We explain to you what the rural and urban population, its main characteristics and the problems of cities growth differ.
How are the rural and urban population different?
The rural population is the set of people who live in the field in locations with less than 2000 inhabitants. The urban population is one that lives in locations with more than 2000 inhabitants.
An important difference between life in the countryside and life in the city has to do with access to services. The rural population usually has few means of transport and public services such as drinking water, natural gas or sewers. There are also few means of public transport and most people use their own means such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles and horses.
Another difference is related to transport infrastructure. People living in cities have multiple public means of transport such as groups, taxis, trains and underground, and a wide variety of services such as lighting on public roads, network water, sewers, natural gas and connectivity.
Economic activities are different in the countryside and in the city. Rural spaces are characterized by the predominance of agriculture and livestock, so most people living there have work related to these activities. In urban areas, on the contrary, the industrial, commercial, services and public administration sector predominates, activities that generate most jobs.
The criteria for delimiting urban and rural areas vary. In most Latin America countries, the localities of more than 2000 inhabitants are considered a city. Other countries such as Colombia establish it in 1500, Nicaragua in 1000 and Mexico in 2500. In other cases the criteria is not the amount of population but the supply of services such as electricity, the amount of homes or that the town is national, provincial or municipal capital.
Characteristics of life in the rural area
The life of people living in rural areas is characterized by:
- The density of the population is low, which means that very few people live per square meter.
- The work in the field is usually linked to agriculture and livestock.
- The availability of public services is very small, so many people do not have natural gas, sewers or running water.
- The public transport offer is very small, so people living in rural spaces usually use their own means of transport that can be a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a tractor or a horse.
Characteristics of life in the city
The life of people living in cities is characterized by:
- Population density is high, which means that many people live per square meter.
- Most people live in buildings, especially in the center of cities.
- The cost of homes is high.
- Most people in cities have work related to secondary and tertiary activities such as trade, services, tourism, industry, public administration and construction.
- The wide variety of services (such as transport, educational, health, among others) allows the city inhabitants to have many options available to study, mobilize through the city or to perform medical treatment.
- Material goods are usually more expensive than in the field, so the cost of living of people living in cities is usually higher.
The growth of cities
The change of rural lifestyle to an urban one occurred, significantly, after the industrial revolution (between 1760 and 1850). From those years Large metropolis emerged and around them were concentrated called “suburbs”with a lower population density and a lower availability of services but, due to their proximity to a large city, people could access the services and businesses quickly.
One of the main reasons why many people left the field to settle in cities was the economy. Large cities used to have the greatest job offer, which represented more possibilities of access to education, health and professional development.
Worldwide, during the last century it has been evidenced a decrease in rural population and an increase in urban population.
The percentage of urban population increased from 13 % by 1900 to 56 % today. In some countries that percentage is very high: in Belgium 97.9 % of the population lives in cities and in Uruguay 95.3 %. On the contrary, in other countries the rural population is still very large, as in Burundi, where only 12 % of people live in cities and the rest do so in the countryside.
Consequences of cities growth
The high amount and population density that urban areas have has an impact on a series of problems for its inhabitants. Some of the most significant are:
- Pollution. One of the most important problems in urban areas is air and water pollution, as a consequence of economic activity and the generation of solid and sewage waste. Low air and water quality in urban areas can generate severe health problems in the population.
- Difficulties in mobility. Traffic problems, public transport services of people and parking difficulties are some of the frequent problems in urban areas.
- The high cost of access to housing. The prices of purchase or rental of housing in urban areas are usually high. This makes the formation of precarious urban settlements frequent and that many people live in the streets.
The peri -urban spaces
Periurban spaces are transition zones between urban and ruralwhere urban and agricultural activities are intertwined. They are usually located on the margins of the big cities, in the border with the rural space.
People who live in these spaces usually carry out activities related to the countryside, but also, due to the proximity to the city, there are those who work in activities related to urban spaces.
In addition, the proximity to the city allows people to access the services offered by cities.
References
- Alberto, J. (SF) Urban and peri -urban landscapes. Environment and culture. https://www.artes.unne.edu.ar/
- World Bank (2022) Urban development. https://www.bancomundial.org/
- ECLAC (SF) Definition of urban and rural population used in the censuses of Latin American countries. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.cepal.org/
- Sánchez, J (2018) Environmental problems in the countryside and in the city. https://www.ecologiaverde.com/
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