Urban Issues: Growth in LIC & HIC Cities — GCSE Geography Revision

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What is Urban Issues: Growth in LIC & HIC Cities?

Urbanisation is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. This process is happening most rapidly in Low-Income Countries (LICs) and Newly Emerging Economies (NEEs), driven by rural-to-urban migration and high rates of natural increase. This rapid, often unplanned, growth creates challenges such as the development of squatter settlements, pressure on services like water and sanitation, and traffic congestion.

Board notes: This is a major topic for all boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR). Students must compare the causes and consequences of urbanisation in HICs and LICs/NEEs. A case study of a major city in an LIC or NEE (e.g., Lagos, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro) is essential.

Worked example

Common mistakes

• 1Confusing urbanisation with urban growth. Urban growth is the simple increase in the number of people living in a city. Urbanisation is the increase in the *proportion* or percentage of a country's population living in urban areas.
• 2Assuming everyone who moves to a city in an LIC ends up in a slum. While many migrants do face difficult conditions, cities also offer significant opportunities for employment, education, and a better quality of life, which is why people continue to move there.
• 3Thinking that all squatter settlements are the same. These settlements are incredibly diverse; some are dangerous and lack basic services, while others develop into vibrant communities with informal economies and strong social networks that residents gradually improve over time.

Urban Issues: Growth in LIC & HIC Cities exam questions

Exam-style questions for Urban Issues: Growth in LIC & HIC Cities with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a megacity?

  A megacity is a city with a population of over 10 million people. The number of megacities has grown rapidly in recent decades, with the majority now located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

• Why are cities in LICs growing so quickly?

  The growth is driven by two main factors: 1) Rural-to-urban migration, as people move from the countryside in search of better jobs and opportunities (pull factors) and to escape poverty or conflict (push factors). 2) High rates of natural increase, as the young migrant population has high birth rates.