With reference to either Waste management in urban areas or Transport management in urban areas, discuss the extent to which sustainability can be achieved.

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With reference to either Waste management in urban areas or Transport management in urban areas, discuss the extent to which sustainability can be achieved.

Sustainability in urban areas is seen as a major problem in the world today. A sustainable city is a city that can meet the needs of the present population without hindering the needs of the future generations. To create a sustainable city many issues and areas need to be considered such as energy resources, waste management and transport. Transport in particular is an issue that needs to be dealt with. As the levels of traffic are increasing, many urban areas are putting into place traffic management schemes to deal with the problems having a high traffic level can pose. This essay will examine if sustainability of cities can been achieved by only managing the traffic problems opposed to managing other issues.

Transport management is different in both LEDC and MEDCs; however the problems of high levels of traffic in the countries such as rush hour, slow movement of traffic and air pollution remain the same. Traffic is seen as an issue in the UK due to traffic levels rising by 11.4 per cent since 1997. With more traffic on the roads there are many problems that threaten today’s society and future generations, such as air pollution. Air pollution due to the traffic levels can cause health problems such as asthma and environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect causing climate change which may impact on the world in the future. Leicester, Britain’s First Environmental City, in particular has put together a strategy to deal with air pollution from traffic. They believed by cutting car emissions, the city would benefit. Cycling is now a major initiative in place with cycle map easily available for the residents of Leicester and a bike park in the city centre with room for 120 bikes.

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Traffic management is needed in certain areas due to the amount of traffic that is now on the roads. The movement through London in particular is now slower that ever with the average speed being 7-10 mph. By introducing the congestion charge in 2003, London aimed to reduce traffic congestion and make journeys quicker. This has led to 21% less traffic in central London and bus passengers in the area increase by 6%. The congestion charge has helped make London more sustainable due to the £8 charge benefitting the economy and the 12% drop in emissions of nitrous oxide ...

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On the whole, the quality of writing is good. There is a clear structure: an introductory paragraph, the main body and the argument, and the conclusion. It is important to split your essay up in this way as it is conventional and also allows the reader to see that you can organise arguments in a logical and coherent manner. In criticism, some of the grammar and the way sentences are worded could be worked on (for example, "however the problems of high levels of traffic in the countries such as rush hour, slow movement of traffic and air pollution remain the same", doesn't quite make sense). Simple proof-reading could correct this.

The student gives lots of examples of specific cities that have used sustainability strategies. Giving specific examples is important as it shows depth of understanding - the student knows both the theory and how the theory occurs in real life situations. Additionally, this adds weights to their arguments because it shows the reader that the essay is evidence-based rather than opinion-based.

Overall, this is a good response. It discusses the success of attempts to achieve sustainability through traffic management schemes. This is done by giving evidence for (such as the congestion charge in London) and against (such as the need for other measures for example waste management in Leicester) the idea that traffic management can lead to sustainability. It is good that the student gives evidence for both sides of the argument as this demonstrates that they have considered the question in an unbiased and impartial manner. To add, a key point to take from this essay is that they have defined sustainability in the introduction - this is vital to show that you understand the key concepts underlying the question.