Essay About Urban Problems

Urban problems, urban solutions

Currently half of the world’s population live in cities. According to the World Health Organization, this will increase to 70 percent of the population in 2050. This urbanization is rapid and, especially in non-western cities, largely unplanned. Global leaders from government and the business community alike have a shared interest in making cities resilient to the physical, social, and economic challenges that they will face in the 21st century. If they fail to do so, health hazards, infrastructure failure, economic downturn and political instability may be the result. On the contrary, if they manage to deal successfully with rapid urbanization, cities can be drivers of economic prosperity, social integration and cultural wealth.

This essay examines why global leaders need insight from the multiple PPLE disciplines in order to deal with the risks of rapid urbanization. It will do so by briefly

The most important risks are increased pressure on resources, water, space, transportation, public services such as education and healthcare, and the environment. Many cities struggle with massive, unplanned, rapid growth and fail to provide their inhabitants with adequate infrastructure or jobs. For example, more than 700 million city dwellers lack access to basic sanitation, and in sub-Saharan Africa, 62 percent of the urban population live in slums, and are faced with illnesses like cholera and diarrhoea. However, even an apparently thriving city like Amsterdam, faces problems with congestion and accessibility, low income housing and air quality.

To maintain and create liveable, strong cities, global leaders from both government and the business community need to understand the causes and possible risks of urbanization. There are four disciplines that are especially helpful for such an analysis: politics, psychology, law, and