With reference to named examples, explain how governments are attempting to overcome the problems of rapid urbanisation.

Discrimination against ethnic minorities in both employment and housing opportunities often leave these people trapped in the inner cities.  In general ethnic minorities live in wards which are even more deprived than the average  Unemployment amongst ethnic minorities are almost always higher than the rate among the white population and ethnic minorities suffer higher rates of overcrowding.

Quality of life criteria have been used to highlight the substandard housing, educational disadvantage, ill-health, deprivation and poor environments (e.g. pollution).  The residential populations typically include those least able to move such as the elderly and recent immigrants.  

A number of policies have been introduced to try to reduce the problems of inner-cities, these include; gentrification, conservation and rehabilitation and central government policies.

Gentrification is the term used to describe the improvement of old buildings usually by private investment.  The external of the appearance of the building is restored to its original quality and the interior is modernised.  Gentrification can involve housing directly, like the Georgian terraces of London, another example is the Docklands Development Scheme where old factories or warehouses have been converted into houses.  By providing high quality accommodation in areas where the environment has also been improved, in this way investment is drawn into the inner city areas.

Conservation and rehabilitation involves the wide spread clearance of old terraced housing and replacement with high-rise flats, or by modernising the old houses to make them more suitable for people to live in.  In Birmingham 75,000 houses were involved in the new housing scheme.  The high-rise flats solution are thought to have failed because of the disruption to community life and the difficulty that living in flat can create.

Central government policies have aimed to stimulate economic development and improve the urban environment so that new investment is drawn into the area.  These policies include grants enterprising zones and city action teams.  The London Docklands Development Corporation started a massive project in redesigning the Docklands, they built the light railway the city airport, new housing areas and new industrial opportunities.  Much redevelopment has taken place in Salford Docks, in Manchester, where hotels, houses, factories, warehouses and a leisure complex have all been added to the Dockland area.

In conclusion, urbanisation has caused many problems in both MEDC’s and LEDC’s, the governments of these areas have been trying to counteract these problems by reversing them or slowing them down.  The solutions are often expensive but have many positive effects to the area.  The aims of these policies are to improve the quality of life for the people in the inner city areas and to provide better opportunities for them.  Many of these solutions have provided these results.