Modern Urbanization Is a Force Favoring the Well-Being of People and the Environment - Essay Example

Modern urbanization (the trend for most people to live in urban areas) is a force favoring the well being of people and the environment Modern urbanization is one of the most important processes in the community that can be considered to lift the state of well being and condition of the people as well as the environment, the two essential interacting factors in the establishment and development of a community. Through the history of humanity, existence and livelihood can be defined by the interdependence of the members and inhabitants of the community. Civilizations were built upon the survival of the population on the basis of the resources that can be derived from the environment. Practical applications precede the conceptualization and even the study of the interaction in the society. There are different interactions in a community, as the world develops and become increasingly modern in the addition of different technologies, the complexity of the processes and interaction continuously intensifies. One of the most prevalent pattern and path of development of communities is urbanization. Urbanization Defined Upon the development of communities and civilizations, the concept of urbanization emerged. In the study of the concept of urbanization, there are different impressions that are taken into consideration. These factors include the physical components, the environmental components, the inhabitants and the interaction among these components. With these components the level of development in predominant aspects such as the economic and the technological facets are measured (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995). Urbanization can then be attributed to the development of the community towards economic growth and social sustainability. The concepts of modernization, industrialization, etc. can be correlated to the definition of urbanization. Another aspect of designation of urbanization is the economic income of a community, which can be defined depending on the standards set by the nation. In relation to such notion, urbanization and its classification is limited within national boundaries. The qualitative level of comparison can be undertaken for the international trend of urbanization, but assessment on the basis of level of development or different communities or cities in two different countries requires in-depth study and increased level of vigilance. This can be attributed to the differences in criteria used (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995; Munford 1956). For the purpose of the study, the qualitative characteristics, effects and dynamics of urbanization are the main focus. The main aim is to present the positive effects of urbanization on the population that inhabits the community and the environment as well. Modern urbanization is the concentration of the research that was conducted. This is due to the fact that it is considered as a major force in growth and development of the community and the country as well. The Present State of Urbanization Urbanization is one of the prevalent trends in the development of the society. The most important consideration in the study of the dynamics of urbanization is the effects that can be attributed to the process. Such concern is considered as a controversial area due to the diverging opinions of the public regarding the consequence of the continuing process of urbanization and the related factors that are continuously developing such as modernization and globalization. Although urbanization can be considered as a negative factor based on the outcome that may have occur simultaneously with the rapid process of the development of the community and society, there are also substantial positive effects of the said process. The trend in urbanization can be recognized in an increasing number in the international community. Based on studies regarding the tendency and the pattern of development, almost half the civilizations and community in the world are now described as urban. Specifically, the figure reaches 48% of the population of the world belong to an urban community. The trend continues to rise. An example is the high concentration of the population in Latin America as well as in Europe wherein approximately 3 quarters of the population is in urban areas. The massive process even involves the Asian region within which a high rate of increase in the percentage of the urban composition of the nation is occurring. The rate of increase in urbanization is presented in Figure 1 (World Bank 2005). Figure 1. The rate of increase in the process of urbanization in different regions in 1990 - 2003 Source: (World Bank 2005) Based on the data presented (Figure 1), the developing countries constitute the nations that has the highest rate of urbanization while the developed nations have the lowest rate of development. This is due to the fact that developed economies already achieved the level of urbanization that can maximize the needs for development. On the other hand, the developing countries are still in the process of attaining the urban stage. This is due to the fact that urbanization can bring about different types of changes in the community (Munford 1956). The trend of urbanization can be observed to have an increasing prevalence. In the mid-20th century, one-fifth of the population in the developing nations is in urban areas. Five years after the end of the century, almost half of the population. Based on the projected studies, by the mid-21st century more than half of the population is in urban communities. This shows a constant rise in the state of urbanization (World Bank 2005). Many criticisms are being encountered by the process of urbanization. It is important to consider that the increasing percentage of urban communities can prove the notion that urbanization is one of the necessities for development and thus have positive effect on the members of the population as well as the environment. The Effects of Urbanization The effects that can be attributed to the rise of urbanization are considered essential to the development of the people. This is due to the increased knowledge on different innovative concepts that can solve the challenges of the world. It is a fact that the world, the physical and the environmental surroundings are continuously evolving. To be able to survive, the people needs to adapt to the changes in the surroundings. In this note, urbanization is one of the processes that serve as a weapon for survival of the civilization. Thus, urbanization can also be considered as one of the measures of prowess of a country. This is one the reason for the inverse relationship of the growth of urbanization to the level of success of an economy. Developed countries have highly urbanized communities in terms of knowledge and technology, thus, can better cope with the changes in the environment. This will result to less need for the urbanization process because these communities are already successful (World Bank 2005). A. Positive Impacts of Urbanization Urbanization is an important dynamics in the community, with great impact on the developments of the different aspects. The trend of the international community towards increasing urbanization can be attributed to the advantages of the said trend in the society based on different aspects. In the study of the positive effects of urbanization, it is important to consider the developing economy. This is due to the fact that urbanization process is in its most active state for the said communities and nations, as presented (Figure 2) (World Bank 2005). The focus on the developing economy is important due to the fact that application of the process is applicable in the state of development. Figure 2. The urban population. Source: (World Bank 2005) The force of urbanization has different important effects. These are the commencement of the process of modernization and industrialization. These factors can be considered as the main reasons for the continuous development of the nations of the world. Other effects that can be considered important are the different areas of development. These include: 1. Increased Commercial Agriculture and Development of the Modern Food Industry One of the most important effects of urbanization is the advancement of the commercial agriculture. This is in relation to the increasing trade industries. Due to the fact that agricultural lands are not enough to sustain the needs of the increasing population of the urban areas and also due to the reclamation of lands, commercial sources of food supply is required. This will enable the agricultural communities to have efficient production (Heilig 1999; Thompson 1927). The said process of food production can be considered as specialized agriculture. In relation to the provision of a specialized process of cultivating crops as well as food production industry urbanization encourage advancement in the processes related to the production of food to be able to answer the increasing needs of the population. Also, in the development of the commercial food industry, the abuse of natural sources can be prevented for basic needs and necessities of the community. The possibility of efficient production increases with the process of urbanization due to the establishment of the effective and utilizable techniques in crop production. Also machineries are made available for advanced manufacturing of food supplies (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995) 2. Access to Facilities In relation to the needs of the population, the different aspects in the growth and development of individuals are important focus in the development and survival of the society. These include aspects such as education, medical and healthcare and other modern resources (World Bank 2005). In terms of education, the facilities are found in the urban areas wherein the state of modernization and access to such resources can be made available. Based on different studies, the level of education is higher in rural areas rather than the urban communities. This is related to the availability of the facilities. This state is due to the fact that the technology and resources are often centered in the urban areas. Supports from different sectors can be achieved by the people of the urban areas due to centralized development (Thompson 1927; World Bank 2005). With regards to the medical attention and healthcare facilities, the development and existence of such resources can also be found in the urban areas. This can mainly be related to the fact that the needs of the population can be addressed in this manner. One factor is the presence of modern facilities in the urban communities. Another is the fact that there is an increasing percentage in the population that are presently inhabiting the cities and the urban areas, thus, attention is given to such areas (Duchin et al 1994; World Bank 2005). Other facilities that are product of both urbanization and modernization such as telecommunication facilities and other products related to the automation of process can also be presented as important facilities that can accessed in urban communities. These were also developed in relation to the process (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995; Munford 1956). 3. Economic Growth Economic growth is one of the most important outcomes in the urbanization process. This is due to the development of the different aspect of the society. The availability and the application of modern and advance technologies enable competitiveness in the trade and industries. This ultimately results to the growth of the economy (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995; Duchin et al 1994). Thus, this can be considered as the main reason for the trend as well as the goal of the population towards urbanization and modernization, inevitably leading to sustainability. The data presented are some of the positive effects that can be attributed to the process of urbanization. But as related to the fact that it can be compared to other dynamics in the society, there are certain events that can be viewed as the negative effects of urbanization. B. The Groups that Opposes Urbanization Although the process of urbanization is one of the important trends in the development of the present human civilization, there are contradictions on the continuous process. Based on the advocacy of the opposing groups, urbanization has negative and drastic effects on the society, specifically the environment. One of the perceived effects is the overuse of the resources in the environment due to the fact that the present trend in urbanization can be considered as centralized. This means that cities became the usual site of urbanization, thus, the modernization, availability in facilities and the presence of the modern technology decreases from the center of the city towards the rural areas (Clark 1998). The access to the needed technology and the availability of the needs of the people attracts the members of the population to reside in the city. This causes the expansion of the urban communities causing reclamation of the surrounding areas. There are two effects perceived in the movement of the population towards the urban community. One effect is related to the population, a very high number of people in a certain land are can exceed the carrying capacity of the environment and simultaneously increases the demands for the basis needs of the population (De Vries, Hayami and Van Der Woode 1995; Munford 1956). This causes intensification of the poverty in the urban areas. Another effect presented by the groups that opposes the process of urbanization is the increased amount of pollutants due to the intensification of the production process to meet the needs of the people. Also, the processes incorporated in the modernization and industrialization of the urban areas was deemed to have detrimental effects to the environment (World Bank 2005). The factors presented are considered to be the main reasons for the contradictions of certain groups in the society regarding urbanization. These factors are considered case-specific. Urbanization is the main trend and the state that is achieved by the community in the process of development. In this effect, it is a fallacy to state that urbanization is the main reason for the detrimental effects occurring simultaneously with the development of a community, society and nation. Urbanization is one of the forces that cause changes and alternative development in the society and in the community but its important to consider that improvement in the existence of the civilizations can be attributed to the dynamics related to the concept. The lack of the guiding policies can be considered as one of the factors that can lead to the negative effects that occur in the process of urbanization (World Bank 2005). Establishment and application of clear-cut policies is an important tool in attaining the optimum effects of the process of urbanization. Optimum Beneficial Effects of Urbanization Based on the presented notions, it is important to consider the fact that as other technologies, the trend in urbanization is a force that has both the positive and the negative effects. There are members of the population that contradicts the effects of urbanization due to the detrimental effects that can be attributed to process. The most important weapon in the prevention of the negative effects of the process of urbanization is the application of well defined policies. These policies include the fields of development such as infrastructure, technologies, industries and the population. These will enable the maximum utilization of the process while preventing detrimental effects. One of the most important changes to be able to prevent the detrimental effects of the process under study is the centralization of urbanization resulting to the unequal development (Clark 1998). Upon the attainment of such level of urbanization, the optimum beneficial effects can be achieved. References Assetto, Valerie J. and Dimitris Stevis, eds. The International Policy Economy of the Environment: Critical Perspectives. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2001. Clark, David. "Interdependent Urbanization in an Urban World: A Historical Overview." The Geographical Journal 164.1 (1998): 85. De Vries, Jan, Akira Hayami and A. M. Van Der Woode, eds. Urbanization in History: A Process of Dynamic Interactions. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. Duchin, Faye, Annemarth Idenburg, Glenn-Marie Lange and Knut Thonstad. The Future of the Environment: Ecological Economics and Technology Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Heilig, G. K. China Food, Can China Feed Itself. Laxemburg: IIASA, 1999. Munford, Lewis. "The Natural History of Urbanization." Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth. Ed. William L. Thomas, Jr. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1956. Thompson, John Giffin. Urbanization: Its Effects in Government and Society. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1927. World Bank. "Urbanization Data." World Development Indicator. Washington, DC: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2005 Read More