Urbanization Essay

That number today is estimated to be around 15% (Jordan Urbanization), indicating that an overwhelming majority of Jordanian’s, refugees and asylum seekers have moved to the cities. This rapid urbanization has put considerable strain on infrastructure, which translates to higher costs for the government and inhabitants. Specifically, these costs are sourced from increased pressure on housing, food and basic amenities such as water, with the most overall danger being increased and rapid inflation (Higget). So as a result of water’s scarcity, Jordanians are abandoning living in rural societies and moving to cities that can offer more water and a different lifestyle. This has attributed to rapid urbanization, which has put considerable pressures on the government and citizens economically.

Since people who once relied on agriculture are being forced to move to cities due to water scarcity, one would assume that this only brings negative consequences; however, there are also many benefits to urbanization (as long as it is sustainable). First of all, with a growing population in urban environments, there is an increase in the development and diversification of businesses, especially in terms of service industries, as the growing population requires new products and services (Dociu and Dunarintu). Therefore the overall development and diversification of the local economy also extends to services and goods produced for exportation, thus increasing GDP and foreign investment. In