Urban Migration

Causes of Urban Migration

            Recently, a survey agency listed world's most populated cities. Tokyo topped the list, followed by Mumbai and Beijing. If a resident's city happens to figure in that list, it automatically means the he or she has to spend a lot more time in traffic, face crowded market places and inhale noxious air. It might be interesting to know that while these cities have an average population density of 10000 persons per square km, the population densities of their respective countries is one-hundredth. Then,  an obvious question arises: Why so many people choose to live in such crowded places? Moreover, to an academician, the correct understanding of this phenomenon is critical for a prudent solution. This phenomenon is called Urban Migration, where people leave their native places and move to a new location for a better life and livelihood.  Here, the Causes of Urban Migration will be discussed.

            The most intuitive and common reason for migration is lack of employment opportunities in native places. The primary occupation of the world has been agriculture since centuries. However, the capacity of employment in agriculture has been reached because of technological interventions which reduce dependence on manual labour. The rising population has resulted in larger workforce which has to do the same or even lesser quantum of work. This phenomenon is known as disguised unemployment, and it has caused lower per capita income in the family. To ensure proper employment, economies in the world, primarily developing economies, are shifting from agriculture to manufacturing. This directly implies that people who have been working in the fields, now need to shift from rural centers to industrial centers, which are these big Urban Centers.

            Equally important is the common man's opinion of these cities. Various movie directors have captured this village man's fantasy of visiting, at least once, 'the city of dreams'. People often narrate incidences of change of fortunes of those who dared to go to these cities. Most successful business, apart from inherited ones, are run by individuals with humble origins and often put up a strong case for taking a risk. The stories told by those who visited the place evoke the desire to move to that particular place. Since people who stake their property and savings to arrange for such uncertain future, have no place to return and eventually seek shelter in the city, adding to the crowd. Thus, this attitude of individuals also adds to migration.

            In addition, the lack of infrastructure in rural areas is also a key reason for migration. Here, the governments are responsible for differential levels of development, often forcing people to quit their profession and move to a better place. People move to urban centers to seek better education for their children, proper health care facilities, recreation centers, centers for skill development etc.. This is done to ensure better living standards for themselves and a better future for their upcoming generations. Therefore, a key cause of migration is due to dereliction of duty by public authorities.

            Hence, it can be seen that there are three major causes of migration : need for employment, the village man's dream, and lack of infrastructure. All these issues need to resolved to address the issue of Urban Migrations. While the government needs to ensure decentralisation of employment centres, the society must also be educated to be rational while making livelihood choices. Wherever public authorities are not performing, people must mobilise and ensure that such authorities are put to task. Urban Migration is serious challenge which needs to be countered, and it should be dealt keeping all stakeholders' interests in consideration.