How did industrialization increase the share of people living in cities?

Industrialization fundamentally transformed society by shifting the concentration of the population from rural areas to cities, turning the city into the central node of an integrated economic system.12

This increase in urban living was driven by several key factors:

• Centralization of Production: Industrialization required centralized sites for manufacturing, distribution, and credit. Innovations such as the steam engine and the efficiency of the factory system necessitated that work be localized near sources of power, such as coal and water.21
• Agricultural Mechanization: As agriculture became increasingly mechanized, fewer laborers were required on farms. This shift, combined with high rural birth rates, pushed many people—particularly the youth—to migrate to cities in search of opportunity and escape.12
• Economic Efficiency: Urban concentration allowed businesses to minimize transport and communication costs while maximizing economies of scale and the benefits of agglomeration.1

Consequently, the relationship between the city and the countryside was reversed; whereas preindustrial cities were often isolated, industrial cities became the dominant centers of political and economic power, effectively integrating the countryside into a city-centered system.2