Abstract
This paper explores the influence of biological mechanisms in overpopulated territories on urban growth and addresses the question how biological factors correlate with economic factors, such as GDP growth, in this process. The article provides an overview of the approaches in regional economics, ethology and demography to this problem. To analyze the influence of biological and economic factors on urbanization, four hypotheses are formulated. To test these hypothesis, methods of regression analysis are applied to the statistical data of the United Nations and the World Bank for 132 countries for 1995, 2005, 2015. The analysis shows that the biological mechanisms of population reduction play a significant role in the least and less developed countries. Per capita GDP growth leads to an increase in the concentration of population in big cities (with the population of 1 million inhabitants or more). The total fertility rate varies significantly in these countries, but as the population starts to grow, fertility begins to fall gradually. In more developed countries with a high per capita GDP level, the share of urban population tends to shrink, while the total fertility rate stabilizes there at the level of ca. 1.0-2.0 births per woman.
Highlights
Urban economics explains the formation of cities and their growth in terms of endogenous and exogenous factors, which include access to public good, scale and localization economies, product differentiation, multiplicative effect of industrial development, and location advantages
Human ethology studies the behaviour of humans as social animals and, it looks the growth of urban population in the light of such problems as the scarcity of natural resources and the overpopulation of our planet
We have formulated the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: There is a direct relationship between the population density and urban growth
Summary
Urban economics explains the formation of cities and their growth in terms of endogenous and exogenous factors, which include access to public good, scale and localization economies, product differentiation, multiplicative effect of industrial development, and location advantages (e.g. proximity to transport nodes). The biological factors affecting urban development largely remain underexplored in modern research literature. The interdisciplinary approach to the problem of urban growth, in particular the one that combines the perspective of human ethology and demography, is interesting and holds much promise. Human ethology studies the behaviour of humans as social animals and, it looks the growth of urban population in the light of such problems as the scarcity of natural resources and the overpopulation of our planet. The biological mechanisms of population decline lead to urbanization, which in a natural way reduces fertility. In their turn, demographers observe lower fertility rates in cities in comparison with less densely populated areas
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
