Chapter 13

Population Growth and

Urbanization

Chapter Outline

The Global Context: a World View of

Population Growth and Urbanization
Sociological Theories of Population Growth
and Urbanization
Social Problems Related to Population
Growth and Urbanization

Chapter Outline

Strategies for Action: Responding to

Problems of Population Growth and
Urbanization
Understanding Problems of Population
Growth, Population Decline, and
Urbanization

Doubling Time

The time it takes for a population to double in

size from any base year.
It took several thousand years for the worlds
population to double from 4 million to 8
million.
A few thousand years to double from 8 million
to 16 million.

Doubling Time

About 1,000 years to double from 16 million

to 32 million.
Less than 1,000 years to double to 64 million.
The most recent doubling, from 3 billion in
1960 to 6 billion in 1999, took only about 40
years.

Worlds 10 Largest Countries in

Population

Current Population Trends and

Future Projections

According to the United Nations, the worlds

population is growing at an annual rate of
1.14%, resulting in the addition of 76 million
people per year.
Projections of future population growth
suggest that world population will grow from
6.5 billion in 2005 to 9.1 billion in 2050.

Population Density

The number of people per unit of land area.

The population density of India is 869 people
per square mile, compared with 80 people
per square mile in the United States.

Population Density
Area

Population Density
(People per Square Mile)

World

125

World More-developed
countries

61

Less-developed countries

165

Fertility Rate

Average number of children born to each

woman.
Replacement level fertility
The level required to maintain the
population size.

Population Growth Rates and

Fertility Rates: 2005 and 2050

Question

There should be government intervention in

determining the maximum number of children people
can have.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree

Population Momentum

Continued population growth as a result of

past high fertility rates that have resulted in a
large number of young women who are
currently entering their childbearing years.
Despite the below-replacement fertility rates
in more developed regions, population in
these regions is expected to continue to grow
until about 2030 and then to begin to decline.

Population Trends
1.

2.

The total number of people on this planet is

rising and is expected to continue to increase
over the coming decades.
About 40% of the worlds population lives in
countries in which couples have so few
children that the countries populations are
likely to decline over the coming years.

Question

What do you think is the ideal number of

children for a family to have?
A. 0-1
B. 2
C. 3+

GSS National Data

Education

No High
School
Degree

High School
Degree

College
Education

0-1

5/5

4.7%

4.45

51

57.8

62.2

3+

44

37.5

33.4

Urbanization

Transformation of a society from a rural to an urban

one.
Urban population - Persons living in cities or towns
of 2,500 or more residents.
Urbanized area - One or more places and the
adjacent densely populated surrounding area that
together have a minimum population of 50,000.
Megacities - Cities with 10 million residents or more.

Suburbanization

As more and more people moved to the

suburbs, urban areas surrounding central
cities, the United States underwent
suburbanization.
As city residents left the city to live in the
suburbs, cities experienced
deconcentration, the redistribution of the
population from cities to suburbs and
surrounding areas.

Question

If you could live anywhere in the United

States that you wanted to, would you prefer
a city, suburban area, small town, or farm?
A. City
B. Suburban area
C. Small town
D. Farm

U.S. Metropolitan Growth and

Urban Sprawl

A metropolitan area is a densely populated

core area together with adjacent
communities.
The largest city in each metropolitan area is
designated the central city.

U.S. Metropolitan Growth and

Urban Sprawl

The growth of metropolitan areas is often referred to

as urban sprawlthe ever increasing outward growth
of urban areas.
Urban sprawl results in the loss of green open
spaces, the displacement and endangerment of
wildlife, traffic congestion and noise, and pollution
liabilities.

Structural-Functionalist
Perspective

Focuses on how changes in one aspect of the

social system affect other aspects of society.
The demographic transition theory of
population describes how industrialization
has affected population growth.

Structural-Functionalist
Perspective

The development of urban areas is functional

for societal development.
Urbanization is also dysfunctional, because it
leads to increased rates of anomie as the
bonds between individuals and social groups
become weak.

Demographic Transition Theory

In agricultural societies high fertility rates

offset high mortality and ensure survival of
the population.
As a society becomes industrialized,
improved sanitation, health, and education
lead to a decline in mortality.

Demographic Transition Theory

Increased survival rate of children along with

their declining economic value leads to a
decline in fertility rates.
About 1/3 of the worlds countries have
completed the demographic transitionthe
progression from a population with short lives
and large families to one in which people live
longer and have smaller families.

Conflict Perspective

Emphasizes the role of power, wealth and

profit motive in development of urban areas.
Capitalism contributes to migration of rural
inhabitants to cities.
Individuals and groups with wealth and power
influence decisions that affect urban
populations.

Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective

Focuses on how meanings, labels, and definitions

affect population and environmental problems.
Women in pronatalistic societies learn that control
of fertility is socially unacceptable.
Efforts to redefine cities in positive terms are
reflected in campaigns sponsored by convention and
visitors bureaus.
Distinctive cultures and lifestyles of cities influence
their residents self-concepts, values and behaviors.

Classical Theoretical View

Urban living emphasizes individuality and

detachment from interpersonal relationships.
Primary social bonds weaken in favor of
superficial social bonds.
Social solidarity weakens leading to
loneliness, depression, stress.

Modern Theoretical View

Cities do not interfere with functional and

positive interpersonal relationships.
Kinship and ethnicity help bind people
together.
City is a patchwork quilt of urban villages that
help individuals deal with the pressures of
urban living.

Percentage of Population in
Urban Areas, by Year

Problems Associated with BelowReplacement Fertility

In more than 1/3 of the worlds countries

including China, Japan, and all of Europe
fertility rates have fallen below the 2.1
children replacement level.
Low fertility rates lead to an increasing
proportion of elderly members.

Problems Associated with BelowReplacement Fertility

Low fertility results in fewer workers to

support the pension, social security, and
health care systems for the elderly.
Below-replacement fertility rates raise
concern about a countrys ability to maintain a
productive economy, because there may not
be enough future workers to replace current
workers as they age and retire.

Environmental Problems and

Resource Scarcity

Countries that suffer most from shortages of

water, farmland, and food are countries with
the highest population growth rates.
About 1/3 of the developing worlds
population live in countries with severe water
stress.

Environmental Problems and

Resource Scarcity

The impact that each person makes on the

environment, their environmental footprint,
is determined by their cultures patterns of
consumption.
The environmental footprint of someone in a
high-income country is about 6 times bigger
than that of someone in a low-income
country.

Question

Environmental pollution is one of the top five

social problems in our country today.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree

Urban Housing Problems

Slums are concentrated areas of poor housing and

squalor in heavily populated urban areas.
In the U.S., slums that are occupied primarily by
African Americans are known as ghettos, and those
occupied primarily by Latinos are called barrios.
Nearly one in three city dwellers worldwide live in
slums characterized by overcrowding, little
employment, and poor water, sanitation, and health
care services.

Question

How often do you spend a social evening with

someone who lives in your neighborhood?
Daily/Weekly
Monthly/Yearly
Never

GSS National Data

Income

Low

Middle

High

Daily/Weekly

42.7%

34.8%

28.5%

Monthly/Yearly

25.2

33.6

46.2

Never

32.1

31.7

25.3

Global Insecurity

Rapid population growth is a contributing factor to

global insecurity, including civil unrest, war, and
terrorism.
Developing countries are characterized by a youth
bulgea high proportion of 15- to 29-year-olds
relative to the adult population.
The combination of a youth bulge with other
characteristics of rapidly growing populations, such
as resource scarcity, high unemployment rates,
poverty, and rapid urbanization, sets the stage for
political unrest.

Poor Maternal, Infant, and Child

Health

In developing countries one in four children is born

unwanted, increasing the risk of neglect and abuse.
The more children a woman has, the fewer the
parental resources (parental income and time and
maternal nutrition) and social resources (health care
and education) available to each child.
The adverse health effects of high fertility on women
and children are, in themselves, compelling reasons
for providing women with family planning services.

Transportation and Traffic

Problems

A study of 85 U.S. urban areas found that in 2003

traffic congestion caused 3.7 billion hours of traffic
delay and wasted 2.3 billion gallons of fuel.
The average annual delay per traveler increased
from 16 hours in 1982 to 40 hours in 1993 and 47
hours in 2003.
Many public roads in urban areas are afflicted with
what some call autosclerosis clogged vehicular
arteries that slow rush hour traffic to a crawl or a
stop, even when there are no accidents or
construction crews ahead.

Governments Views on
Population Growth Rate

Reasons for not Walking More

Proposals to Create more

Walkable Communities

Regionalism

Collaboration among central cities and

suburbs that encourages local governments
to share common responsibilities for common
problems.

Strategies for Reducing Urban

Growth in Developing Countries
1.
2.

Promoting agricultural development in rural

areas.
Providing incentives to industries and
businesses to relocate from urban to rural
areas.

Strategies for Reducing Urban

Growth in Developing Countries
3.
4.

Providing incentives to encourage new businesses

in rural areas.
Developing the infrastructure of rural areas,
including transportation systems, clean water
supplies, sanitary waste disposal systems, and
social services.

Annual Expenditures on Luxury Items

Product

Annual Expenditure

Makeup

$18 billion

Pet food in Europe and the

United States

$17 billion

Perfume

$15 billion

Ocean cruises

$14 billion

Ice cream in Europe

$11 billion

Funding Needed For Basic Needs

Social or Economic Goal

Additional Annual
Investment Needed to
Achieve Goal

Reproductive health care for all

women

$12 billion

Elimination of hunger and

malnutrition

$19 billion

Universal literacy

$5 billion

Clean drinking water for all

$10 billion

Immunizing every child

$1.3 billion

Quick Quiz

1. Why do rural dwellers migrate to urban

areas?
A. flee from war
B. to find employment
C. flee from natural disasters
D. all of these choices

Answer: D

Rural dwellers migrate to urban areas to flee

from war, to find employment and flee
from natural disasters.

2. According to structural-functionalists, what

does the expansion of urban areas lead to?
A. increased rates of poverty
B. increased rates of inequality
C. increased rates of anomie
D. increased rates of labeling

Answer C

According to structural-functionalists, the

expansion of urban areas leads increased
rates of anomie.

3. John lost his job when the factory where he

worked moved out of state. Urban
unemployment and poverty are partly the
result of what happened to John. This is an
example of what?
A. gentrification
B. deindustrialization
C. reindustrialization
D. deconcentration

Answer: B

John lost his job when the factory where he

worked moved out of state. Urban
unemployment and poverty are partly the
result of what happened to John. This is an
example deindustrialization.

4. Demographic transition theory refers to:

A. the idea that as urbanization progresses
fertility rates will inevitably decline.
B. the idea that as urbanization progresses
fertility rates will rise necessitating
governmental population control.
C. the idea that as agricultural societies
transform into industrial ones there will be
accompanying rises to fertility.
D. none of these choices.

Answer: A

Demographic transition theory refers to the

idea that as urbanization progresses
fertility rates will inevitably decline.