Urbanisation is the process which has led to an increasing proportion of a country's population living within urban areas. It is impossible to say exactly when the process began, but in Britain it was around the time of the industrial revolution. Many people moved from rural to urban areas in search of regular employment. The MEDC's around the world are all urbanised now, with annual growth rates of urbanisation still increasing, but sustainably. LEDC's however are still rapidly urbanising. In this essay I am going to look at all the factors that cause urbanisation and evaluate why it is occurring.

The economic reasons behind urbanisation are mainly decided by industry. Industry is generally located in urban areas. Any industry needs to be close to other businesses to trade information and goods. Also any industry has a need for a very large workforce, which is provided for by the...