History

It is clear that the course of human history has been marked by a process of accelerated
urbanization. It was not until the Neolithic Period, beginning at roughly 10,000 BCE, that
humans were able to form small permanent settlements. Cities of more than 100,000 did not exist
until the time of Classical antiquity, and even those did not become common until the sustained
population explosion of the last three centuries. In 1800 less than 3 percent of the world’s
population was living in cities of 20,000 or more; this had increased to about one-quarter of the
population by the mid-1960s. By the early 21st century more than half of the world’s population
resided in urban centers.
The little towns of ancient civilizations, both in the Old World and the New, were only possible
because of improvements in agriculture and transportation. As farming became more productive,
it produced a surplus of food. The development of means of transportation, dating from the
invention of the wheel about 3500 BCE, made it possible for the surplus from the countryside to
feed urban populations, a system that continues to the present day.
Despite the small size of these villages, the people in early towns lived quite close together.
Distances could be no greater than an easy walk, and nobody could live out of the range of the
water supply. In addition, because cities were constantly subject to attack, they were quite often
walled, and it was difficult to extend barricades over a large area. Archaeological excavations
have suggested that the population density in the cities of 2000 BCE may have been as much as
128,000 per square mile. By contrast, the present cities of Kolkata and Shanghai, with densities
of more than 70,000 per square mile, are regarded as extremes of overcrowding.
With few exceptions, the elite: aristocrats, government officials, clergy, and the wealthy—lived
in the center of ancient cities, which was usually located near the most important temple. Farther
out were the poor, who were sometimes displaced beyond the city walls altogether.
The greatest city of antiquity was Rome, which at its height in the 3rd century CE covered
almost 4 square miles (10 square km) and had at least 800,000 inhabitants. To provide for this
enormous population, the empire constructed a system of aqueducts that channeled drinking
water from hills as far away as 44 miles (70 km). Inside the city itself, the water was pumped to
individual homes through a remarkable network of conduits and lead pipes, the equal of which
was not seen until the 20th century. As in most early cities, Roman housing was initially built
from dried clay molded about wooden frameworks. As the city grew, it began to include
structures made from mud, brick, concrete, and, eventually, finely carved marble.
This general model of city structure continued until the advent of the Industrial Revolution,
although medieval towns were rarely as large as Rome. In the course of time, commerce became
an increasingly important part of city life and one of the magnets that drew people from the
countryside. With the invention of the mechanical clock, the windmill and water mill, and the
printing press, the interconnection of city inhabitants continued apace. Cities became places
where all classes and types of humanity mingled, creating a heterogeneity that became one of the
most celebrated features of urban life. In 1777 Samuel Johnson cheered this aspect of cities in his
famous apothegm, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all
that life can afford.” At the time, it should be recalled, London had fewer than 100,000 citizens,
and most of its streets were narrow, muddy paths.
The technological explosion that was the Industrial Revolution led to a momentous increase in
the process of urbanization. Larger populations in small areas meant that the new factories could
draw on a big pool of workers and that the larger labor force could be ever more specialized. By
the 19th century there were thousands of industrial workers in Europe, many of them living in
the most miserable conditions. Attracted by the promise of paid work, immigrants from rural
areas flooded into cities, only to find that they were forced to live in crowded, polluted slums
awash with refuse, disease, and rodents. Designed for commerce, the streets of the newer cities
were often arranged in grid patterns that took little account of human needs, such as privacy and
recreation, but did allow these cities to expand indefinitely.
One result of continued economic development and population growth has been the creation of
megalopolises concentrations of urban centers that may extend for scores of miles. Examples of
this phenomenon have appeared in the United States, on the northeastern seaboard and along the
coast of southern California, among other areas. Other megalopolises include the Tokyo–Ōsaka–
Kyōto complex in Japan, the region between London and the Midland cities in Great Britain, and
the Netherlands central Belgium area. See also urban planning.
How does Population Growth Effects Rapid Urbanization?
While people are moving from one place to another place more and more often, the world is
undergoing the biggest wave of urbanization in history. More than half of the world’s population
is living in cities and this is increasing at rate of 1.5 percent. This rapid growth of urbanization
along with population growth is causing the landscape of human settlements some significant
risks on the living conditions, the environment, and development.
There are different impacts of overpopulation due to urbanization which include:

Water and sanitation:

 The total of number of people living in cities without safe water and adequate sanitation has
been increasing because infrastructure improvements have not kept up with rapid urbanization
rates. Thus, city dwellers are at risk of damaging health issues, such as waterborne illnesses like
diarrheal disease, one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of five.

Slums and informal settlements: 

The failure of urban planning and investment in infrastructure in the face of rapid urbanization
and population growth has resulted in the development of slums and informal settlements in
cities across the globe. Residents of slums and informal settlements suffer from poor housing,
inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, overcrowding, and a constant risk of being
removed from their homes. A lack of investments and political will to improve these informal
settlements has created long-term problems for slum dwellers.

Sprawl: 

The phenomenon of urban sprawl, a form of urbanization, can be harmful to both communities
and the environment. With more people moving away from city centers, new construction can
destroy wildlife habitat and introduce invasive plants and animals. Moreover, the dependency on
cars intensifies noise, traffic, air pollution, and reduces the potential for exercise.

Migration:

One of the main factors driving rapid urbanization in emerging economies is rural-urban
migration motivated by social, political, or environmental reasons. This rapid influx of people
into cities can exacerbate the problems of poverty, slum development, and social disruption that
often affect the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Rapid urbanization matched with continuous population growth will put big pressures on
infrastructure, the environment, and the social fabric of cities. How the world meets
the challenge of sustainable development in the face of rapid urbanization will continue to be at
the forefront of public policy.