The world's major urban areas are distributed globally but are increasingly concentrated in developing countries. Over the last 50 years, there has been a rise in the number of million-person cities due to global urbanization processes like industrialization and economic shifts. Urban development has historically progressed from pre-industrial administrative centers to rapid growth during industrialization to suburbanization with improved transportation and recent post-industrial and automobile-centered development. Current urban trends include population losses in some cities, very rapid growth in African cities, and modest expansion in others.

1. Describe the location of the world’s major urban areas Describe the distribution of the world’s major urban areas Explain the changing location of these urban areas Provide explanations for the change in their distribution

2. What to learn… Maps: Statistical tables Changing world distribution of large cities over the last 50 years Appearance of ‘million’ cities in ELDCs Development of an ‘urban’ world Causes of global urbanisation: fundamental shift in world economy as a result

3. Explain the processes behind urban development. Can do this chronologically: Pre-Industrial: administration, military control, markets Industrialisation: rapid urbanisation in 19 th Century 20 th Century: Suburbanisation due to improvements in transport

4. Emergence of post-industrial cities (LA / Vegas) Last part of 20 th Century: change in economy and the rise of the automobile In some ELDCs, there is urbanisation without industrialisation (not just people moving in for jobs) Describe and explain variations in growth rates today.

5. Current trends (3) Cities losing population (UK conurbations & NW USA) Cities experiencing very rapid growth rate (sub-Saharan Africa) Modestly expanding cities: Sunbelt USA or Mediterranean