Measures of Urbanization
Following are the most important measures of urbanization
Tempo of Urbanization
Tempo of urbanization is the speed of urbanization which shows the rate of change brought about by urbanization. It is calculated on the basis of annual population growth rates. The demographers tried out to find how the urban change had occurred and whether it was linear, geometric or hyperbolic (curve).
Percentage of Population in Urban Areas
This is the simplest and more common measures shown mathematically as
PU = U/P X 100
Where
PU = percentage of urban population.
U = urban population.
P = Total population.
Example
The percentage of urban population in Pakistan, according to 1998 census as calculated as under.
- Total urban population = 42459000.
- Total Population = 130580000
Therefore, the percentage of urban population in Pakistan will be;
Pu = U/P X 100
Pu =
Pu = 32.5%
Ratio of urban Rural Population
Ratio of urban rural population adopted in India. It is calculated as under.
UR = U/R
Where
UR = urban rural ratio.
U = urban population.
R = the rural population.
It indicates the tempo (speed) of urbanization. So, it is useful for historical comparisons.
Size of Locality OR Residence of the Median Inhabitant
This measure follows the principles of median age. It is calculated by the following formula.
M1 = Q1 + (Q1 +1 – Q) 50-PP1 PP 1 + 1 – PP1
Where
M1 = Median inhabitant
PP1 = Cumulative percent of the population for the locality size just 1, under 50 cent.
PP1 + 1 = Cumulative percent of the next locality size.
Q1 = Upper limit of the locality size i.
Q1+1 = upper limit of the next locality size, i+1.