The Present Rate of Urbanisation Globally is Unsustainable

Abstract or Introduction

Urbanisation is generally defined as the influx and increase of the number of people who live in the cities and major towns in a country (Pomeroy, 2007). It is caused by movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. The movement of people from rural to urban centres occur mainly due to increased population pressure and limited resources available for the large population in the rural areas. Global change can be mostly associated to urban drift and it contributes mostly to the people moving to the cities and towns. Most people move to urban centres in search of jobs and better living standards which are associated with urban areas (Clark, 2003). Various arguments have been advanced by scholars on whether urbanisation is sustainable or unsustainable. In order to understand the sustainability of urbanisation it is good to consider economic, social, political, cultural and environmental effects of urbanisation. Urbanisation presents both positive and negative effects and thus studying its effects is important to understand whether it is sustainable or unsustainable. The increase in urbanisation occurred during the industrialization period which took place in Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. During this period, large masses of people moved from rural areas to urban areas in search of employment in the industries (Pomeroy, 2007). As a general statement, the effects of urbanisation are diverse. Therefore, sustainability of urbanisation can be established through a comprehensive of the main effects. This paper will discuss the social, economic and political impacts of urbanisation and from the impacts conclude whether urbanisation is sustainable or unsustainable.