To What Extent Can the Problems of Urbanization Be Met by a Policy of Sustainable Development - Example

Running Header: To What Extent can the Problems of Urbanization be met by a Policy of Sustainable Development? Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: To What Extent can the Problems of Urbanization be met by a Policy of Sustainable Development? Adams (1999: 137) defines sustainable development as an advancement that covers wants of the present without interfering with the capability of future generation to meet wants. In environmental issues, sustainable development is viewed as the capability of a development or activity to persist in long term without depressing that section of environment that sustains it. The aim of sustainable development is to articulate proposals about how economy and society should be governed (Adams 1999: 138). Urbanization has come to be known as the process whereby a swelling section of the population dwells in cities and the suburbs of cities. From the early days, urbanization is associated with industrialization. Surpluses are improved in both industry and agriculture because of utilization of enormous of energy to enhance industrialization. The major problems presented by urbanization are poverty, increased unemployment, and huge informal sector especially in cities of developing countries. There are other problems such as overcrowding and low quality housing because governments are unable to cope with surging populations. There is huge pressure exerted in health and education facilities due to overcrowding. In developed countries, urbanization present problem on transportation systems because of long journey to work. Traffic jams and congestions are challenges associated with increased trend in ownership of cars (Thisdell 1993: 25). Deficiency of enough quality housing, development of slums and overcrowding are product of urbanization. The topic of sustainable city has attained popularity in many countries. Many huge cities are the major consumers of scarce resources and the main cause to degradation of environment. A pivotal element in creating urban environmental sustainability is the implementation and adoption of appropriate energy policies, because majority of factors of environment are indirectly or directly connected to urban energy use. Policies in renewable energy include a wide range of alternatives starting from wind, thermal, solar energy, activities of waste recycling and power and heat applications. Effective policies of sustainable development are solutions to problems caused urbanization. Lack of space in urban areas has increased challenges facing authority managing huge cities. The influx of people from rural areas to cities has resulted to lack of space in development of other infrastructures. There has been a huge ‘pressure on housing and squatters beginning to settle around the edge of city areas’ (Chaffey 1994: 139). The landless persons present a challenge to the government because it has duty to look for a location to resettle them in an already congested area. Lack of space causes further subdivision of space leading to an even more overcrowding phenomenon. Lack of space has resulted to difficulties in developing necessary amenities and facilities such as hospitals, schools, quality housing, and sanitation. In the end, this trend has seen the overall reduction in quality of lives of many urban dwellers. The problems presented by lack of space in urban areas result to informal settlement: With the establishment of the Chinese People’s Republic…immigration from the north saw the population rising to some 2.2 million in 1950. The steady influx…put intense pressure on housing. Squatter settlement began to appear around the edge of the urban area (Chaffey, 1994: 139). The lack of space has forced the squatters and landless individuals to encroach wetlands near urban areas leading to unsustainable destruction of environment. Newman (1993: 68) asserts that car dependency by urban dwellers is one of the problems that relates to urban transport that has resulted to global pollution and wasteful energy. Car dependency causes less used public transport causing traffic jams and congestions of vehicles in the roads. The physical areas and population combined with land use patterns and trends of demography make planning of transport complex. Majority of urban population commute for a long distance to reach place of work and this creates constrain to urban transport. Ten year ago in Los Angeles, 8.8 million persons owned 6 million motor vehicles. Los Angeles has a network of buses as the only means of public transport with capacity of handling 1.3 million passengers per day (Thisdell 1993: 26). Comparing this with over 11,340 square kilometers, it is evident that public transport has experienced a huge pressure. The possible solutions to the problem relating to lack of urban space are many and vary from short to long-term basis. The initial step to tackle urban space challenge is rural urban migration discouragement that is short-term solution employed by governments since it needs to be revised from time to time. Another major short-term strategy is to elevate conditions in rural areas so that individuals can reduce the desire to migrate to urban areas. Long-term solution of developing satellite of new towns to spread the populations can help to handle challenge of urban space. This can be done through developing high-rise houses in the new areas outside urban areas. Creation of employment and presence of stable government are other feasible short-term solutions to handle this problem. Problem in transport system can be handled through short-time plan via discouragement of use of private cars and instead adopt public mean of transport. Additional, well-developed infrastructures for transport systems are long-lived solutions that can help to handle problems such as traffic jams and air pollution. Problem associated with congestion in transport systems can be solved by use of bicycles instead of private cars. This can be encouraged through investing in bike compatible infrastructure as it has been witnessed in Netherlands (Totaro 2010:4). Bikes for cyclists and personal cars are separated, speeds are reduced, and safety is evaluated at school. The solution of transport system in developing countries can be salvaged by sourcing international financial aids to help in development and repair of infrastructures. In rich cities, the urbanization challenges that have been identified are excessive resources consumptions and increased waste production to the environment (Elliot, 1999). Authorities of Mexico City joined with the PEMEX and national government to agree a strategy that cost 8 billion pounds in an effort to attain positive impact to sustainability of the urban environment (Bilham-Boult, Blades, Hancock, Keeling & Ridout, 1999: 204). In Amsterdam, the traffic jam that brought the city in to its knees everyday has became history because of successful implementation of sustainable development policy. The thirty years pro-bike and strategic spending policies have helped capital of Netherlands to reduce traffic jams, car speeds reduced to 30 km /h and still managed to keep cyclist accident to the lowest. This has also resulted to remove of car parks and replaced with trees. Totaro (2010: 4) indicate that the reduced use of cars has helped in reduction of emission of pollutant gases to the environment. Los Angeles projected to spend US $ 1.45 billion equivalent to US $ 200 million in every kilometer in its Metro project in an effort to ‘reduce traffic jam and down falls of lost productivity and time, cut dependence on imported oil and cut pollution, and eventually succeed in sustainable development’ (Thisdell, 1993, 25). In addition, Hong Kong government embarked on new plans of housing when it was vivid that availability of space in Kowloon Pennsula and the north shore was increasingly being exhausted. The relocation of town was connected with development of efficient transportation system. In conclusion, the pro-bike policy of sustainable development in Amsterdam has effective met urban problems relating to both space and transport. The extent of its effectiveness is confirmed by revealing that the congestion that used to incapacitate the capital of Netherlands is a thing of the past. Although, the policy is based on high usage of bikes, Netherlands is one of the countries registering lowest rate of cyclists’ accidents. The policy has succeeded effectively in creating space after removing car parks and replacing them with trees. Transport infrastructures expansion are the most effective means of solving congestion problems in urban areas and this is why the authority in Los Angeles decided to spend huge amount of money in Metro project. The government of Hong Kong adopted a policy of strategic sustainability in an effort to solve the problem of space in urban areas. The success of this policy was effective such that it was connected to the development of efficient and fast transport system hence solving both problems. Effective policies of sustainable development are solution to problems of urbanization ranging transport, space, and pollution. References Adams, W.M. 1999, ‘Sustainability’, in Introduction Human Geographies, eds. P. Cloke, P. Crang & M, Goodwin, Arnold, London, pp. 125-130. Bilham-Boult, A., Blades, H., Hancock, J., Keeling, W & Ridout, M. 1999, in People, Places and Themes,. Heinemann, Oxford, pp. 202-205; p. 208. Chaffey, J. 1994, ‘The Challenge of Urbanisation’ in Core Geography, eds. M. Naish & S. Warn, Longman, London, pp. 138-146. Elliot, J. A. 1999, An Introduction to Sustainable Development, Routledge, London. Newman, P. 1999, “Transport: Reducing Automobile Dependence’ in The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Cities, ed. D. Satterthwaite, Earthscan Publications, London, pp. 67-92. Thisdell, D. 1993, ‘Can LA Kick the Car Habit?’ New Scientist, vol. 138, (1877)’ pp. 24-29. Totaro, P. 2010, “Taking Turn for Better as Bikes Best Cars’ in Sydney Morning Herald, 18-19, pp. 4 Read More