The Problems associated with increasing Urbanisation in MEDCs.

Grace Lau 16th November 03

The Problems associated with increasing

Urbanisation in MEDCs

Urbanisation is the process of growth and development in a built-up area compared to numbers in rural areas. It can be applied to the expansion both in the number and size of towns and cities. Urbanisation occurs most rapidly in Third World countries, where the world's largest cities are. For instance, Mexico City, as the world's largest city, has a population of more than 26 million. There are many advantages of urbanisation; however, it is considered that the disadvantages outbalance these. The illusion of plentiful and better job opportunities and a better quality of life is often shattered when people from rural areas move to urban cities and towns. Since the 1980s, urbanisation has been a continuous difficulty, including congestion, pollution, overcrowding and other social and environmental issues. Now, just over half the world is living in urban areas. Below is a graph comparing urban population growth between 1960 and 2000 in developing countries, developed countries and the world.

Urban sprawl is defined as the uncontrolled expansion of built-up areas into the countryside. An example of this is Ohio, USA, where flawless private homes are located within half a mile of farms. The seriousness of sprawl and the appropriateness of efforts to decrease it are also debated.

Sprawl development consists of three basic spatial forms: low-density continuous sprawl, ribbon sprawl, and leapfrog development sprawl (Harvey and Clark 1971). Low-density sprawl is the highly consumptive use of land for urban purposes along the margins of existing urban areas. Ribbon sprawl is development that follows major transportation roads outward from urban cores. Land adjacent to corridors is developed, but those without direct access remain in rural uses. Over time, these nearby “raw” lands may be converted to urban uses as land values increase and infrastructure is extended perpendicularly from the major roads and lines. Leapfrog development sprawl is a discontinuous pattern of urbanisation, with patches of developed lands that are widely separated from each other and from the boundaries of recognised urbanised areas. Leapfrog development sprawl is caused by various factors. Physical geography such as relief, wetlands or water landforms may prevent continuous development or make it prohibitively expensive. Other factors encouraging leapfrog sprawl are not necessarily physical: restrictive land-use policies in one political jurisdiction may lead development to ‘jump’ to one that is favourably disposed toward development or is less able to prevent or control it. Alternative land use is prevented from being extended because of suburban building and its expansion. Farming and recreation is hindered, also threatening the natural habitats or wildlife. In most communities the amount of developed land is growing faster than the population. This pattern of growth forces the public to be overly dependent on automobiles, increasing the pollution and the damage they cause. Sprawl is taking its toll on the environment and the way people live, causing increasing traffic, ugly strip development, fragmented communities and loss of open space. Below is a graph showing urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 in cities in the US.

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As the population continues to expand, limited space is being used up and overcrowding is a serious issue in both LEDCs and MEDCs. An urban area can grow by two processes. Firstly, it will grow as a result of natural increase and secondly, as a result of migration. The developed world has experienced urbanisation for hundreds of years. In the UK, this was largely following the Industrial Revolution in late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although the rate of population growth is slowing due to the age structure of the population and the beginning absolute population levels, the world's population will probably to grow through the middle of the 21st century, although the growth will keep getting smaller and smaller. By 2045-50, for example, the United Nations estimates that annual average rate of population growth will decline to 0.34 percent. The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century is a reason for the major redistribution of the population. People moved to locate adjacent to factories and this was further prompted by the decline of the traditional industries. The multiplier effect stimulated further growth. For example, alongside the early factories, the following industries would have been likely to grow. Constant improvements in transportation, housing and manufacturing of raw materials increased the wealth of the cities, allowing further investment and attracting more people, such as in Birmingham. Overpopulation in an area leads to many other problems in itself. For example, congestion, two thirds or more of the population in MEDCs own cars. New and improved technology has led to increased pollution and traffic. There are currently over 27 000 000 vehicles in Britain and only one third of British households do not own a car.

Pollution is also a significant problem in urban towns in particular. Air pollution is not caused by traffic alone, the relocation of industries also contributes largely to the constant decline of the environment. Los Angeles suffers the worst air pollution than any other MEDC. Only 4% of LA’s population use public transport and many people have more than one vehicle per person. Pollutants from cars and factories become trapped in the LA basin and endanger public health. The Sydney basin is also a classic ‘closed’ basin, surrounded by high ground to the south, west and north and by the temperature differential between land and ocean on the eastern side. It’s constant pollution from the airport. The city’s highest lung cancer occurrences are found in the eastern part of the basin and in the western Sydney basin pollution sink area. Noise and visual pollution are less of a problem, nevertheless, still a problem and in some extreme cases, noise pollution causes health issues. The development of housing and businesses make urban areas an unpleasant place to live in.

Another important environmental issue in terms of urbanisation is water supply. Water is a key element to survival in many ways. Industries and factories inevitably use more water than households do but household use is on the increase, due to modern living standards. Washing machines, dishwashers, toilets etc. consume immense amounts of water and sources are slowly shrinking. The Colorado River alone powers 5 big cities in the US: Phoenix, Tuscon, San Diego, LA and Las Vegas. Particularly in hotter countries, more water is needed for other needs such as air-conditioning, lawn sprinklers and swimming pools.

Services such as waste disposal also suffer. Again, changing lifestyles have resulted in more and different types of waste and different ways of disposal have their disadvantages. 84% of the UK’s domestic waste is disposed in landfills – 20 000 000 tonnes annually and as urban areas continue to spreads, potential landfill sites are disappearing because people do not want landfills near the home. As more and more people become accustomed to new and better lifestyles, even more waste is being produced.

With many pull factors that encourage urbanisation, several new sets of difficulties arise in this steady increase of people in built-up towns and cities. So, how do we tackle these problems that seem never-ending? Each of the main problems with urban expansion has its own assortment of possible planning responses. For instance, to deal with urban sprawl, consolidation can be increased to enlarge urban densities and conserve space. Many tower blocks of flats have been constructed such as the ‘Byker Scheme’ in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to tackle problems of urban sprawl and overcrowding. Many of these attempts have been unsuccessful, lacking community spirit and not satisfying the needs of its occupants, but with careful and thoughtful planning, tower blocks can become a popular form of housing. More green belts can also be designated in order to protect further development on natural land such as that of Manchester, where a large part of the city has been surrounded by green belts.

Government attempts to reduce traffic and congestion have also been fairly ineffective so far so different approaches have been put to the test, such as cutting down emissions of individual vehicles. This idea has been criticised as expensive, however, with lower emissions from vehicles, the environment becomes much more habitable and pleasant in terms of particular towns as well as the environment as a whole. Campaigns to encourage alternative transport can also be very effective, such as in Zurich, Switzerland. Despite its growing population, a lot of its people now depend on public transport, reducing air pollution considerably.

Apart from increasing man-made water sources, the re-using of water has been emphasised as an important part of solving the problem of a limited water supply. Water consumption may also fall because industries in MEDCs are closing down and relocating in peripheral areas. The improvement and repair of existing toilets, showers and other devices can save up to 80% of the water currently used. In the USA, new houses are likely to feature cactus gardens instead of traditional grass gardens to reduce the amount of water being used to keep plants and flowers alive. Today, in Tuscon, domestic waste water is recycled to power other machinery. Energy efficient products are also being introduced in the UK in order to protect the environment. The recycling of materials like paper is also reducing waste disposal; plastic and glass can also be re-used to help the disposal of waste. The majority of MEDCs have increased the recycling of various products in the past 20 years but in the long term, less waste produced would benefit the environment more than simply recycling materials.

Generally, urbanisation has its advantages and disadvantages that affect the people moving towards the area, the existing occupants and the people living near the town or city. However, currently, counterurbanisation is on the rise, with more and more people moving away from urban areas into the rural countryside, counterbalancing the issues caused by urbanisation. Still, urbanisation is taking place in LEDCs, causing more of the same but also different problems that are happening in MEDCs and the effects of urbanisation in LEDCs are just as detrimental as those in places like the UK.