The book Cities
and Development by Jo Beall and Sean Fox provides ideas and insights into the
key challenges of urban poverty and development in the twenty-first century. The
book begins with defining key terms to allow a clear understanding and insight
into their ideas and theory’s on urbanisations history, its influence on the environment,
the economy and politics. Beall and Fox describe the process of human migration from rural
areas to towns and cities, and how this rapid urbanization means that the rate
at which the migration from rural to urban takes place very quickly and has detrimental
effects on cities. The condition varies from country to country as the number
of cities and rural areas in the countries are different. Emphasis on is also
placed the difference of the conditions in various countries. Conditions are dependent
on the development nature of the country; some countries are developed and continuing
to, others are developing while others are considered least developed.
The history of urbanization is explained, how in developed areas it
can be traced from the industrialization era when the populace migrated from
the rural/ancestral home to towns. The book explains how for the first time in
history more people around the world live in urban areas than in rural ones. Economically
advanced nations are predominately urban, having urbanised rapidly during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Most importantly, in my opinion seeing as I have lived in a metropolis
of a highly developed country, the book particularly highlights the stability
of global environments and how it is under threat, particularly in cities.
Beall, J. and Fox, S. (2009) “Cities and Development”, Book.
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