London Urbanisation

London was first built by the Romans around 50 AD. Of course, then it wasn’t the major metropolitan city it is now -- that took time! London has gone through many changes, depending on the social, political, and economic systems in place throughout its long history. Much of the Roman infrastructure is, unfortunately, gone now, with only underground archaeological sites as proof of its roots. However, London is now a major city and deserves a closer look at its urban history and the kinds of challenges it faces.

London Urbanisation Case Study and City Profile

London is the wealthiest and largest city in the UK. London's city profile, an overall picture of what's going on in a city, is best described as the economic, education, and media centre of not only the UK but the world. London now has over 9.5 million residents, with predictions to keep growing. It could soon become a megacity (a city with a population of 10 million)! Let's take a deeper dive into London's urbanisation as a case study.

London is recognised as a world city. It is considered one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world! There are also many opportunities London has to offer in terms of social, economic, and environmental. London has some of the world's top universities and over half of Londoners have a university degree. London is also a world financial centre, hosting many financial headquarters'. It has many recreational and cultural opportunities, with numerous museums, cinemas, and restaurants.

All of these amenities have also led to more urban space, (e.g. building roads, buildings). We will discuss how London became so urbanised and the kinds of issues and challenges it's facing as a result.

Fig. 1 - River Thames in London, UK

London Urbanisation History and Statistics

In this section, we’ll take a look at London’s urbanisation history and demographics. Much of London’s urban history is directly linked with social, political, and economic changes which occurred. It may seem complex but we’ll keep it simple!

History of London

London was not always called London. The first recorded name under the Romans as Londinium, the capital of Roman Britain. With just a few structures along the River Thames, it was already the beginning of a hub for trade and commerce (buying and selling). Although the Romans later abandoned it, there were many historical invasions and population changes. Most notably, the Viking invasions in late 800 AD brought a major round of repopulation to London.

Fig. 2 - Roman Building Remains in London

London experienced many changes in infrastructure and population. This was due to fires, plagues, and famines. Plagues and famines controlled population growth, never exceeding more than half a million inhabitants. Until better building material and medicine was introduced, London maintained a steady size and population.

That was until the 1800s when rapid migration into London and rising fertility brought the population count to one million. By the 1900s, just a century later, the population had reached 8 million. This was mainly due to London’s strategic location and industrialisation which attracted young people from all over the world. This pattern remains true to this day.

London Urbanisation Statistics

London is still rapidly growing, both in terms of size and population. There are a few important London urbanisation statistics that explain why. There are three main influences for the population changes in London. First, internal migration within the UK has trended lower for years. Some people move out of London but remain in the UK. This can be due to many reasons, including lower living costs in other regions.

Second, international migration has remained very high. The historical trend of attracting young foreign immigrants is still true to this day. And third, natural increase has been positive, meaning there are more births than deaths, causing the population to continue naturally growing.

London Urbanisation rate

An important urbanisation statistic for London is its urbanisation rate. London's urbanisation rate is quite low (around 1% a year) but that's because most of the urbanisation occurred between 1800 and the 1940s. Much of the urban population was established during this time as industrialisation attracted many migrants into the city. Since then, the urbanisation rate has tapered off primarily due to World War 2, which decreased most European urban populations. London is still growing, however, with projections to become a megacity by 2050.

Although London is a very culturally diverse and attractive city, it still faces many unique urbanisation problems due to historic and present-day urbanisation. Issues of urban inequality, affordable housing, urban sprawl, and urban pollution come up for many residents. See the explanation on Urban issues and challenges to learn more about these issues for other cities.

Fig. 4 - Economic inequality can lead to social conflicts such as segregation

Urban Inequality and Affordable Housing

London is highly unequal. While some of the wealthiest people in the world live in London, almost a third of Londoners live in poverty. This means there's unequal access to education, health, and housing. Schools in the poorest areas of London usually score much lower on their GCSEs compared to students in wealthier areas. Residents in wealthier regions also tend to live longer than residents in poorer areas.

Affordable housing is also another huge problem. Purchase and rental prices in London are some of the highest in the UK and the world, and they just keep rising! A lack of affordable housing means people must pay more of their income for housing. This means less money for other needs and services which contribute to further urban inequality.

Urban Sprawl and Urban Pollution

Due to a lack of affordable housing within central London, many residents move out to the suburbs where housing can be cheaper. This kind of housing is built on brownfield and greenfield sites. These sites are regular targets for development. Greenbelts, open land made of forest, farmland, or other recreationally green areas are protected by law and cannot be built on. However, the environmental effects of building on greenfield sites are also debated.

This kind of development away from the urban core is considered urban sprawl. Urban sprawl can lead to more air pollution (e.g. particulate matter, CO₂) as more congestion and longer commutes occur. Urban sprawl can also lead to urban degeneration and dereliction. Urban degeneration is when a part of a city loses value and productivity, leading to dereliction, the abandonment and the decay of buildings. These are significant issues for cities as they also lead to greater waste and inequality for some districts over others.