Challenges of Urbanization in the Gulf Cities - Essay Example

Sustainable Development in the Gulf Cities The latter half of the 20th century saw the mushrooming of great cities in the Middle East and the prosperity that had not been witnessed in the region in the years before. The gulf region is significant in the economy of the world due to its significant role in oil production which is the main export in the region. Therefore, oil production was one of the factors that played a major role in the dynamic development that was seen in the region turning the arid and semi-arid region into a new economic hub with visitors coming from all over the planet either on business expeditions or on vacation. According to Department for International Development report, migration to the urban centers is important in alleviating poverty (p. 13). This development has been good for the region as it has seen the turning of the region into a known economic power that is able to sustain itself and see the erection of various mega structures that are not found in any other part of the world. The development has come with various side effects some of which include population surge which is expected to rise more by 2020. The cities in the region are flocked with visitors from other parts of the world being many. With the population continuing to increase, questions of sustainable development arises as it is evident that after such, the population may be too much to handle, the traffic, and the industries. This essay will therefore explore city life in the gulf and evaluate the developments witnessed from sustainability point of view. Challenges of Urbanization Most gulf countries have witnessed the recent form of development with their urban centers growing and the population increasing double fold. However, as much as this is good for a developing nation or urban center in production of labor and market, it is also dangerous as at times the population may be a threat to sustainability. The quality of life in most of the gulf cities is at a critical condition with more people flowing in to have a share of the good economic run that is being witnessed at the period. Urbanization as indicated above is a result of good economic performance and an increase in the population. This leads to the formation of an urban center with the same social amenities that were available being used or being the center of more people who keep on streaming in. Planning is an important part of any society which may include a city or even a country. With the population increasing at such a rate, social life in the cities has become quite unbearable with more money needing to be put into various projects that should lead to improving the standard of life being lived by the people in the cities. According to Deen (2013), most of these cities are built with little or no regard to the climate and the culture of the people around. City life is not all about the fun and the good form of economy that one dreams of getting when they get there. It about serious issues such as raising enough money to handle the bills, increased air and water pollution, problems in mobility especially if the means of transport are not so good and others. There are various negative consequences that have been attributed to the rising urbanization in the region. The first problem is insecurity. In any given society, as the number of people keeps on increasing, there arises the need to manage them well and in cases where they are are different social stratification set by their income, social vices such as robbery and prostitution are bound to occur. Though cases of prostitution are dismally low in the region, other social vices such as robbery are on the rise. Many people come to the urban centers with the hope of getting employment. They want to get rich fast. The youth are the most affected as they want to achieve more with the least of effort to put into that. However, they do not evaluate such issues such as the rising rates of unemployment in the region and think that they could also fall to among the many unemployed ones. Upon getting to the urban centers and having no money to sustain their living they opt to indulge into vices such as pick pocketing and robbery to sustain their living. Kharoufi Mostafa notes that the Arab world today is marked by the extraordinary expansion of towns and the changes brought about by urbanization (part II). There are other problems associated with the rising population and the changing social life in the cities. One issue that has stood quite significantly is social equity. In the Middle East society, social equity was unheard of with male chauvinism being evident in various social platforms. However, with urbanization and new people coming into the cities, the people have started to adopt new forms of living with either gender being in a position to unleash their potential and work towards developing the country at given areas. There are various female empowerment platforms that are set to ensure that the ladies and the girls are not being married at early ages and on the contrary they are given the opportunity to go to school and have a chance to take part in building the nation. According to Foley (2010), gender equity has been a serious problem in the Middle East over the years. This has changed the social interaction between the people and the way people live in the urban centers with the conservers trying to stick to the old set up while the dynamic ones embrace change and accept that it is good for the women to be allowed to take part in various activities that they were thought not being in a position to handle in the past. Advanced planning is being employed in most of the Gulf cities such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to handle the current rise both in the population and in the need to handle the business being transacted there. In the past, the planning and architectural designs that had been done in the past had to done away with and employ new designs that will accommodate the rising population and new strategies that need to be put in place to handle the new city demands. Social amenities such as water and such need to be availed especially considering the climatic condition of the region so there is the need to develop new designs. Dependence on various resources continues to be high. However, the cities try to use natural resources as much as possible. This is crucial in minimizing the cost and handling the waste. Issues such as pollution are emerging to a threat to sustainability of the cities. Air pollution for instance is mainly facilitated by industrialization and the use of vehicles. The increase in both has had various consequences with strategies to develop a sustainable environment being underway. To handle that it is important to ensure that the wastes mainly gas is safe before being allowed into the atmosphere. Pollution is a serious problem in various mushrooming cities and so there is need to address it. While handling that, it is important to address the housing crisis that has emerged as a result of the booming population. Crime is a major vice in urban centers in the Middle East. The increasing number of people in the cities are a combination of the natives and the visitors. This new people have introduced new trends in the Middle East. The more people are a threat to the security of the region since the resources are limited and everyone needs to get an income. Most people as indicated above come to the urban centers to solicit for employment. Most of them do not succeed and so they have to get an alternative way to make a living. Education levels in the Middle East are elevating with the years. The youth are getting the basic education so getting employment is easier. There have been set strategies to curb the rising crime rates in the region. Though this is expected in an upcoming urban center, at times it is hard to contain the situation. This is what is seen especially due to the rising formation of terror gangs which resist the police force. According to a report by Rua Al-Sheikh (2010), the rising crime rates in the cities are alarming. On 6th October, 2008, two girls were murdered in the region. This was in a wave of crimes that have been reported in the region courtesy of urbanization and increase in the population. Uprisings have been part of the city life in most cities in the Middle East. To understand the issue, it is important to address the form of development in the region first. The development seen has seen the development of many job opportunities calling for more people to come and work in the growing cities. In the last two decades of the 20th centuries, the cities were growing rapidly and the population was small. The jobs available could therefore sustain the jobless population. However, in the 21st century the number of jobs available are not enough to sustain the number of jobless people in the cities. The result is that most of the ambitious youth get recruited in gangs that are against the government. These gangs pay them peanuts but since they lack a better way to make a living they have to give in. The Saudi Arabian and Bahraini monarchies have been on the forefront in countering such gangs which can be used by individuals with vested interests to destabilize the government and call for new elections. Drug abuse is also a common vice among the jobless youth who are frustrated with life to a point of giving up. Such people will be used by drug barons to peddle drugs and get little money to sustain them in the city. Conclusion Following the given examples, sustainability in the upcoming urban centers is a major issue. Environmental issues such as pollution caused by the increasing industries and vehicles are a source of air pollution. Gases such as carbon II oxide being emitted by the automobiles can cause poisoning while carbon IV oxide accumulation in the atmosphere when coupled with other gases such as chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFCs) cause the depletion of the ozone layer. This is one of the causes behind global warming. In a growing society such as an urban center, the resources available are limited. This is the case in the Middle East urban centers with individuals coming to search for jobs to cater for their upkeep ending up being frustrated. The result is that they end up engaging in social vices such as drug peddling and abuse, prostitution and joining terror groups. Crime in some of these urban centers is a major issue with people getting killed or mugged quite often. Unemployment is also a major issue as seen in this work with many people coming to the urban centers ending up jobless. Housing is also one of the problems arising due to most people embracing city life leading to the increased population in the cities. Cited Works Al-Sheikh, Rua. Five Social problems in the Middle East, 2010. Web. Department for International Development. Moving out of poverty-Making migration work better for poor people. Department for International Development. March, 2007. Foley, Sean. All I want is Equality with Girls: Gender and Social Change in the Twenty-First Century Gulf. Gloria Research in international Affairs, 2010. Web. Kharoufi, Mostafa. Urbanization and urban research in the Arab World. Discussion Paper Series- No. 11. n.d. Web. Sharp, Deen. The Cities of the Middle East, part Two: The Gulf, 2013. Web. Kindly use these links to access the websites as it’s impossible to capture a whole page. 1. http://rosamesopotamica.blogspot.com/2010/01/five-social-probelms-in-middle-east.html 2. http://www.gloria-center.org/2010/03/foley-2010-03-03/ 3. http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/columns/article/the-cities-of-the-middle-east-part-two-the-gulf_6389 4. http://www.unesco.org/most/khareng.htm Read More