Urbanization

Urbanization could be related to industrialization and urbanization is referred to as a state where a large chunk of the population resides in cities and suburbs. How does it affect the society and the economy as a whole? What are the different challenges of urbanization? We have discussed all this in the following articles so read on and understand the impact of urbanization on the society.

Challenges of UrbanizationUrbanization, with all its advantages, brings with it an equal number of challenges for us to deal with. Are we up to the task of resolving them? Let us find out.

Humans have created urban areas right since the ancient times. Urbanization, as we know it now, began with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, and has only been on the rise ever since. Statistics tell us that half of the world's people already live in urban areas, with that number set to expand in the years to come. Our cities have been luring people for various reasons, the basic one being the hope of a better life. People are drawn to the cities for the comforts they offer, the opportunities they hold, and the sleek lifestyle they promise.

As cities continue to beckon people from all nooks and corners of the globe, a pertinent question remains to be answered - are our cities crumbling under the pressure? Urbanization, or rather, unplanned urbanization has led to the creation of several problems. Cities in developing countries, in particular, are home to the neo-urban dwellers, and are seen to be bearing the maximum brunt of it all. What follows are a few negative consequences of unstructured urbanization.

Rising Levels of Pollution

Cities have been invariably blamed for their contribution to the disturbing levels of pollution. Densely populated areas, coupled with a scant regard for environmental laws add to the woes. The urban population's daily commute costs

the planet hard, with public transport systems failing to deliver, or people simply choosing luxury over sensibility and using private cars, which add to the emission of toxic fumes. Traffic congestion is a perennial problem, with no feasible solution foreseeable in the near future.

Huge cities create enormous amounts of waste, and the urban lifestyle includes creation of waste that is mostly non-biodegradable, thanks to the generous use of plastic wares. This leads to an unprecedented increase in the garbage that stays in our landfills, polluting the soil for years to come.

Population Explosion

Countries experiencing a steady growth in population have their specific problems to

deal with. With this population growth centered in and around the urban areas, the problems are further narrowed. The rapidly increasing number of arrivals to the cities are proving to be unmanageable to the authorities, owing to lack of resources and organizational skills. The rising demand for space pushes the property prices higher, simultaneously paving the way for the creation of slums. Living conditions here take a definite beating due to the absence of basic amenities like safe drinking water, clean toilets, and drainage systems.

High Cost of Living

Living in a city does not come cheap, with people having to pay the added cost of transportation and taxes for regular commodities. It's not too hard to imagine

a time when city dwellers will be asked to pay a tax on the oxygen they breathe. The swelling population makes every commodity pricey, and at the same time, leads to an influx of low-grade substitutes of food products, water, and even medical supplies. Costs of food, transportation, rents, and other necessities are perpetually on the rise, as their demand keeps exceeding the supply.

Economic Disparity

While the cities are a haven for the opportunity seekers, the unfortunate reality is that they are not handed out equally. Cities are the best places to view examples of economic inequality, where the rich keep getting richer, with the poor remaining the way they are. Extreme affluence and acute poverty live right next to each other in the cities, albeit

grudgingly. At some point, this makes way for rebellion. Opportunities, or rather, their limited nature, translates into unemployment. As the population spirals out of control, the disenchantment is bound to increase, resulting in a flare-up of sorts. If there's one thing we fail to understand, it is the fact that every city has its limits, and burdening it will only cause it to burst at the seams.

Increase in Crime Rates

With the undue pressure that we're putting on our cities each day, it is going to be nothing short of a challenge for the governing bodies to manage these sprawling metropolitan areas. Deftly managing densely populated areas is next to impossible, which raises issues regarding civic duties; law and order, in particular. As the city life pulls in all sorts

of people, and allows for all sorts of activities to flourish, criminals, too, find their share of opportunities here. Street crimes go on to become common as the authorities find it tough to patrol cities that are crowded beyond limits. As the safety concerns increase, it is ultimately the citizens who have to bear the consequences.

Urbanization, to be truthful, is an inevitable part of development, and it is our future. But, unless it is strictly governed and conducted in an organized manner, this growth can only spiral out of control and create further problems than solutions.

By Charlie SLast Updated: 10/11/2012What is Urban SprawlWhat is urban sprawl? What are its causes and effects? Read on for the

answers...

People have always desired to live comfortable lives. A life in which they have all the facilities for themselves as well as their families. In their quest for it, people have migrated from their native places to areas where they can find employment. This migration of people from one place to another, usually from villages to cities, is what is termed as urbanization. If you look at history, the

biggest human migration for economic purposes, took place during the industrial revolution. As the emphasis shifted from agriculture to industry, lots of people who were employed in farms in villages, started moving to the industrial centers, in the nineteenth and the twentieth century.

Today, the scenario has not changed much. Due to globalization and other factors, people still continue to migrate and this has resulted in overpopulation in the cities. As the land in the main city area is not enough, at the same time, too expensive, the cities have started "spreading". Rampant immigration has given rise to numerous suburbs, around most of the major cities, all over the world. However, this is not where the things have stopped. Now, there is an added problem of the suburbs spilling

over to the unused lands or villages adjoining the cities, to accommodate the population. This phenomenon is called urban sprawl. Let us try to understand in detail, by looking at its causes and effects.

Causes

A typical feature of an urban sprawl is families who live in their own independent houses, with all the modern facilities and own cars to travel to work in the main city area. This in fact is one of the causes of urban sprawl. The standard of living of the people has increased. Now, they can easily afford a vehicle and thus, can travel long distances to work. However, if you look at the main reason why people opt to live in sprawls, it is the high property and land prices in the city center. And it's not just families who are

preferring suburbs due to this, even commercial establishments and businesses have shifted, for the very same reason i.e. high property costs.

Another important reason behind urban sprawl is the peaceful life that they promise. As the cities have become congested due to unchecked population growth, people are willingly shifting to the less populated sprawls, where they can lead a stress-free life.

If you take a specific case, the government policies in United States of America have not done much to check this phenomenon in the country. In fact, if you look at the figures, a lot more is being spent on developing infrastructure in the suburbs as compared to in the city centers. To know further about urban sprawl, let's look at some of the effects it

has on the cities as well as the society.

Effects

There are both positive as well as negative effects of urban sprawls. Let's start with the problems. The major drawback of urban sprawls is that it has led to environment degradation. Since people in the suburbs travel in cars to the city centers, it raises the levels of air pollution. Secondly, lots of farming land is converted into non-farming land and used for construction. This too affects the environment adversely and raises many environmental issues.

Looking from the individual point of view, people travel long distances and hence, do not have any free time left for themselves or their families. This leads to their isolation, a feeling of loneliness and

mental stress. Their health too deteriorates as there is no time to exercise. There is no sense of belonging to the society and on top of that in some cities, ghettos and slums come up, thus endangering the safety of the inhabitants.

As for the positives, there are people who link urban sprawl and development to one another. According to them, urban sprawls are an indicator of economic growth of a city. As these are typically characterized by huge houses, wide roads, malls, shopping centers, etc. they are ideal places to live a peaceful life, away from the traffic of the city.

This is in short about urban sprawl. As long as innovations, discoveries are made, the cities remain as hubs of employment, urban sprawls, suburbs and

all the related problems, something people as well as cities have to live with!

Urbanization During the Industrial RevolutionUrbanization brought many changes in the social, economic and political lives of the people during the industrial revolution. Read on to know the effects of urbanization and industrialization on the common people of that time.

The industrial revolution in 19th century, which led to the mass production of goods, resulted in decreased costs of these manufactured goods and improved living conditions for the people, due to the affordable consumer goods. When the living conditions of the people began to improve and there was also a huge requirement of people for various jobs at the factories, there started a mass migration of people, from the rural areas to the cities. This mass migration of people to the cities, is what is referred to as urbanization during the industrial revolution. How this urbanization affected the society, let's try to understand.

Harmful to the EnvironmentTo work in factories during the industrial revolution, lots of migrants shifted to the cities. They began to live along with the

natural citizens of the city, leading to lots of air and water pollution, caused by the tremendous rise in population.

Class DivideDuring the industrial revolution, new social classes emerged due to urbanization. The entrepreneurs as well as the business people gained enormous wealth due to industrialization. This led to a class divide, where the workers in the factories became the have-nots and the factory owners, with their huge wealth became the haves.

Low Standard of LivingBecause of the large-scale immigration during industrial revolution, people who had shifted to the cities, found it very difficult to adjust in the depersonalized city environment. Most of the people were used to staying and working on their own

farms, where basic necessities of life, such as water and food, were easily accessible. In the cities, however, due to the unprecedented growth in population, even something as simple as water needs of the people were not met, due to the growing population. Urbanization put a lot of pressure on the economic as well as the governmental systems, which could not handle this rise in population, thus, inconveniencing the people in the process.

Change in Family StructureUrbanization and industrialization caused a lot of changes in the family structures as well. Men began to work in factories and their wages were comparatively higher than those of women. Children were seen as a source of low-cost labor. Due to industrialization, men received the status of a "bread-winner" of the family,

while middle class women were encouraged to stay at home to look after the children.

Catalyst for Socialist RevolutionDue to urbanization, people who followed different cultures and traditions came together to live in the cities. With time, these cultural values which defined these people, became to fade. The people started feeling a need to associate themselves with something they could identify themselves with. It was this need of people working in factories, which was taken advantage of by the trade unions. Due to the industrialization, people were working in low paying, long hours jobs, and their entire being was at the mercy of the factory owners. Impersonalized city environment, combined with this dehumanizing working atmosphere and the well apparent class divide, were all in

a way responsible for the socialist revolutions, all around the world.

Though urbanization during the industrial revolution had many ill effects on the lives of the people who lived or shifted to cities during that period, yet it had many positive outcomes too. It was due to this large-scale immigration of people to the cities that forced the governments to device such policies, that would take care of the people. Governments initiative to take interest in the development works, modernization of the infrastructure opening of schools, providing proper sanitation, health and water facilities, can be all attributed to the-large scale urbanization that took place during the industrial revolution.

Urban Sprawl and DevelopmentMajor cities around the world are facing

one of the biggest human influxes in the history of human civilization. Urban sprawl development is an important feature and a bigger problem for the contemporary city life.

The fringes of urban centers have been eating up neighboring rural land, causing a radical transformation in the management of a metropolitan area or a big industrialized city. Initially, it was considered a healthy sign of

development. Urban sprawl, in simple terms, comprises heavy migration of population, land use, increased transportation along with economic and social development. These sparsely populated areas have become a regular feature of city development across the globe and also a big headache in most of the cases.

The sprawling cities do offer an attractive pattern of development. For example, in America the growth of an urban sprawl was associated with the fulfillment of the 'Great American Dream' where people dreamed of living in single-family homes with all the modern facilities. All this was coupled with an easy access to the vibrant and bustling local city business districts and professional avenues. A thriving population is the biggest contributor to a country's growth. Better

living conditions influenced a large part of the civic life to develop and assimilate the benefits of modern life. But there have been several grave consequences of this trend in human development, especially in current circumstances it is a severe concern for governments all over the world.

The concerns associated with a sprawling urban landscape are detailed as follows.Economic Problems: Modern colonies include a dense living infrastructure. Better housing, schools, hospitals, playgrounds, an improved transport and connectivity and other civic amenities have resulted in government expenditure in billions. Consequently, heavy taxes are paid by the population, which is already reeling under heavy prices.Environmental Issues: The dependence on automobiles for every small task has

degraded the quality of the surroundings in all sprawls causing environmental pollution. Due to spread out societies, there is a frequent need of vehicles for commuting over large distances. Some cities around the world have seen an increase of over 10 times in the number of vehicles plying on their roads in the last 3 to 4 years. Rampant use of automobiles has resulted in severe air pollution leading to grave ailments and decreasing health standards. There is a severe strain on water resources due to wastage, lower ground water levels, leaks, soil erosion, water used for pet care and its requirement in urban activities like those on construction sites has reduced water quality and supply by drastic proportions. Noise pollution is another big nuisance in such sprawls. Automobiles, airplanes and noisy activities, are a characteristic feature of

an urban sprawl, give rise to grave health problems like stress, anxiety, insomnia and so on.Impact on Lifestyle and Society: People living in an urban locality have generic houses, busy schedule, small families and a secluded lifestyle. Therefore the social development has received a setback in most of the countries. Neighborhoods with big porches, schools, religious places and shops just a few blocks away, encouraged social interactions which led to a peaceful, happy and content society. The age-old concept of a feeling of belonging or community welfare have eluded modern sprawling cities. There is less space and time for exercise and healthy living activities, leading to a faster aging and ailing population. In certain places, it has resulted in the creation of slum dwellings, rising discord between different economic classes of

society and increased criminal activities. Choosing urban lifestyle against rural living, is a fading option for many people.Effects on Flora and Fauna: The loss of agricultural land for a rapid growth in infrastructure is the single biggest negative impact of a city expanding on the boundaries. Depletion of cultivable land has affected agricultural production. For instance, in America alone, almost 14 million acres of farmland was converted to non-farming areas between 1992 and 1997. This was a 51% increase in the rate of conversion from the previous decade, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Similarly, forests, wetlands and wild bushes which were an integral part of a region's natural features have almost disappeared and are being replaced by buildings, industrial zones and the ever-increasing urban population. All these factors have made

us susceptible to nature's fury like frequent floods and storms, global warming or a human-wildlife confrontation resulting in losses on both sides.Despite all these concerns, people throughout the world find urban life more productive and enriching. There is still a huge scope for urban sprawl development, especially in the new cities. At this crucial stage of existence, the world must focus on planned and environment-friendly urban development. Our efforts should be directed at an organized and structured setup for our cities with no or minimum impact on the surroundings and strain on our vital resources.

Urban life is a beautiful creation of our quest for a more prosperous society but its growth should always be in harmony

with our ecosystem, so that we can hope for a better future.

Urban Sprawl: Causes and EffectsIncrease in population and changes in income of an average American family, has led to the increase in urban sprawls. Some view it as an opportunity to lead a better life in larger homes, away from the congested city life. However, for some, sprawls are a burden on the economy and environment of the country.

Urbanization refers to migration of population from rural regions to towns and cities. Man has always moved to new places in search of better pastures. Hence, migration is not a new phenomenon. However, recent studies have shown a steep rise in urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th century. This sudden increase in urbanization can be attributed to Industrial Revolution, which provided better economic opportunities in the cities, due to setting up of factories and industries. As the cities and towns reap most of the benefits of innovations in the fields of science and technology, urbanization still continues to take place in them. As a result of this, the cities and its suburbs spill over to the rural areas along their boundaries, and this spread is termed as urban sprawl.

CausesCheaper land and housing costs in the suburbs as compared to urban centers has lured many to settle in these areas.There has been an increase in public spending for the development of infrastructure like roads, water and electricity in the suburbs than in existing urban centers, thus adding benefits to life in sprawls.There has been an increase in commercial lending practices that favor suburban development.Increase in family income of an average American has raised his living standard. Owning a car and paying for gas to transit from suburb to the city is affordable for many Americans.Sprawls are characterized by low density populations and less traffic congestion. Therefore, even in the absence of any

federal policies that would encourage growth of sprawls, these centers have proliferated due to the willingness of a growing number of people to live in sprawls, where they find life more calm and peaceful than in the cities.Higher property and business taxes in the cities have pushed businesses to the suburbs where taxes are generally low.Effects

Sprawls have been criticized for increasing public costs. Some view sprawls as a venue where public money is being spent on redundant infrastructure outside the urban areas at the cost of neglecting the infrastructure in the cities that is either not utilized or underutilized.Populations living in urban sprawls commute to cities in their automobiles. This has resulted in heavier traffic on the roads leading to traffic congestion,

increase in air pollution and automobile related accidents.Increasing dependence on automobiles has led the sprawl population to use their vehicles even for short distances. Such behavior is believed to have led to increase in obesity and hypertension, in the population living in sprawls than those in the cities.Sprawls have triggered concerns over environmental issues. Houses in sprawls are larger than those in urban centers. This is viewed by some, as waste of cultivable land and displacement of wildlife. As large area of land is covered with impervious material, such as concrete, there is lesser percolation of rainwater to reach the groundwater.These are believed to cause disintegration of the social capital of America. Houses in the sprawls are big with large backyards that tend to

separate neighbors. Hence social interactions among neighbors is much less in these regions than the cities.Due to heavy dependence of people residing in sprawls on automobiles, city planners are compelled to spend more money on larger highways and parking spaces. This is considered as an additional burden on the state treasury as this reduces the area of taxable land.Despite widespread anti-sprawl sentiments, urban sprawls have their own benefits. With a considerable portion of the population preferring to live in sprawls, houses have become more affordable in cities. Reduced housing costs in sprawls is believed to have provided minorities and recent immigrants better housing opportunities.

Urban sprawl is the later stage of urbanization and is an inevitable

phenomenon. Just like every other process urban sprawl has its own pros and cons. However, the negative aspects of urban sprawls can be neutralized by monitoring their growth in a planned way, so that they are not a liability either to the society, economy or the environment.