Urbanization facts for kids

Percentage of people living in cities, by country, in 2015.

How the world's population has changed between cities and rural areas over time.

Urbanization is a term from geography. It comes from the Latin word urbs, which means city. Urbanization means that more and more people start living in cities, or that the city way of life becomes more common.

This can happen in two main ways:

• Cities grow bigger, with more people moving into them. This is called physical urbanization.
• People living in rural areas (the countryside) start to adopt city behaviors and lifestyles. This is called functional urbanization.

Physical urbanization has been happening for a very long time. In developing countries, this is the main way urbanization happens. In developed countries, functional urbanization is more common. Sometimes, people living in city centers move to areas just outside the city, which are called suburbs. This movement is known as suburbanization.

How Urbanization Affects Our Planet

Environmental scientists study how cities change the world around them. One thing they look at is the "urban heat island" effect. This happens when cities and industrial areas are built, making the area much hotter than the surrounding countryside.

Urbanization can also reduce moisture in the soil. It can also increase the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air.

Good Things About Urbanization for the Environment

Stewart Brand, a writer, suggests that urbanization can actually help the environment in some ways.

• First, when people move to cities, families often have fewer children. This can help prevent overpopulation in the future.
• Second, it can stop harmful farming methods, like slash and burn agriculture. This method involves cutting down and burning forests to clear land for farming, which damages the environment.
• Finally, when more people live close together in cities, less land is needed for homes and activities. This leaves more natural space for plants and animals.

Images for kids

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  Global urbanization map showing the percentage of urbanization and the biggest global population centres per country in 2018, based on UN estimates.

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  Population age comparison between rural Pocahontas County, Iowa and urban Johnson County, Iowa, showing young adults (red) moving to cities in Iowa.

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  A crowded BTS Station during rush hour in Bangkok, Thailand.

See also

In Spanish: Proceso de urbanización para niños