ItemBook Chapter

Urbanisation and Quality of Life: A Comparative Assessment between Developed and Developing Countries

Title
Urbanisation and Quality of Life: A Comparative Assessment between Developed and Developing Countries
Creator
Bhunia, Avishek; Chatterjee, Uday; Gupta, Jyothi; Gupta, Krishnendu
Description
It is widely accepted that rapid and haphazard urbanisation of the planet is the most concrete and finite phenomenon of the changes in global human settlement patterns. Urbanisation, like all human-induced modifications, is a response to socioeconomic, political, or environmental circumstances and is marked by an unprecedented concentration of people in urban areas (Davis and Golden 1954, Oteng-Ababio and Agyemang 2012, Zhang 2016). In general, urbanisation depicts the shift from a rural economy, way of life, and culture to an urban one, often referred to as the proportionate expansion of the urban population. This process occurs during globalisation, as people migrate to urban areas for opportunities and a higher quality of life (Davis 1965, Zhang 2016). While the procedure of urban development in developed nations has been extremely sluggish due to industrial and agrarian revolutions, higher incomes, and high living standards. However, developing nations are experiencing rapid urbanisation due to the expansion of their service sectors, rather than industrialisation (Macbeth and Collinson 2002). Davis and Golden (1954) coined the word over-urbanisation to describe the simultaneous existence of urban misery and rural poverty. Raza and Kundu (1978) argued that urban accumulation and unstable urbanisation lead to population concentration in large cities without increasing their economic foundations (Ray 2017). Worldwide, urbanisation is accelerating quickly, with only 2% of people living in cities in 1800 and 15% in 1900. The 20th century saw significant changes, with urban population growth picking up in the 1950s. By 2008, 3.3 billion people lived in urban areas, marking a historical first. By 2030, it is predicted that more than 6 billion people or 69% of the worlds population will reside in urban areas (UNFPA 2007, UN-Habitat 2008, United Nations 2010, UNDESA 2011, Oteng-Ababio and Ernest 2012, Zhang 2016, https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink xlink:href=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/">https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/). The 2011 Global Report of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme highlights the detrimental effects of urbanisation and climate change on social, economic, and living standards of people and human settlements (UNHABITAT 2011, Yu 2014). Nowadays, a sizable portion of this urban population resides in peri-urban areas, making the management of peri-urbanisation one of the most important concerns in 21st-century sustainable urban development (United Nations 2001, Webster 2002, Dayaratne and Samarawickrama 2003, Webster and Muller 2004, Lin 2006, Aguilar 2008, Watson 2009, Zhao 2013). Prior to 1950, developed countries experienced majority of urbanisation due to industrialisation in Europe and North America in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, this trend continues (Zhang 2016, https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink xlink:href=https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/society/urbanization-in-developed-and-developing-countries-around-the-world/4678">https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/society/urbanization-in-developed-and-developing-countries-around-the-world/4678). Now, urbanisation is causing significant impacts on developing nations, with Asia, Africa, and Latin America predicted to account for 54%, 32.5%, and 6.8% of the global increase in urban population, respectively, with the developing world accounting for 93% of projected urban population growth (Zhang 2016). The largest cities in these nations have instead absorbed the urban growth in the developing world (Diego 2009). According to a 2007 UN survey revealed that 88% of developing countries find urban population distribution unacceptable, and the proportion of nations implementing migration restrictions increased from 44% to 74% (Annez and Buckley 2009, Zhang 2016). 2025 selection and editorial matter, Uday Chatterjee, Avishek Bhunia, Jyothi Gupta and Krishnendu Gupta; individual chapters, the contributors.
Source
Sustainability and Urban Quality of Life: Research, Policy and Practice;pp.3-21
Date
01-01-2025
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Coverage
Bhunia A., Department of Geography, K.D. College of Commerce and General Studies, West Bengal, Midnapore, Paschim Medinipur, India; Chatterjee U., Department of Architecture and Planning, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), West Bengal, Shibpur, India; Gupta J., School of Architecture, Christ (Deemed to be) University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Gupta K., Department of Geography, Vidya Bhavana (Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences), West Bengal, Visva-Bharati, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISBN: 978-104032531-5; 978-103255475-4;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Book chapter

Citation

Bhunia, Avishek; Chatterjee, Uday; Gupta, Jyothi; Gupta, Krishnendu, “Urbanisation and Quality of Life: A Comparative Assessment between Developed and Developing Countries,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 19, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/25235.

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