Urbanization

Urbanization Everywhere, at any given point in time, individuals or groups tend to move from their usual villages and farms located in the countryside, to take up residence in cities. One may be wondering, what is the reason for such movement. Well, all this is summed up in the term Urbanization. According to Norrel London and Mike Senior (2009), Urbanization is “the process by which in increasing proportion of the total population lives in towns.” Susan Mayhew (2009) also defines Urbanization as “the migration of rural populations into towns and cities.” Urbanization is also according to David Waugh (2009) is “the process by which an increasing proportion of the total population, usually that of a country, lives in towns and cities.” Observations and researches have proved that most of the world’s population resides in towns; be it permanent or temporarily. It should also be noted that Urbanization according to Waugh (2009), “began at least as far back as the forth millennium BC.” Therefore, movement to urban areas will continue to happen and notably, it is on the increase. Estimates have suggested that in 1800 only 3 percent of the world’s population were urban settlers, however, recent UN estimates 50 percent in 2008 and it is predicted that the numbers will rise to 60 percent in the year 2025. This action is as a result of a number of reasons; individuals for most of the time do not go to these areas for no reason, there must be a reason for this action. These reasons are classified as Push and Pull Factors. Push Factors are those circumstances that cause people to leave their dwellings to urban areas, while Pull Factors are those attractions within the urban area that cause people to gravitate to these areas. The push factors are circumstances such as scarcity of jobs except in agriculture and most people consider agricultural occupations to be low-paying, laborious, risky and menial. There is also a lack of infrastructures such as proper roads, electricity supplies, and a good and sufficient supply of water. Moreover, educational facilities in these areas tend to be poor; the facilities for health are poor, in addition to the lack of entertainment and recreational facilities. When it comes on to the pull factors, they are the mainly the opposites of the push factors. Pull factors to urban areas includes the availability of white collar jobs, proper infrastructures; road, water, electricity among others, there an availability of social facilities such as health, educational, recreational, postal services and police stations, in addition to a wide variety of entertainment and night life facilities such as clubs. It must be noted however, that some of these factors are located in the rural areas but it is just that some of them are in bad condition or they are not fully developed.
One societal view of urbanization is that urban areas are “greener pastures” where more opportunities present themselves and it is a place where individuals build their lives. However, the phenomenon of urbanization has its consequence’s; it can be said that every action has a reaction, as cities and their suburbs become overcrowded, there is a shortage of housing facilities and development, a rising unemployment level due to the high concentration of population, in addition to traffic congestions because approximately every person owns a vehicle, pressure on educational, recreational and health facilities along with the dreaded rising crime rates. The above mentioned movement can be considered one of an internal nature, however, we should realize that there is also an external part to population movement\ migration- which is a movement of people from one place to another in order to settle. External meaning to leave not from one area within a region or country to another area in that country, but to leave from one country to another. For example leaving Jamaica to reside or work in the U.S.A. External\ International migration is not something just starting today, it has been happening for ages; Africans leaving African to the Caribbean even though it was against their will, the emigration of migrant workers from India, China etc. Amerindians who left Mongolia and found their way into the Americas are true historical evidences of external migration. But what about our own country, Jamaica, it has its factors and therefore, over the years these factors have motivated many Jamaicans to migrate overseas. The factors include lack Employment opportunities, Educational Opportunities, Crime and Violence, In terms of employment opportunities, many Jamaicans have their qualifications be it a diploma, degree or some other credential. However, after graduating from college or university, many persons are not able to get a job. It is either that they are under- qualified or over-qualified for the position to which they are able to occupy. Some persons even find themselves doing jobs in which they are below their qualification. Another thing is that some employers do not wish to employ an individual who is really qualified because of fear that they have to pay more. Therefore, many Jamaicans go to countries to which they can be employed. “In essence, Jamaica is training workers for the global market without serious consideration of ways to retain a significant proportion of critical professional and technical persons.” Not many persons today can afford education. And even though there are institutions that lend money, many do not have the necessary mediums that are needed to transact such loans. Moreover, some are even afraid of owing a big sum of money. Therefore, many persons seek to go abroad; it is either they are sent for by their families or they are on a work program, and when this happens they get a chance to go to school. There are also those who leave because Jamaica does not provide them with a certain level of education needed to be qualified for a number of jobs. There is also the issue of crime and violence. Crime and violence is also a major factor why Jamaicans migrate. A case study done on “Trends in Urban Crime and Violence in Kingston, Jamaica” revealed that “in 2006, Kingston Metropolitan Area had the highest population of all urban areas with an estimated 4760 persons per square mile and a population of 1.1 million residents. The Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) has the lowest poverty rates (10.6%) compared to rural areas estimated at 22%; in some remote areas, these figures are doubled.”
“The greater Kingston Metropolitan Area remains the most criminally active and dangerous area on the island, generally, and witness to specific offences such as murder, assaults, shootings and robberies. Kingston is one of the country’s most populated area perforated with numerous squatter settlements. In recent times, crime in Jamaica and in Kingston specifically can be attributed to a several key factors: lack of employment opportunities, absence of employable skills by job seekers, inadequate housing facilities which leads to persons illegal squatting on lands, gang violence and the illegal drug trade. Most violent crimes occur in inner city communities which are generally characterized by a proliferation of guns, improper infrastructure, inadequate social services and inaccessibility to basic utilities.” This information is enough for anyone to want to leave a country, especially if they really don’t have any other reason to stay. Many are trying to escape, and so parents migrate then taking their children with them in order to obtain a better life. There are instances where parents and other relatives often say that they rather migrate than have their children ending up in a morgue.
Migration on whole can be viewed in two ways with regards to the sending and receiving countries. As I have mentioned before, many migrate for greener pastures and or opportunities, however, many fail to think of the effects that migration has on both countries, as we often seek to benefit ourselves.