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What’s so special about the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam?

Lake Mead

Both phrases refer to problems resulting from urbanization that occurs too quickly, but different dimensions are stressed.

Pseudo-urbanisation is an example of the accumulation of urban elements by a place without meaningful structural change from rural to urban development. Population growth may be a result of migration or simply an administrative change in the status of rural localities, but employment, industry, infrastructure, and public services will inevitably remain insufficient. Thus, a large part of the population could engage in informal, low-productivity, or rural activities. Consequently, pseudo-urbanization can be defined as urbanization only in terms of population or appearance, but not from the economic or functional perspective.

On the contrary, over-urbanization is connected with the fact that urban population growth is beyond the potential of the urban economy and infrastructure to absorb such growth. Fast migration and natural population growth, as well as concentration of economic activities, lead to strain on housing, employment, transportation, water supply, sanitation, healthcare, and other services. This can result in the emergence of unemployment, slums, overcrowding, traffic jams, pollution, and insufficient vital services. Thus, pseudo-urbanization deals only with the lack of real urban transformation, whereas over-urbanization is about the degree or speed of urban growth.
In other words, one can say that pseudo-urbanization is “urban population without sufficient transformation,” while over-urbanization is defined as “urban population beyond spontaneous and economic capacity of the city.”

Readings:

Pseudo-Urbanisation: The Concept

Great Urbanisation Project of Humanity: A Perspective

Urban Growth and Urbanisation: The Distinction, Concept and Similarities

Over Urbanisation is the situation when the growth of the number of urban inhabitants and expansion of urban areas happens too quickly compared to the growth of the number of work opportunities, development of infrastructure, housing, public services and economic opportunities of the urban area.
In other words:
Over-urbanisation is a situation where the number of people in cities is larger than the level that the existing urban economy and infrastructure can manage.
Main signs of over-urbanisation
Quickly growing urban population – urban population usually rises very sharply, mainly due to rural-urban migration.
Lack of work opportunities – the formal economy is not able to offer jobs to the growing labor force.
Expansion of the informal economy – street trade, casual work and other types of informal activities flourish.
Lack of housing – the cities experience housing shortages that come with the increase in slums and illegitimate settlements.
Increased pressure on infrastructure – water supply, sanitation, transport, electricity, healthcare become overstressed in urban areas.
Unemployment and underemployment – the growth of the population exceeds the capabilities of the economy with regard to the provision of decent jobs.
Environmental problems – the number of pollution, traffic jams, urban waste becomes higher while green spaces diminish.
Urban poverty and inequality – economic opportunities become distributed in an unequal way.

The concept of over-urbanisation is often applied to developing countries in the context of the occurrence of the urban growth without industrialisation. This is connected with the idea of “urbanisation without industrialisation”.
Example
A city can become a place of migration. Cities with the prospect of creating jobs can attract newcomers. If the speed of job creation, housing and infrastructure growth is lower than the population rise of the city, people can end up without jobs or having jobs they consider undesirable and living in inappropriate places.

Readings:

Urban Growth and Urbanisation: The Distinction, Concept and Similarities

Our Cities Hold the Key to Global Sustainability

We Will Have to Make Our Future Cities Both “Resilient” and “Sustainable”


Four Pillars of City Sustainability

Resilience of Cities
Urban Transformation : Ways of Sustainability for Cities Across the World


Tier Classification of Indian Cities and Fast Growing Urban Centres