Urbanization refers to the process by which the proportion of a countries population living in cities increases an also to the related economic, social and political changes. A city is usually defined as having more than 10, 00 inhabitants; mega cities have more than 10 million inhabitants. Urbanization occurs as a result of migration but also of smaller settlements growing so that they are reclassified as cities. The growth of cities in developing countries will be much faster than that of developed countries. Rural populations are expected to remain stable overall, though with some variation between regions of the world. Personally I believe that urbanization is not a necessary and desirable aspect of development due to the fact that it results in the opposite effect being ‘crowded cities with slum conditions’, the exact opposite result of what the developing country aimed to achieve and this not being a necessary step towards the process of development.

Modernization theorists, looking back to the model of the Western development, see the growth of cities as an essential part of economic growth. Cities provide a labour force concentrated in one place for factories and businesses. They are also important in promoting cultural change, because they remove people from the countryside, where traditional ways are strongest, and through exposing them to Western values, cultural change should occur. Modernization theorists would therefore expect that urbanization would be an essential part of the process of cultural and economic change due to the fact it is offering a wider range of opportunities for people coming from the developing areas who need a boost to their social, economic and political needs, leading to development.

However, there are several ways in which urbanization in developing countries today is different form the process that the new developed word experienced in the past being that third world cities tend to be bigger and fewer. There is often a principal city, much larger than any other cities in the country, where there will be an international airport and other facilities. Also urbanization has not usually been accompanied by industrialization; city dwellers often making a living from informal sector work rather than being formally employed.

On the other hand, Dependency theorists disagree with this theory, pointing out that colonialism has made it impossible for developing countries to follow in the footsteps of the developing world. Dependency theorists today believe that urbanization is different in developing countries because it is not a response to industrialization. Many cities in developing countries were established or grew dramatically under colonial rule, because they were used as administrative centres and as stating posts in exports of raw materials and cash crops. A two tiered social system grew up, with the colonial administrators and some of their higher ranking native allies enjoying a much higher standard of living and access to goods than the mass of the population. Dependency theorists argue that these characteristics have not changed under neo colonialism, as TNC’s have replaced the colonial powers. This theory believes that cities play a key role in keeping countries underdeveloped by soaking up resources in unproductive ways.

In developing countries, the number of people in cities far exceeds the number of jobs available, leaving many unemployed or underemployed. The poor therefore usually have no access to regular housing, so hey build their own. The areas they live in exist everywhere under different names; shanty towns, barrios etc. they are often on illegally occupied land, and governments generally see them as problems, so that the residents live under constant threat of their homes being demolished. The housing is usually temporary and of low quality. For the people who live there, there are positive solutions to their problems, providing them accommodation they can provide with their low sources of income. A dark side to their shanty towns is the fact that unsurprisingly, access to necessities such as water, sanitation, education, health and other resources is low, again dampening their ways of living.

Therefore in conclusion I do not believe that urbanization is a necessary and desirable aspect in the development process, I agree with the modernization theory when it states that through this process cultural exchange is promoted and more opportunities arise, but on the other hand I agree with the dependency theorist when they state that its only feature is soaking up the resources in unproductive ways, therefore it not being a necessary and desirable aspect in the development process.