AQA · A-Level · Geography
Course version: 7037 · Version from Sept 2018
Economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes…
Full specification wording
Urbanisation: Economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes associated with urbanisation and urban growth.
Urbanisation and urban growth are driven by interconnected processes.
Checked against the AQA 7037 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 4
- 2 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Urbanisation and urban growth are driven by interconnected processes. Economically, cities attract investment and offer diverse employment, shifting from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors. Socially, urban areas provide better access to education, healthcare, and cultural amenities, drawing migrants. Technologically, advancements in transport and communication, like high-speed rail or broadband, facilitate urban expansion and smart city development. Politically, government policies, such as designating enterprise zones or planning laws, stimulate or control growth. Demographically, rural-to-urban migration and natural increase rapidly expand city sizes, as seen in the rapid growth of megacities like Lagos or Mumbai.
What earns the marks
- Explain how economic pull factors, such as industrial agglomeration and employment opportunities, drive urbanisation.
- Assess the role of demographic processes, specifically natural increase and rural-to-urban migration, in urban growth.
- Evaluate how political decisions, such as infrastructure investment or zoning laws, influence the rate of urban expansion.
- Describe the impact of technological advancements, like improved transport networks, on facilitating urban sprawl and connectivity.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing urbanisation with urban growth.
Put it right: Urbanisation is the increasing proportion of people living in urban areas, whereas urban growth is the absolute increase in physical size or population.
Ignoring political factors; students often focus solely on economic and social drivers, forgetting that government planning policies heavily dictate urban expansion.
Treating demographic processes as just migration.
Put it right: Natural increase is a major driver of urban growth, especially in developing nations, and must be explicitly included.
Exam tips
- Use specific case studies, such as a named megacity, to illustrate the complex interplay of these five processes.
- When evaluating causes of urbanisation, weigh the relative importance of economic pull factors against demographic natural increase.
- Ensure you explicitly distinguish between urbanisation (a proportion) and urban growth (absolute numbers) in your introductions.
Try the lesson
The start of the Urbanisation: Economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes associated with urbanisation and urban growth. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of the following is a primary demographic process driving urban growth in developing countries?
Listen
Urbanisation and urban growth are driven by interconnected processes. Economically, cities attract investment and offer diverse employment, shifting from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors. Socially, urban areas provide better access to education, healthcare, and cultural amenities, drawing migrants. Technologically, advancements in transport and communication, like high-speed rail or broadband, facilitate urban expansion and smart city development. Politically, government policies, such as designating enterprise zones or planning laws, stimulate or control growth. Demographically, rural-to-urban migration and natural increase rapidly expand city sizes, as seen in the rapid growth of megacities like Lagos or Mumbai. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explain how economic pull factors, such as industrial agglomeration and employment opportunities, drive urbanisation. Assess the role of demographic processes, specifically natural increase and rural-to-urban migration, in urban growth. Evaluate how political decisions, such as infrastructure investment or zoning laws, influence the rate of urban expansion. Describe the impact of technological advancements, like improved transport networks, on facilitating urban sprawl and connectivity. Exam tip: Use specific case studies, such as a named megacity, to illustrate the complex interplay of these five processes.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Urbanisation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Urban growth
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Urbanisation
- The increasing proportion of people living in urban areas, associated with economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes.
- Urban growth
- The absolute increase in physical size or population of an urban area, driven by interconnected processes.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
There is more to this lesson
The full lesson goes on to check your understanding and help you earn the marks. Create a free account to carry on, with your progress saved.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge
Test your understanding of Urbanisation: Economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes associated with urbanisation and urban growth.
Active recall beats re-reading. Take an instant quiz now to test what you’ve learned and lock it into long-term memory.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge