Urbanization is the rapid growth of town and cities as a result of people moving from the countryside to live in these town and cities. Urbanization results to global change over a specific period of time. Urbanization is most rapid in the less economically developed countries such as Africa, Asia as compared to the more developed countries (Spielvogel, 2004, p. 342). Urbanization is closely related to evolutional transition and industrialization. The main cause of urbanization is the economical causes that result in modernization consequently leading to improved standards of living, environmental factors such as lack of enough resources in the rural areas, natural causes and the changing reforms.
Urbanization is caused by the geographical condition. The best way to understand how this is done is to first understand how society organizes around a geographical area and how it results to modernization. Ina geographical perspective the concern is with gender, infrastructure, environmental effects, migration, economical change and the landscape. Regions with adequate climate, good infrastructure and enough resources are more likely to be more industrialized than those without those features (Spielvogel, 2004, p. 351). Urbanization comes with improved transportation if the entire route in a particular region is well linked. When an area has diversified transportation it brings about cultural exchange. Other factors that cause modernization include security in a certain location, a geographical area with gender mainstreaming, electrification of the locations, and areas with a friendly environment. Urbanization depends on the environmental factors. Most urban areas have high temperature that is brought by absorption of the solar energy by the structure, and heat that is released by vehicles and factories. This temperature increase in the town and cities result to a cool atmosphere in the urban areas. This is in contrast to the rural areas where the incoming solar evaporates the moisture in the soil and the plant resulting in the weathering of plants. Health environment deals with the ability to control infectious diseases and the accessibility to health cares and providers.
Economical growth and urbanization are directly interrelated; economical growth implies transition of the agricultural rural areas into urban economy based on the residential, industrial and commercial services. Urbanization comes from changes in the technologies, changes in the economical production and transportation. In economy growth and urbanization the focus is on the ways in which the government, institution, and policies affect the size and the growth rate of the cities. This is because urbanization contributes to the economy growth by provision of high quality and specialized goods and services to the markets. The economical opportunities that come with urbanization include; employment creation, resettlement, education and transportation. Urbanization requires that there is an infrastructure investment, health, and safety in the economical growth sector.
Urbanization offers a real economical life for the people who reside in the urban areas. There is commercial growth during urbanization resulting to job opportunities and increased benefits. Urbanization results to more cultural and social interaction among the people which is not available to people living in rural areas. People are likely to benefit from internal improvements such as availability of health facilities, improved infrastructure, good education, and housing. Many people are said to have moved from the rural areas to the cities in search for a well paying job, food security in urban areas, improved medical care in urban areas, and good sanitation. The basic needs such as food, shelter and water are the psychological needs that have contributed to the modernization. It is hard for people to live without the basic needs and hence why they move in the cities and towns in search of these basic needs.
From the discussion above, urbanization can be defines as the movement of people from urban to rural areas in a search for good housing, infrastructure, medication, and housing. The main factors behind this movement are economic growth, geographical needs, and psychological needs.
REFERENCES
Spielvogel, J. (2004). Glencoe World History. New York: McGraw-Hill
