Urbanization & the population question

Source: Marshall, J. 2005

Urbanization & the population question

• Ink shed (5 mins): If the ecological footprint of average North American is 9.5 hectares, how much space in square kilometers would we need for every person to consume the same?

o Earth’s total population = 6,500,000,000

o 1 hectare = 0.01 km²

o Total surface area of Earth: 510,065,600 km²

o ((9.5*6,500,000,000)*0.01) = 617,500,000 km²

o 617,500,000 km² / 510,065,600 km² = 1.2 Earths!!

Urbanization & the population question

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=footprint_overview

• Ecological footprint: measures the amount of renewable and non-renewable ecologically productive land area required to support the resource demands and absorb the wastes of a given population or specific activities.

http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/truecosteconomics/footprint.html

Urbanization & the population question

www.uwec.edu/geography/Ivogeler/w111/boat.htm

Outline

1. Global patterns of urbanization

2. Differences in urbanization between MDCs and LDCs

3. Urbanization and the population question

4. Urban service provision and urban economies in LDC cities

Urban service provision

• In the MDCs about 6 percent of the urban population live in slum conditions

• In the LDCs about 80 percent of the urban population live in slums (barrios, favelas, ‘spontaneous settlements’).

• Often located on undesirable, or dangerous sites: steep slopes, beside garbage dumps, or along roads and railway lines.

Different Models: India (Mumbai)

• 2001 Census showed 37% of urban households in India lived in one room

• In Mumbai it was 65%, with an average of 5 persons/household

• Only half the dwellings have running water and 26% have no toilet (53% in Mumbai)

• 23% of the urban population lives in squatter settlements and hovels – in Mumbai probably 8 of 12 million inhabitants live in these conditions

Different ModelsHong Kong

‘Boat People’

Different ModelsBrazil

Favela seen from Copacabana Beach, Rio

Rio de Janeiro

Different ModelsAfrica

Kibera, Nairobi 700,000 people)

Different ModelsBeijing

Different models: Beijing

Different models: Beijing

Different models: Shanghai

Different models: Shanghai

Different models: Shanghai