Urban Population

Drag and Drop

Populations change because of differences in their ​

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and death rates.  The birth rate is the number of​ babies born per ​

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people in an area in a ​

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The death rate is the number of ​

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who die per thousand in an ​

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in a year.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

birth

year.

people

area

thousand

month

decade

century

village

city

​Answers

Dropdown

1. When the birth rate is higher than the death rate the population ​

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2. When the death rate is higher than the birth rate the population ​

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.

3. When the birth rate is the same as the death rate, the population is ​ ​

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​Lesson Objectives

​

•To be able to define the term megacity

•To be able to plot the locations of these cities using latitude and longitude

•To describe the changes in the location of megacities and predict what will happen in the future.

Open Ended

describe world population growth between 1050 and 1450?

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The world’s population growth graph shows us that sometimes birth rates and death rates were equal, so the population did not grow.  But nowadays, birth rates are much higher than death rates and so the population has been growing rapidly.

Open Ended

What is happening to the world population distribution?

​Urban population growth

​As the world population grows, it is not spread out equally.
The population living in urban (city areas) is growing more quickly than the population of people living in rural areas (countryside)

Mega cities

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A megacity is an urban area that contains more than 10 million residents.  There are currently 33 megacities in the world.  

Open Ended

Make a list of the cities you think could have the largest populations in the world

​Mega cities

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The top five megacities are all located in Asia.  Asia is the continent with the most overall megacities with 19 (or 20 if you count Turkey as part of Asia).  Europe has five megacities (including Istanbul, Turkey).  Africa, North America, and South America each have three megacities.  China is the country with the most megacities with five: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Tianjin.

​Biggest Cities

Shenzen, China - 1964 and 2020

Dubai - 1990 and 2015

Brazil - 1980 and 2017

Open Ended

What is going to happen to the population in megacities in the future?

Growth of megacities

• In 1950 – only three megacities – London, New York and Tokyo

• In 2014 – 28 megacities worldwide:–16 in Asia, 4 in South America, 3 in Africa and Europe and 2 in North America

• By 2030 – estimated there will be 41 megacities world wide

Open Ended

Why are megacities growing so quickly?

​Changes in Natural Increase – cities tend to help to lower death rates as access to imported medical care and technology, better access to food and improved sanitation bring down death rates. This means that birth rate can exceed death rates and populations grow naturally.

​agricultural change and revolution – Many people have moved from rural (countryside) to urban (town or city) areas.  Machines have replaced people working on farms and so people move to cities for different work.

​Ports and trading cities – coastal locations are advantageous as they allowed increased global trade, trade brings investment and creates jobs in an area attracting an influx of migrants.

Open Ended

How might megacities differ between LIC and HICs

Open Ended

What do you think life might be like in some megacities in LICs?

​Housing

As megacities grow quickly, they face big challenges in providing enough homes for everyone. This leads to problems like homelessness, squatting, and slum areas. Slums usually form in the least desirable places, where land is cheap or unused.

Megacities are well known for having slums, which are areas with poor-quality or makeshift housing. These areas cause many problems because they are crowded, unplanned, and difficult to improve.

Basic services like clean water, electricity, and sewage systems are often missing, making them unhealthy places to live. The materials used to build slums can also be unsafe, increasing the risk of fires and collapses.

Multiple Choice

Why do slums form in megacities?

• People enjoy living in crowded areas.

• There is not enough affordable housing.

• Governments want people to live in slums.

• Slums are safer than other parts of the city.

​Clean water and proper sewage systems are essential for keeping people healthy and preventing disease. However, megacities struggle with both due to rapid population growth.

One major issue is that many slum areas lack access to clean, running water. Another challenge is that older sewer systems, often built during colonial times, cannot cope with the huge number of people now living in these cities. These systems also struggle with modern waste materials, leading to blockages and pollution.

​Water and toilets

​Water and toilets

​Water shortages are common in megacities. In 2010, nearly all megacities experienced water scarcity (not having enough water for everyone). Some cities, like Delhi and São Paulo, have suffered from serious droughts in recent years. The percentage of people with access to piped water varies widely:

• Jakarta & Dhaka: Only 10-20% of people have access.

• Cairo & Istanbul: Around 40% have access.

• Rio de Janeiro: About 55% have piped water.

• Manila & Shanghai: These cities are unusual, with 95-100% access.

Ensuring clean water and sanitation in megacities remains a huge challenge for governments and city planners.

Reorder

Put these cities in order from least to most people with piped water.er the following

• Manila & Shanghai (95-100%)

• Rio de Janeiro (55%)

• Cairo & Istanbul (40%)

• Jakarta & Dhaka (10-20%)

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

​Electricity

​Electricity supplies are often inadequate and unreliable in megacities resulting in frequent blackouts and brown outs. Power outages reduce foreign investment and quality of living for residents.  Power theft is also rampant in megacities.  Without electricity for cooking, biomass (such as wood or dung) is often used by the poorest households contributing to low air quality and greater household fire risk

​Question: Explain the impacts of living in an overpopulated megacity

​Watch this clip and make notes about what life is like in the slums.

​Sort the issues into social, environmental or economic

Open Ended

What do you think are the biggest issues faced by people living in the Dharavi slums?

​Lesson Objectives

​

•To be able to define the term megacity

•To be able to plot the locations of these cities using latitude and longitude

•To describe the changes in the location of megacities and predict what will happen in the future.

​Homework