Rapid Urbanization and the Struggles of the Poor in those Areas - Research Paper Example

Running Head: RAPID URBANIZATION Introduction Urbanization is concentration of population in urban areas. Since 1950s the world has been experiencing rapid urbanization especially in the third world or developing countries. The United Nations (2004) estimates showed that the world urban population grew four times from 0.73billion in 1950 to 2.9billion in 2000 and further projects that the urban dwellers in less developed countries will be twice as many as those in developed countries; 2billion vs. 0.9billion. The rapid urbanization can be attributed to natural increase in population in urban centers, rural-urban migration and reclassification of rural areas (Henderson, 2002). The rural people find urban cities attractive due to availability of job opportunities and other resources hence migrate to urban centers. The concentration of population in urban areas poses a great challenge to urban planners and the government in provision of basic services in developing countries and worsens the problem of urban poverty. This paper is a critique of rapid urbanization and the struggles of the poor in those areas especially in developing countries. Countries Affected by Rapid Growth Rapid urbanization has been prevalent in developing countries since 1950s. The most rapid urbanization is in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean which are referred as developing countries or the south. The most urbanized countries include China, Indonesia, Brazil and India (Jones & Visaria, 1997). Most of these countries with rapid growth are in Asia except Japan which is a developed country. The less developed countries most population lives in rural areas but these are gradually transforming into small urban settlements and cities due to demographic factors. Each country’s urbanization takes different form depending on economic status; for example, Brazil in Latin America is more industrialized and urbanized than the rest hence urbanization is due to natural increase while urbanization in Africa and parts of Asia is as a result of rural-urban migration (Pauchard et al. 2006).The form of government also determines the rate of urbanization in third world countries. Many governments in Africa discourage rural-urban migration hence lowering urbanization unlike the Northern countries. The less developed countries are also characterized by concentration of industries in major cities thereby attracting rural-urban migration and concentration of population in those areas (Hardoy et al. 1992). For example in Brazil, industries are concentrated in three areas; Recife, Salvador and Fortaleza. This in turn results to heavy traffic, environmental pollution, housing problems and low wages as labor is in excess in those cities. They are also faced with the problem of providing basic infrastructure to the population due to limited budget and poor planning. They also have an increasing rate of urban poor. For example in 1990-1993, Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India and Nigeria were experiencing increased population of poor people living in urban areas. On the other hand, in Indonesia the share of poor in urban area declined (Haddad et al. 1999). They are also characterized by lack of boundaries between rural and urban areas leading to encroachments in agricultural lands and low pay for the surrounding population as they are considered rural inhabitants. There is also a wide gap between the rich urban dwellers and poor urban dwellers in terms of provision of social amenities and income. Effects of Rapid Urbanization Rapid urbanization in developing countries has had many positive and negative effects. Urban areas are sources of technological changes and economic growth. There is adequate provision of labor for industries leading to more production and industrial growth hence creation of employment for large number of people. Employment provides income for families to improve standard of living by accessing health facilities and education. There is also development in infrastructure such as roads due to emerging industries hence easier access to facilities. Private services such as health facilities and education institutions are also available for those who can afford hence economic development (National research council, 2003). According to national research council (2003), urbanization has led to improved urban governance to a more democratic, decentralized government. Some cities have large populations and hence it becomes necessary to decentralize resources to local authorities so as to ensure efficient distribution. In countries like Sao Paulo and Brazil have a population in excess of 15million hence complexity in management. There is also transformation of legal institutions to deal with rising crimes in cities. The emergence of social and environmental movements also pressures the governments of less developed countries to transform their leadership and other essential reforms to the advantage of urban and rural dwellers. Another advantage of urbanization is the decline in death rates due to availability and accessibility of health facilities. Life expectancy has increased leading to increase of the aged in society. Availability of productive health and education in urban areas has also led to reduced fertility rates hence improved standards of living (Barba & Rabuco, 1997). They also argue that urbanization has enabled women to gain economic power which is not exercised in rural areas. Women engage in paid employment unlike in rural areas where they engage in unpaid work in agriculture sector and in household work. Women are also involved in decision making hence empowering them. The improvement of women status is a boost to the economy as a whole as they are the backbone of a nation in producing healthy and productive workforce. Urbanization has also created a lot of problems for urban population and the country as a whole. Urbanization in developing countries is haphazard hence problems for the government in provision of basic infrastructure and public services such as; education, health, transport, proper sanitation and security. Henderson (2002) argues that third world countries have underdeveloped institutions and human resources for urban planning and management. This causes traffic jams and accidents and time wastage to the jams. There is increased crime in urban areas due people who don’t find employment and have to sustain themselves thus engaging in crime to earn a living. Security provided is not enough to deal with crimes due to low budgets. Sanitation facilities are also not enough to cater for the population explosion in cities leading to diseases. Health and education facilities also don’t expand with rising population hence cant cater for the large population and most people cant afford to access private services as they are costly. Haphazard urbanization makes it hard to cope with natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. These structures worsen the extent of damage of these disasters. Environmental pollution is prevalent in urban areas especially due to concentration of industries for example in Nairobi, Bissau, Dhaka and Manila leading to air and water pollution. (Hardoy et al. 1992). Lack of sewers, drainage and garbage collection facilities accelerate land and water pollution. Hazardous wastes and toxic substances are dumped in rivers or land sites thereby affecting the health of urban dwellers. Concentration of population in slums enhances disease epidemics and noise pollution. Encroachment of agricultural lands, forests and parks affects biodiversity and results to soil erosion and land degradation. Forests are cleared for settlements and to provide charcoal for urban population leading to deforestation. According to Pauchard et al (2006), a lot of wetlands are destroyed through urbanization such as the case of Chile where 1734 ha were lost between 1975 and 2000. Urbanization is a source of health and nutrition problems (Pauchard et al. 2006). This is due to unavailability of resources to acquire nutritious diet accompanied with destruction of agriculture which is the backbone of the economies. Commercialization of agriculture prevents food crop production hence food insecurity and malnutrition. Life expectancy for elderly people has improved posing problems to the government in terms of provision of health facilities and homes for abandoned elderly people. Urbanization has also reduced open spaces where children can play or carry on with recreation activities. This affects their growth and development. Effects of Urbanization for the Poor Rapid growth in developing countries has many effects on the poor. The poor people live in urban peripheries where access to resources is not adequate. The poor have little income and can’t afford expensive housing in urban areas hence live in slums and shanties exposing them to health risks. There are little or no sanitation services in these areas as well as clean water and garbage collection hence prone to water borne diseases and disease epidemics. These poor people incur huge costs in terms of fares to the centers as they are located far from urban center. They also lack basic amenities and are prone to natural disasters as they stay in temporary structures for example the earthquake in Salvador affected mostly the poor. Disorganized structures and poor drainage makes them prone to flooding (Hardoy et al. 1992). The poor cannot access health facilities and proper food as they earn low incomes hence malnutrition and diseases (Pauchard et al. 2006). They also do not have access to productive health leading to over population and deteriorating living standards. The poor urban people work in risky industries hence endangering their lives and are prone to industrial pollution. Their children have no access to open spaces for playing unlike the rich people who have plenty of space. There is increased child mortality for the poor as they lack access to health and good nutrition as well as air and water pollution. Overcrowded slums make life difficult for them. Conclusion The developing countries have been experiencing rapid urbanization since 1950s. This results from natural increase, rural-urban migration as well as reclassisification of rural areas. Urbanization is associated with industrialization and economic growth. The urban dwellers enjoy the economic benefits of urbanization such as; job opportunities, improved infrastructure, social services such as education and health among other benefits. On the other hand, urbanization results in environmental pollution, malnutrition, increased crime and strain the government budget in provision of basic services. The most affected negatively by urbanization are the urban poor as cost of living increases and income doesn’t increase. Poor and inadequate housing is a common problem for the poor and are prone to natural disasters but they are better than their rural counterparts as they are at better position to access social services and other resources. References Barba, C., Rabuco, L. (1997) “Overview of Ageing, Urbanization, and Nutrition in Developing Countries and the Development of the Reconnaissance Project”. Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Vol 18(3) Haddad, L., Ruel, M., Garrett, J. (1999) “Are Urban Poverty and Undernutrition Growing? Some Newly Assembled Evidence”. FCND Discussion Paper No. 63. Washington D.C: International Food Policy Research Institute. Hardoy, J., Mitlin, D., Satterthwaite, D. (1992) Environmental Problems in Third World Cities. London: Earthscan Publications ltd. Henderson, V. (2002) “Urbanization in Developing Countries’. The World Bank Research Observer, Vol. 17, 1 pp 89-112. Jones, G., Visaria, P. (eds). (1997) Urbanization in Large Developing Countries: China, Indonesia, Brazil, and India. Oxford: Oxford University Press. National Research Council. (2003) Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World. National Academies Press. Pauchard, A., Aguayo, M., Pena, E., Urrutia, R. (2006) “Multiple Effects of Urbanization on the Biodiversity of Developing Countries: The Case of a Fast- growing Metropolitan Area (Concepcion, Chile)”. Biological Conservation, Vol. 127, 3 pp 272-281. United Nations. (2004) World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision. United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Read More