Degradation of the Environments and Pollution - Essay Example

?Running head: Analysis of the reasons that support the massive urban expansion in developing cities in the Third World Urban expansion in developing cities in the Third World Urbanization can be described as the process by which small centres evolve to become towns and large cities. These cities serve different functions apart from basically having the same basic structures and provisions. Cities can serve main purposes such as administrative, economical, transit or technological. It is estimated that over 85% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by the year 2050. This rapid rural-urban migration will mostly take place in developing countries (UN 2-20, 2004). People will be moving from the rural to urban areas for several different reasons, top of which will be looking for employment and better lives. Most of the countries that even today experience massive urbanization are found in the developing countries of the third world, especially in Africa, South America and Asia. North America, Europe and Australia also experience urbanization, but to a much lower extent than the developing world. This is because most of these countries’ urbanization started centuries ago with the age of industrialization and by now they are at a flood phase in urbanization where they have stabilized, and urbanization for them is mostly about upgrading current infrastructure to modern states. Furthermore, urbanization is also driven by the increase in population, and developing countries do not have high rates of population growth. One of the cities in Africa experiencing massive urbanization is Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Kenya is a country in East Africa. With a population of over 3 million people, the city has been considered the most urbanized in East Africa. Nairobi is in a centrally geographical place, with easy access to several airports and sea ports in the eastern Africa region (Llc Books 5-27, 2010). Furthermore, it is the most convenient route from the sea to transport goods from Kenya’s sea ports to landlocked countries, like the Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. The fact that Kenya is a democratic country means that capitalism thrives in the city, allowing for the free movement of goods and services. Nairobi also boasts of amenities such as roads, schools, a city council that is in charge of various services, international and local 5-star hotels among others. Nairobi is also the only city in the world with a national park within the city, called the Nairobi National Park. Tourism is one of the biggest foreign exchange earners in Kenya, and Nairobi being centrally placed in the country offers easy access to some of the world’s best national parks and wild reserves, including the Maasai Mara, famous for one of the wonders of the world - the annual movement of millions of wildebeest across the Mara River on to Tanzania. Kenya’s coast is also a tourist attraction with its tropical feel and white sandy beaches only found along the coast of East Africa. Nairobi has also had success in being a business destination. Apart from the various investment opportunities available in the city, the hotels in the city also offer ideal locations for conferences and other business events. Easy access to airports also helps businesses. Nairobi was founded in 1907 and was initially an administrative centre, especially for the British colonialists (Morton 2-45, 1948.). Kenya gained independence in 1963. Over the years, the city has experienced massive expansion to its current population. An increase in human population is one of the reasons for this massive urbanization. Kenya has one of the highest population growths and this has seen many urban areas expand rapidly. The increase in the number of people educated due to an expansion of education facilities has also led to massive urbanization in Nairobi. The government has offered free primary education, and tertiary education in Universities is subsidized. The emphasis on literacy has seen many people, especially from the rural area, get affordable university education in universities, most of which are in Nairobi. This resulted in these people’s stay in Nairobi, leading to its expansion. The availability of opportunities has also led to expansion of the Nairobi city. Kenyans are generally a very enterprising people and there are various small and medium-sized enterprises that create employment opportunities for young and old people. This has led to an increase in rural-to-urban migration as people seek employment in the city. Agriculture is the backbone of the Kenyan economy and Nairobi offers markets for consumption and export of agricultural produce to various markets in the world including in Europe, America and Asia. The products mostly exported are horticultural products like flowers, fruits, vegetables, nuts and others like tea and coffee, where Kenya is listed as among the best in the world. Nairobi is geographically placed such that it is close to the rich agricultural areas close to Mount Kenya, where most of the agricultural products come from. This proximity and the development of infrastructure like roads make it easy for farmers to transport their goods to Nairobi as a central location, from where they are sent to various destinations in the region, continent and in the world. On the flip side, the factors that have led to an expansion of the city of Nairobi have also been its downfall. The environment has been largely affected through pollution of rivers and the air. Furthermore, Nairobi has one of the biggest slums in Africa, where people live in extreme poverty and little hope (Nairobi City Council, n.d). Another city in Africa that has experienced an increase in urbanization is Lagos in Nigeria, a country in Western Africa. It is the most developed city in the region and its success is largely contributed to the mining of oil, Nigeria being the 8th biggest producer of oil in the world. However, this oil is mostly controlled by foreign oil companies from Europe and North America like the Dutch BP/Shell and Enron of the USA. This means that the city would be much bigger and more developed if most of the revenues from oil remained within the country rather than going to the multinational oil companies. The name Lagos was derived from the fact that it is a city built on several lagoons. It is a port city on the Atlantic ocean. Lagos is the second most populous city in Africa, with a 2006 census placing the population at over 7.9 million people. Lagos has also been placed as the second fastest growing city in Africa and the 7th fastest growing in the world (Nixon5-45, 2002). Lagos was originally used by the Benin Empire in pre-colonial times as a war camp, as well as a warring ground for different warriors throughout its history. Later on, the British colonized Nigeria and declared Lagos the capital city of Nigeria in 1914. After Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Lagos carried on the mantle as the capital city. Former slaves who returned to the city after independence were one of the forces that led to the urbanization of Lagos. With their western education and exposure, these people, known as the creoles, put up structures like roads and buildings and paved the way for the infrastructure of Lagos as it is seen and known today. However, the city lost its status as the capital city with the proposal of the building of another city by the Nigerian federal government in 1991 known as Abuja. However, Lagos still remains a very vibrant and economic city in Africa. Lagos’ urbanization has also been driven by its massive population. Most people living in Lagos engage in economic such as fishing, hawking and employment in the oil industry. The huge population provides both human capital for Lagos’ various industries and the market with finished products from the same industries. As said before, Lagos thrives on oil extracted from off-shore wells in the city. This contributes more revenue to the Lagos State Metropolitan government which is in charge of providing utilities such as water, power and education as well as building and maintaining infrastructures such as roads. Lagos is one of the cities in Africa that has a very extensive highway system which aids in rod transport. Other forms of transport include ferries and suburban trains. Other infrastructures that have helped in the urbanization of Lagos include modern bridges, railway stations, sea ports and airports in the city. Lagos’ geographical location and the fact that it is a port plus its commercial culture have made urbanization expand rapidly. Furthermore, its location has made it the meeting point of three trans-national highways from the western African region, making it accessible through road, sea and air, making it convenient for trade. The Nigerian culture is also a vibrant one, accompanied with a fusion of modern and traditional themes to create a very interesting combination. Nigerian music has had international recognition, for instance through musicians such as Femi Kuti (Olup?na, J. O. K. 4-28, 2008). Nigeria’s film industry is also one of the biggest in Africa, producing several movies and creating Nollywood, which is Nigeria’s equivalent of Hollywood. These aspects of culture have helped Lagos move more and more into urbanization as more young people are attracted to the music and film industry. Nigeria also has some of the most educated and controversial elite. Several world-renowned writers like Chinua Achebe and the late Ken Sarowiwa were among the best writers recognized by international bodies. Several elite writers are still emerging from Nigeria, most of them writing about the evils of oppression in their country, though the younger writing elite tends to address other social issues, rather than political ones (Peil 2-20, 1991.). Lagos’ major whip lash of the rapid urbanization is the increase in corruption and online frauds, which the Nigerians have perfected, scamming millions of dollars off victims, though the use of modern technology. Asia is another continent where developing economies have led to a massive urbanization. Asia is the most populous continent in the world, with China and India accounting for one third of the world’s population. New Delhi is one of the cities in India that has been experiencing rapid urbanization over the last few years. New Delhi is the capital city of India and is the part of the Delhi Metropolis. It is worth noting that Indians are still a very traditional people whose cultures have not been influenced much by the western cultures. Religion is the biggest influence of ways of life in India, and New Delhi is no exception (Viswambhar 248, 2007). New Delhi has been the capital city of India for 100 years, since it was made capital in 1911. New Delhi is considered as one of the fastest growing cities in the world and given a top position as one of the top cities globally. Despite its small size, New Delhi has a population of almost three hundred thousand people occupying close to forty-three square kilometers of land. History plays a very important role in the development of New Delhi as an urban centre. The city boasts of various historical places and artifacts such as museums, ancient gardens and ruins of cities built as early as the 12th century by previous empires. Therefore, tourism has played an important role in the urbanization of New Delhi, attracting thousands of tourists each year to visit these ancient sites, who bring revenue to the city. Some of the attractions include the UNESCO world heritage sites Humayun’s tomb and the Qutub Complex. New Delhi also has over 100 foreign embassies and high commissions (Bappaditya 1-20, 1980). This means that there are a lot of foreign expatriates working in different spheres in New Delhi, bringing in their expertise and skills, further increasing urbanization. This has led to New Delhi being named as the best and most expensive city to live in within India, even to expatriates themselves. New Delhi is located in the Northern part of India, making it easy for the government to administer the rest of the country. After the independence of India was proclaimed in 1947, New Delhi continued to be the capital city of India. Most of New Delhi lies in the flood plain of the Yamuna River, making it susceptible to floods. Due to this, most of the cities residencies and offices are built on higher ground on the eastern part of the city. New Delhi is also vulnerable to earthquakes and placed under a high seismic zone, like most of Asia. New Delhi has had the advantage of being a well planned city. This means that buildings and infrastructure such as major roads, feeder roads, bridges and the railway systems are organized and in very good states, making it easy to move from one end of the city to the next. This has greatly aided urbanization of the city and has greatly influenced foreign governments’ choices for their representatives in India. A significant population in New Delhi depends on private cars to traverse the city because of its convenience and the well-maintained infrastructure. Public transport is also a booming business in New Delhi. Buses, taxis ad rickshaws provide transport for a majority of the population. Rickshaws are particularly famous because they are cheaper, smaller and pollute the environment less. They, therefore, provide a means of earning a source of income for people living in the larger Delhi metropolitan. The railway system in New Delhi connects the city to the rest of India, making it ideal to travel across the country as well as offering affordable transport of goods to the city. New Delhi has a vibrant culture, celebrating various national and religious holidays with lots of pomp, color and fireworks. This helps in holding the fabric of the city together and attracts locals from all over India as well as foreign tourists. New Delhi is also one of the globe’s most economic and financial cities, attracting various investors to the city (Kumar 35-39, February 2009.). This has been encouraged further by an education system that has seen a majority of the population learn and speak English fluently. Other industries also thrive in New Delhi, further helping in urbanization of the city. These include the film industry, information technology, hospitality industry, banking and telecommunications and the media. New Delhi’s per capita income is considered one of the highest among the developing cities of the world. The caste system of the Indian culture, however, tends to be the downfall of New Delhi as wealth hardly ever reaches the people in the lower caste, who remain perennially poor (Hall 198-206, 2002). Urbanization is a trend that is here to stay, mainly due to the technological advances made in the world and an increase in populations, especially in developing countries. Despite the benefits that come along with urbanization, a high price is being paid for this. These include degradation of the environments due to pollution, an increase in the number of animals that are endangered species or extinct die due to an increase in human population, desertion of rural areas and less farming, hence less food for populations among others consequences (Spence M. et al. 25-50, 2009). References Bappaditya R, 1980, Urban expansion in developing cities in the Third World. New Delhi. Delhi; Ananda Bazar Patrika, Ltd. Hall, P., 2002, Cities of Tomorrow. New Jersey; Blackwell Publishing. Kumar, P., February 2009, Assessment of Economic Drivers of Land Use Change in Urban Ecosystems of Delhi, India. AMBIO 38 (1). Pp. 35–39. Llc Books, 2010, Suburbs of Nairobi: Kibera, Korogocho. Westlands. Nairobi; General Llc Books. Morton, H, 1948, Nairobi: master plan for a colonial capital. Nairobi: City council of Nairobi. Nairobi City Council, n.d. "Living in Nairobi". nairobicity.org. Retrieved 31st December 2011. Nixon, P, 2002, Lagos: easy access. Washington; American Women's Club. Olup?na, J. O. K., 2008, Orisa devotion as world religion: the globalization of Yoruba religious culture. UK; University of Wisconsin Press. Peil, M., 1991, Lagos: the city is the people. New York; Belhaven. Spence M. et al., 2009, Urbanization and growth. Washington (D.C.): World Bank UN, 2004, World urbanization prospects: the 2003 revision. New York, NY: UN. Department of economic and social affairs. Viswambhar N., 2007, Delhi Before 1947. Urbanization, urban development, and metropolitan cities in India. India: Concept Publishing Company. Read More