urbanization Fruit New York: Crown Publishing, 1976; Striffler, Steve, and Mark Moberg Banana Wars: Power, Production, and History in the Americas Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2003 Dallace W Unger, Jr urbanization The term urbanization is commonly misused Frequently and mistakenly, urbanization is employed to mean urban growth When used correctly, however, urbanization refers to the increased degree of urban development within a region or a nation, that is, a defined geographical area, while urban growth, when used in its proper form, relates to the rate at which an urban area or urban population increases within a given timeframe relative to its size at the beginning of that time period Furthermore, what makes urbanization different from urban growth is that urbanization has two marked urban features The first characteristic is that urbanization can be used to describe the proportion of a total area or total population in urban situations such as towns and cities Second, the term refers to an increased urban proportion during a given timeframe relative to its size at the start of the defined chronological era Irrespective of geographical location, the impact and effects of urbanization can be extremely troublesome In Britain, for instance, although rapid urban growth and urbanization occurred beginning in the late 1800s and continued into the 1900s, its effects were still being felt in the 20th century To illustrate this point, by as late as 1945 large parts of British cities contained poor-quality housing within which the laboring population resided, often in cramped conditions with few amenities Furthermore, problems such as dirt, disease, and social deprivation can be exacerbated by urbanization, and such were the effects of urbanization that by as early as 1842 the British parliament debated its management due to its already perceived threat to national economic development Consequently, the British embarked on a process of public health and new, privately built housing so as to make living conditions better Importantly, by about 1900, this system had not only incorporated slum clearance but had expanded to such a degree as to include the arranging of the urban form, which in Britain became known as “town planning.” One of the largest influences on the increasing degree of urban development in a given place is industrialization, which has to some extent affected all the world’s continents The process of social and economic change 397 that leads a society to shift from a largely agrarian to an industrial nature began in 1700s England and was closely associated with the development of new technologies and business practices, particularly the application of power-driven machinery within factory units Although it is not necessary to describe in detail the history and evolution of industrialization, it is necessary to emphasize that it has led to many fundamental changes within societies, including: • • • • • • • • • • • The rise of manufactured goods A decline in the significance of the agricultural industrial sector A rise (per capita) in income Increased rates of urban growth Increases in population sizes as a result of changing birth and death rates Changes in social structures and the erosion of preindustrial social hierarchies A growth in the influence of towns and cities over their hinterland, that is, the land that borders an urban settlement The appearance of new lifestyles and attitudes, which may become apparent by influencing the composition of the political system In many countries political systems have been reshaped as a result of urban development Environmental degradation in and around urban places, such the hinterland This can mean the destruction of flora and the death of animals such as fish or woodland creatures due to increased levels of water or air pollution and the clearing of animal habitats to provide new land for urban construction as part of the process of suburbanization Marked levels of growth of preexisting urban problems, such as waterborne disease The erection of often large-sized districts of poorquality, overcrowded housing units in proximity to sources of employment Regardless of the geographical location, a major effect of urbanization is lowering of the environmental quality Even new housing can become subject to environmental degradation, which in time may in turn lead to its becoming a slum With regard to the effects of urbanization, it would be wrong to assume that although the 1900s was a time of much social, cultural, and economic development, the effects of urbanization were less than in prior historic times Indeed, in spite of the actual time when urban problems occur, their nature can still be powerful and