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Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum of 11 Copyright © 2010-2016 by Oakland Schools September 2, 2016

Unit 3: Migration and Urbanization (Lessons 5-7)

Introduction Have you ever moved to a new place? If you have, there was probably a very strong reason that motivated your family to pack up everything you own and move. Sociologists characterize the reasons people leave a particular location as “push factors”. Push factors propel people away from their current residence. They are the reasons people have for leaving such as war, crime, loss of a job, or a poor school district. When people relocate, however, they have to decide where they will go. Sociologists call the reasons people choose a particular place to settle “pull factors”. Pull factors include such reasons as peace, job opportunities, or an exemplary school district that motivate people to select the particular location of their new home. Early Migration Humans have been migrating, or moving, since their earliest times. Archaeological evidence has placed the earliest humans in East Africa. The map below shows historians’ hypotheses of the earliest migration routes based on available evidence.

What factors may have caused the migration of early humans out of Africa?

Many historians and anthropologists believe that as the population grew,

people experienced shortages of food and land. This led groups of people

to migrate to new places in search of food and more space. In addition,

6

Figure 1 Source: http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era2.php

http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era2.php


Use the link below to see an animation of the land bridge theory:

<http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/parcs/atlas/beringia/lbridge.html>

climate may have played a role. For example, climate change may have

affect food supplies, causing people to migrate in search of food.

The Land Bridge Theory

Historians and others have wondered who the first people to live in the

Americas were and where they came from. To figure this out, historians

work with another type of social scientist called archaeologists.

Archaeologists study ancient cultures through the examination of artifacts,

buildings, and other remaining material evidence. By working together to

investigate who the first Americans were, historians, archaeologists and

anthropologists use the evidence to construct an idea about what probably

happened.

Since we cannot know for sure, social scientists call their ideas theories. A

theory is an idea or a set of ideas based on evidence that explain facts or

events. Theories are ideas that are presented as possibly true based on

the available evidence, but have not been proven to be true.

One theory about how people migrated

to the Americas is called the land

bridge theory. Social scientists believe

that about 12,000 years ago, climate

change resulted in the creation of a

land bridge between Asia and North

America. Using this bridge, people from

Asia migrated into North America

following the large animals that were

their main food source. Evidence has

been uncovered to support the land

bridge theory.

Figure 2 Source: http://chinese-unicorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/image063.jpg

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/parcs/atlas/beringia/lbridge.html


New discoveries and

new technologies are

now causing some

historians to question

the land bridge theory.

Historians have

uncovered new

evidence including

artifacts that date back

further than 12,000

years ago, which may

support the idea of

additional routes to the

Americas. Although

there are disputes

about when and how the first people came to the Americas, there are

certain points upon which social scientists agree:

These original settlers were able to adapt or to fit the environment.

Without wheeled vehicles or riding animals, they were able to spread

across South and North America.

As conditions changed, these early Americans began to hunt smaller

animals and gather food like berries and food plants. They developed

nets and hooks for fishing.

Eventually, they began to farm. This allowed them to live in

more permanent settlements.

As they spread across the Americas, these people developed

hundreds of separate cultures with different languages, types of

shelters, art forms, and traditions. We have come to know these

people as Native Americans.

Remember, these migrations took thousands and thousands of years to

occur. Migrations today are vastly different.

Figure 3: MC3 Project. Graphic Organizer. SS060306.


Global Migration Earlier, we learned that population

growth is related to birth rates and

death rates. However, the movement

of people also plays a role in population

increase or decrease. Migration is the

movement of people to a new area or

country. People who migrate into a

region are called immigrants, but to the

people and places they leave behind,

they are called emigrants. So,

immigrants want to come into a new

place, whereas emigrants want to exit

their current residence.

Thus, immigration is the process of non-native people into a country in

order to settle there. Emigration is the process of leaving one country to

take up permanent or semi-permanent residence. Most people in the world

do not want to emigrate from the country of their birth. However, a person

can be motivated to permanently move to a new country due to push

factors, pull factors, and/or networks. A network includes the people who

have paved the way during the migration process. Family members who

already live in another country, potential employers in the new country, or

even smugglers who are paid to help a person cross a border can provide

a network for newcomers.

One important way that social scientists examine a country’s migration

information is by calculating its net migration. Net migration is the total

effect of immigration and emigration on an area’s population in a given

period. It is calculated by taking the number if immigrants per 1000 and

subtracting out the number of emigrants per 1000. If a country gains more

immigrants than the emigrants it loses, it will have a positive net migration.

However, if more emigrants leave a country than the immigrants who move

in, there will be a negative net migration. A summary of the net effect of

migration on countries around the world can be seen in the map below.



Net migration numbers can vary greatly across the world. If a country is

experiencing a civil war, it might have a high negative net migration as

people flee from violence. When people are forced to leave their country to

escape war, persecution, or because a natural disaster has made their

home uninhabitable, they are called refugees. A neighboring nation

experiencing peace may then have a very high net migration as refugees

flood across the border into their country.

One apparent pattern seen in the map above is the general tendency for

more developed countries to have higher net migrations. Conversely, less

developed countries will often have negative net migrations. This makes

sense because people in less developed countries are often pushed to

emigrate because of economic factors. Also, more-developed countries

often pull immigrants across their borders with pull factors such as job

opportunities.

Migration can be a very divisive issue. Some people feel that migration is a

positive event and that people should not be restricted to their country of

birth. Sometimes, however, people do not welcome migrants. This type of

reaction is seen more commonly in industrialized countries. Immigration

restrictions are often sought to prevent resulting economic, political,

environmental or cultural effects.

2008 Net Migration

Figure 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_migration_rate#mediaviewer/File:Net_migration_rate_world.PNG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_migration_rate#mediaviewer/File:Net_migration_rate_world.PNG


Regardless of how people feel about it,

international migration is at an all-time high

and is likely to continue. As long as some

countries offer better economic

opportunities, there will be people who want

to immigrate to those places. Also,

advances in communication and

transportation have made mobility easier

and more affordable for migrants.

Urbanization

Urbanization is the process by which cities

are created. Urbanization is the movement

of people from rural to urban areas. This

type of movement has been happening on

Earth for a long time. Even in the great

ancient river civilizations, once men learned

to farm and store food, the resulting food

surpluses allowed for specialization. This

spawned the development of new types of

jobs in village-based societies. People moved

to these areas to fill these jobs, and they

became the first “urban” dwellers.

The Industrial Revolution of the

20th century accelerated the rate

of urbanization. During this time

in the United States and in many

European countries, there was a

shift from agricultural-based

economies toward machine-

based manufacturing. Inventions

and technological innovations

created the factory system of

large-scale machine production.

These factories created jobs, and

Figure 6: MC3 Project. Graphic Organizer. SS060305

Figure 7 Source:

http://africasacountry.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/getimage.jpeg

Figure 8 Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30 November 2012

<http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf>.



http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf


To see a visual representation of the world urbanization trend, use the link below:

http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/urbanmap.

people from rural areas moved closer to the factories in the hope of finding

jobs and perhaps better lives.

After the Industrial Revolution, the pace of urbanization on Earth continued

to accelerate, especially in areas of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For

the first time in the history of the world, there are more people living in

urban than in rural areas. Some of these cities are larger than ever

imagined. A megacity is an urban area with more than 10 million residents.

In 1950, there were only two megacities in the entire world, New York and

Tokyo. However, by 2025, demographers predict that there will be 27

megacities. Tokyo, Japan is expected to have more than 36 million

citizens! Such changes taking place over a mere 75 years is sure to make

a long-lasting impact on the world.

Benefits of Urbanization Why are so many people choosing to migrate to cities? Sometimes there

are push factors such as environmental damage, a lack of jobs, or a poor

standard of living that motivate people to leave rural areas. On the other

hand, urban areas may offer opportunities that cause people to want to live

there such as jobs, a higher standard of living, better educational

opportunities, or a greater variety of goods and cultural activities. In

addition, urban areas typically offer a higher life expectancy, lower poverty,

and can provide essential services, like water and electricity, more cheaply

than in rural areas.

Problems with Urbanization

Despite the many advantages of urban life, there are also some problems

that result when so many people live in a concentrated area. These

problems can include traffic congestion, air pollution, safety issues,

excessive garbage, and lack of green space.

http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/urbanmap


Lastly, some cities have run-down areas

where housing and services such as water

and sanitation are inadequate. These

areas are commonly referred to as slums.

Slums are frequently a part of urbanization

especially when it occurs rapidly. Slums

occur in cities all around the world but may

be called by different terms such as

shantytowns or favelas.

Population, Migration, and Urbanization

as Global Issues

Are there global issues related to population, migration, and urbanization?

Remember that global problems are problems that affect the whole of the

earth and potentially all of the people who live on it. Some problems may

be considered global because solving them requires the cooperation of

Figure 9: Problems with urbanization

Figure 10: Slum in Mumbai, India. Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30 November 2012 <http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf>.

Source: World Urbanization Prospects. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 30 November 2012 <http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ppt/CSIS/WUP_2011_CSIS_4.pdf>.





many regions and people in order to solve them. Sometimes, however,

problems affect smaller regions but appear in many different places on

Earth. When localized problems reoccur in many different places on the

planet such as those relating to population, migration and urbanization,

they can be considered global problems. Additionally, many global

problems are often interconnected, or linked together. For example, rapid

urbanization is connected to environmental problems such as air pollution.

When a problem recurs in different locations, it is often helpful to learn from

how others have addressed the problem. Curitiba, Brazil offers solutions to

some of the potential problems created by urbanization such as pollution,

traffic congestion, and the lack of green spaces. The solutions in Curitiba

did not happen overnight. Rather, the people of Curitiba designed a master

plan to address the ill effects of its rapidly growing population. For

example, to combat pollution, Curitiba promotes recycling. In fact, at 70

percent, it has the highest recycling rate in the world. To ease traffic

congestion, city planners

used existing roadways to

create an economical,

comprehensive, and

efficient bus system which

as decreased car traffic by

30 percent over the last 20

years, even though the

population tripled during

this period.

Curitiba also tackled both slum housing and the lack of green spaces in an

innovative way. Many of the city’s poorest citizens lived with no utilities in a

slum area on a flood plain. Heavy winter rains would wash the slum trash

into the city water supply creating a sanitation problem. Curitiba planners

built low-income housing for these people away from the floodplain and

converted the floodplain land into a park. Through careful planning,

Curitiba has become a shining example of innovative urban planning.

Figure 11: A bus in Curitiba. Source: http://www.curitiba-brazil.com/

http://www.curitiba-brazil.com/


To learn more about Curitiba, use the following link: http://vimeo.com/26896483>.

Global Problems Related to Population

There are several global problems related to population, migration and

urbanization:

Rapid population growth in less developed countries

High number of dependents in many countries

Aging populations in more developed countries

Irregular, or illegal, migration

Refugees

Air pollution in cities

Slums

Rapid urbanization

Urban sprawl/lack of green space

Figure 12: Curitiba, Brazil Source: http://www.curitiba-brazil.com/

http://vimeo.com/26896483

http://www.curitiba-brazil.com/


These problems are being addressed in

many different ways by various local,

state, national and international efforts.

In Detroit, Wayne State University’s

Institute of Gerontology is working with

other local agencies to collect

demographic data about the elderly

living in Detroit. This information will be

helpful for planning in the future. In the

United States, for example, the federal

government has an agency that is

charged with protecting human health

and the environment. This agency is

called the Environmental Protection Agency (EPS). The EPA helps set

regulations to protect people from contaminated water, soil and air. Some

of these problems are common in urban areas. The World Bank Institute is

a global connector of knowledge, learning, and innovation for poverty

reduction for places around the world.

Figure 14: MC3 Project. Unit Graphic Organizer. SS0603.


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