding countryside.
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Environmental benefits of
Urbanization

A well-planned city actually benefits the

environment by reducing pollution and
preserving rural areas.

Compact development
Cities are designed so that tall, multiple unit residential
areas are close to shopping and jobs, all of which are
connected by public transport.
Fewer parking lots and highways are needed, so there
are more room for parks, open space, housing and
businesses.
Compact development makes a city more livable, and
more people may want to live there.

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Nagoya in Japan. This is a compact city with small businesses occupying

the lower floors of its average 10-15 level commercial + residential buildings
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Urbanization trends

47% of the worlds population currently lives

in urban areas. Before 2010, it will increase
to more than 50%.
Percentage of people living in cities
compared to rural settings currently is
greater in highly developed countries (75%)
than is developing countries (40%).
Most urban growth in the world is occurring
in developing countries whereas highly
developed countries are experiencing little
urban growth.
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Although proportionately more

people still live in rural areas in
developing countries, urbanization
has been increasing rapidly.
UN Data: 400 cities worldwide has a
population of more than 1 million;
284 are in developing countries.
1950: only 3 of the 10 largest cities in
the world were in developing
countries; In 2000: 7 of the largest
cities were in developing countries.
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Challenges faced by cities in

developing countries
The faster pace of urban growth in developing countries has
outstripped the limited capacity of many cities to provide
basic services. It has also overwhelmed their economic
growth.
The challenges faced are:

Substandard housing (slums and squatter areas)

Poverty
Exceptionally high unemployment
Heavy pollution
Inadequate or nonexistent water, sewage and waste disposal
Strain schools, medical and transportation systems

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Homelessness shared by cities in

both developed and developing
countries.
This problem is more pronounced in
the cities of developing countries.
In the USA, there are 300,000 to
500,000 homeless people on any
given night.
In Calcutta, India, perhaps 250,000
homeless people sleep in the streets
each night.
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Urban issues

Poverty
Crime

Example: Understanding crime in urban and

rural areas (handout)

Potential epidemics in densely populated

cities

Example: risk of urban yellow fever outbreaks

in Africa (handout)

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Think about this

1.
2.

3.

4.
5.

What is urbanization?
What is the urbanization trend today in
largely rural nations?
What are some of the problems brought
on by rapid urban growth in developing
countries?
Which countries are the most urbanized?
The least urbanized countries?

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Thank you for your

attention !!!

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