1. Introduction
1.1. Traditionally, urban theorists have tended to say that high population density is the key to economic prosperity, and that people tend to move from rural to urban areas as they become wealthier. Some statistics support this. For example, Monaco and Macao are the most densely populated countries in the world, as well as being extremely affluent. However, this is misleading. When we look at the world’s megacities (with over 10 million people), the densest are the poorest. Examples – Dhaka etc – use that table. It is also important to consider the differences between urban centres and peripheries. Some cities have high economic growth and wealthy urban elites, but large slum populations. Indeed, 1 in 3 urban dwellers worldwide lives in a slum.
2. What is affluent and what is population density?
2.1. In order to be able to properly discuss the essay statement: “The greatest density of people are always found in and around affluent places”, we must first be able to define the word "affluent" and the term "population density" and know how to measure them both in terms of cities and countries.
2.2. A common way of defining a country’s affluence is GDP (gross domestic product) per capita. GDP is a monetary measure of all the products and services produced in a country over a specified amount of time (usually one year). If we divide it by the population of the country (per capita), we can compare the GDP of countries with different populations. However, for cities, I decided to measure affluence by median income per capita, because this gives a better indicator of wealth/poverty.
2.3. The population density of a place is a measurement of people living in each unit per area, this essentially means the average number of people in an area. In urban places, like cities, there are high population densities. People who live in areas like these live closer to each other than people who live in rural areas, such as the countryside. Areas like these have low population densities. Population density is calculated by dividing the number of people in a place by the land area of that place and is measured in people/square kilometres.
3. sources
3.1. Written by Rob Smith. “Monaco Is the World's Most Densely Populated Place.” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/these-are-the-world-s-most-densely-populated-places/. “Country Comparison > Population Density.” Population Density - Country Comparison, https://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?v=21000. Dipak Kumar Dash / TNN / Updated: Aug 20, 2013. “By 2017, India's Slum Population Will Rise to 104 Million: India News - Times of India.” The Times of India, TOI, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/By-2017-Indias-slum-population-will-rise-to-104-million/articleshow/21927474.cms. “Countries by Population Density: Countries by Density.” Countries by Population Density | Countries by Density, https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-density. Arcgis.com, https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=ca5a9948bc1c4ea8a7495e9038d679ac. The 200 Largest Cities in the United States by Population 2021, https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities. “Gross Domestic Product.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product. “World's Population Increasingly Urban with More than Half Living in Urban Areas | UN Desa Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/world-urbanization-prospects-2014.html. Demographia World Urban Areas. http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf. Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Urbanization.” Our World in Data, 13 June 2018, https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization. “Archivo:India Population Density Map En.svg.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:India_population_density_map_en.svg. “List of Cities Proper by Population Density.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_proper_by_population_density. Published by M. Szmigiera, and May 28. “Cities with the Highest Population Density 2021.” Statista, 28 May 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1237290/cities-highest-population-density/.
4. Periphery
4.1. The periphery of a city is the outer zone of the urban area, which could also be called the suburbs or hinterland. It tends to be less densely populated than the inner urban area. Peripheral areas can sometimes be considered to be attractive places to live with higher quality of life, and weather people often move out of the denser urban centres. However peripheral areas can sometimes have cheap government housing estates and can therefore also have poorer populations. For example the banlieue in Paris and other French cities.
5. Maps
5.1. United States Population Density Map
5.2. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/India_population_density_map_en.svg
5.3. Map Viewer
6. Core/Main body
6.1. USA (high income country)
6.1.1. In terms of GDP per capita, the USA is ranked worldwide at 9th out of 195 with a GDP per capita of 69,375.375 USD. The USA is one of the most affluent countries in the world. The countries population density is 33.83 per Km2 in 2022. It is ranked worldwide the 176th densest country in the world out of 195. From this information (bearing in mind it is the whole country, not specific places/cities) we can say that the USA is a very affluent country with a very low population density, this information contradicts the essay statement.
6.1.1.1. Boston (high income city)
6.1.1.1.1. Median income per capita:$44,690
6.1.1.1.2. Population density:5,344/square kilometer
6.1.1.1.3. Is one of the highest income cities in the USA. The population density number above is obviously an average of the whole city, but the population density picture of Boston is generally a story of two Bostons: the high density central and northern neighbourhoods, and the low-density southern neighbourhoods. This demonstrates that when looking at the average population density of an area, we must take into account significant variations within this area.
6.1.1.2. Detroit (low income city)
6.1.1.2.1. Median income per capita:$27,838
6.1.1.2.2. Population density:1,778.72/square kilometer
6.1.1.2.3. Detroit, Michigan is the poorest city in the United States of America. It has an unemployment rate of 19.8%, which is by far the highest in the USA and is around 5 times higher than the national unemployment rate. Detroit is a city that was once prosperous but has long been in a period of economic decline. Detroit is often described as sparsely inhabited and marred by abandoned buildings, but its population density ranks 69th among the nearly 300 US cities with more than 100,000 residents. Detroit is an example of a city in population decline, which is linked to its economic decline.
6.2. India (low income country)
6.2.1. In terms of GDP per capita, in the worldwide ranking, India as a country was ranked at 164th out of 195 with a GDP per capita of 2,190.901 USD. This is definitely considered a low income and non-affluent country. The countries population density is 464 per Km2 in 2022. It is ranked worldwide the 27th densest country out of 195. From this information (bearing in mind it is the whole country, not specific places/cities) we can say that India is a dense country with a low GDP, this information also contradicts the essay statement.
6.2.1.1. Mumbai (high income city)
6.2.1.1.1. Median income per capita:$2,600
6.2.1.1.2. Population density:25,357/square kilometer
6.2.1.1.3. Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, it is also the largest in India in terms of not only population, but trade and business as well. The metropolitan area has experienced an explosion in growth over the past 20 years, a common occurrence with metropolitan areas in India. The rapid population growth is attributed to migration from other regions in the country, with migrants seeking business and employment opportunities. The percentage of people living in slums in Mumbai is estimated to be 41.3%, meaning that over 9 million people live in these areas.
6.2.1.2. Kolkata (low income city)
6.2.1.2.1. Median income per capita:$1,472
6.2.1.2.2. Population density:24,760/square kilometer
6.2.1.2.3. Kolkata is one of the poorest metropolitan cities in India. Kolkata is the commercial and educational center of East India and one of the oldest operating ports in the country, these are probably the reasons that its population density is so high.