Urban problems are the same the world over and require the same solutions To what extent do you agree with this view?

Even though that solution enables the whole infrastructure to be vastly improved, it also battles against all the criminal activity that occurs in those Dharavi slums. In the slum area, it is very hard for local authorities to track down criminals and other prosecutors as there are vast areas of corrugated iron sheets and small alleyways. However, other methods are being used to bring down the crime percentage in Dharavi apart from removing the slum areas. They have particularly targeted the youth crime rates by setting up youth groups within the slums which draws youths from ages 8-16 away for crime. Instead, they work in the informal market voluntarily or even get a small amount of money for say working in a car garage. These schemes are fighting the urban problem of crime, but the biggest way to battle it, is to educate the people that are committing them.      

MEDC’s housing problems in an urban area is solved much differently. As the infrastructure in most MEDC’s is highly structured and space is very limited due to the intense development in the past. Therefore, these MEDC’s have to manage the space they do have very efficiently and exploit opportunities where housing for businessman and people who work in the city can be constructed. For example, In Manchester, The Hilton has been constructed and shows how space can be utilised efficiently in the city. This miniature skyscraper which is the tallest building in Manchester by quite a lot is adapted so that half of the space inside it has been converted into apartments which can be bought and so are ideal for people who work in the city. You can see how Housing Problems in MEDC’s and LEDC’s are similar but the solutions to the problem are completely different.

Even though migration contributes to the massive urban problem of housing in cities, it is still in its own right a huge urban problem that needs it own solutions. Migration has caused many cities to come to a stand still as there simply too many people in an area. For Example, New York in rush hours around Times Square and other major squares can completely stop due to the amount of traffic that comes through that area. In LEDC’s, such as Mumbai, the sheer amount of people in train stations causes on average 2 people a day to be killed on the railways there. This is why migration needs to controlled and managed to ensure the functionality of the city is maintained.    

In Mumbai, the biggest source of migration is the rural to urban migration that occurs. This happens because people are seeking for higher paid work and the growing economy in these cities causing a demand for more people to work in a whole range of jobs, from the most highly skilled to the most menial. This is putting a massive strain on the cities infrastructure as it is estimated the cities population is growing by 10,000 ever week. New train tracks are now having to be built in Mumbai due to this massive overpopulation in there city. This new development is costing hundreds of millions but it is necessary so that Mumbai can progress into the future.

In MEDC’s as the GNP per capita is much higher, people who are working in the CBD of that city do not necessarily have to live there and therefore live outside the city in commuter villages and towns. This means that housing in MEDC’s isn’t always a massive problem as many of the inhabitants live outside the city and migrate in every day. However, this is why MEDC’s are successful as there transport systems are so sophisticated that they spread well out of the city itself and sustain the surrounding areas around the city.

Poor infrastructure in a city is mainly the biggest underlining problem of all urban problems as it means places cannot adapt well to change and management of all services becoming a lot more difficult.

When simple provisions such as water cannot be supplied to the people that need it, they depend on contaminated water, which causes disease inevitably and puts extensive pressure onto the health services which are already under extreme pressure due to the overpopulation in these cities.

Roads in most LEDC’s are worn and are not very good at doing the job they are supposed to. This causes the transport systems such as the buses and taxi services in these cities to suffer badly as they rarely reach their destinations on time.

Around the world there are many hotspots, fault lines and fissures.  LEDC’s and MEDC’s are found all along these potential hazards, but the biggest difference is, MEDC’s are prepared for these potential hazards, LEDC’s aren’t.

In today’s modern history, one of the most prominent events in the 21st century to show the unprepared LEDC’s weaknesses to natural hazards was the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan that killed over 40,000 people. Most of the people that died from this earthquake were killed by the buildings they were taking shelter in. The buildings were built with reinforced concrete but the structures weren’t built with strong storey joints and they collapsed as soon as significant stress was put upon them. This means over 1,000 buildings in Kashmir that day pancaked and crushed everybody inside them.

The urban problem of natural disasters in a MEDC is dealt with by a fine toothcomb. Since they have had the time to adjust to these natural disasters, they have developed many methods to ensure that if one of these natural disasters strikes, they are fully prepared. In the past where fatalities have occurred from building collapsing from earthquakes, when the new buildings have been built to replace them, they have been finely tuned into withstanding vibrations generated by an earthquake ensuring they do not collapse under the added stress from them. MEDC’s are able to this as they have more disposable income to deal with and solve these problems. However, LEDC’s cannot do that as easily.

All in all, I can only agree with this statement slightly. After sharing my views on the MEDC’s and LEDC’s problems and solutions to urban problems, I believe it is clear to see how and why they differ. The world experience’s the same urban problems, but the way in which they deal with them is completely different.