Compare The World Over And Require The Same Solutions
‘Urban problems are the same the world over and require the same solutions.’
To what extent do you agree with this view? (40 marks)
All Urban areas suffer urban problems of an economic, social, political and environmental nature but whilst they may share some similarities the rapid increase in the population of cities in many cities in LEDCs compared with that of MEDCs has meant the scale of the problems are far worse in poorer parts of the world. Likewise there are similarities in the solutions that are required across the world but the resources available to authorities in the richer parts of the world mean that often their schemes to solve the problems they experience can be far more comprehensive and ambitious than in poorer parts …show more content…
of the world.
In Mumbai, India the economic problems are severe. Vast numbers of people work in the informal sector of the economy doing jobs like shoe shining, pottery making and recycling because they are unable to find jobs in the formal sector. The wages these jobs pay are very low and irregular. If people are unable to work they must rely on charity as there are few social security benefits available. The businesses many of these people operate are not registered with the authorities so they do not pay any taxation to the local authorities which means the authority is under-resourced. Many people have to survive on perhaps less than $1 a day and the poverty is high.
In Salford in the UK there are significant numbers of people who are unemployed. 9% of the population are officially registered as such which is well above the UK average. Other people claim disability benefits, so the real number of those out of work is even higher. However all of these citizens are able to receive benefits as the vast majority of the population in urban areas in the UK work in the formal sector and pay tax. These can then be used to ensure less fortunate members of society avoid the poverty experienced by many in places like Mumbai. Areas like langworthy suffer economically as the area has suffered a decline in manufacturing jobs in recent years. Ironically many of these may have gone to people in places like Mumbai where they have to work for a fraction of the wages enjoyed by the people of Salford.
Social problems in LEDC and MEDC cities also vary in scale.
60% of the population in Mumbai are estimated to live in Slums, the largest of which is quite near the city centre and is known as Dharavi. Here the homes are made out of materials that people have found such as corrugated iron and wood. Over time people upgrade their housing to make it more substantial as they are able to afford to. The buildings are not just homes but also function as workshops where people run small businesses such as metal smelters. The homes were not planned for by the city authorities and hence basic services were not provided before homes were built. Therefore there are open sewers in the streets, homes do not all have running water but must use standpipes in the streets which may only have water for a few hours each day. The water is often contaminated with sewage and there are significant health problems. Basic services like rubbish collection do not exist and the streets are piled high with garbage which is picked through by the recyclers. People are on such low incomes that many people are malnourished. The population has grown so fast that there are not enough doctors or school places for everyone who wants them so levels of literacy are
low.
In Salford everyone either owns or rents a home. The authorities provide the least fortunate with a formal house no matter what their income because they can afford to do so. As homes were built in a planned manner basic services are always provided. Everyone has running water, a bathroom and litter is collected each week. However in some poor areas of Salford like Langworthy there are problems with 17% of housing standing empty because no one wants to live there due to the economic decline the area has suffered. High unemployment and a lack of opportunity have led to anti social behaviour and social problems such as drug and alcohol abuse becoming big problems as well as educational underachievement. Houses no one wants stand empty and boarded up which would never happen in Mumbai.
There are significant political problems in Mumbai as well as in Salford. There are wide differences in the levels of wealth some have and those others have. However in Mumbai these income differences are much wider because there is not a working tax system that redistributes income to create a more equitable society. This occurs in Salford and issues locals have are dealt with in a better manner because councillors and an MP are designated to each ward/constituency but in Mumbai only official areas of the city are properly represented and have a voice that is heard properly.
Both cities suffer significant environmental problems but again these are worse in Mumbai because the city’s expansion has occurred so rapidly that the authorities struggle to cope. There is terrible air pollution from the many unregulated factories and vehicles that ignore clean air legislation because it is poorly enforced. Rickshaws and motorbikes create terrible emissions and with it being the main form of transport in a population of 20 million it is a big problem. The number of vehicles on the roads is growing as the city becomes wealthier only adding to the problem. Congestion is a huge issue as the authorities struggle to build enough capacity for the rapidly increasing number of vehicles. 10 million journeys are made into the centre of Mumbai each day and the transport system is at breaking point. There is a deficit in the water supply to the city of 552 million litres each year and many people in the slums cannot get enough water. Some are forced to drink untreated water.
In Salford government legislation means that vehicles have to meet certain emission standards so air pollution is not such a big problem and there are fewer vehicles on the roads because UK cities are smaller. Whilst congestion exists there has been massive investment in roads such as the M602 to alleviate such problems and factories have to meet standards which are strictly enforced by council environmental officers. There is plenty of drinking water for everyone and the water sources such as the River Irwell are nowhere near as heavily polluted as waterways through Mumbai.
Solving these problems has caused huge headaches in both these cities. However the authorities in Salford have far more resources at their disposal to arrest the decline of areas like Langworthy. They have launched ambitious schemes and a total redevelopment of Salford Quays to revitalise the city. Economically the area has benefited from the development of offices.
In Langworthy management schemes have meant the renovation of hundreds of old terraced houses, repairing roofs, updating electric systems and installing double glazing. A Sure start community centre has been built to help those with child care difficulties get back to work and to help those with other social and educational problems. A private development company has developed 400 new homes in Langworthy costing over £100,000 each. They were very innovative and have received a lot of awards and commendations. They have helped to make the area a more popular area to live in and people are returning to the area with jobs. A lot of money has been spent on the environment and buildings but it is harder to solve the areas social problems; and educational underachievement is still a big problem.
In LEDC cities, such schemes, costing millions of pounds, are impossible as budgets are too tight. Instead authorities in some cities have tried to help residents help themselves with self help schemes like in Rocinha, Brazil. Here the government of Rio de Janeiro have given grants and loans to residents to enable them to make their homes more permanent such as with concrete walls. However this means the infrastructure problems still remain and it is not an ideal solution but is better than nothing. As residents do all the work the government doesn’t have to spend as much.
Sometime more formal schemes are attempted such as Site and Service Schemes. In Mumbai the authorities moved one slum called Sanjay Ghandi Nagar to another area. They gave the people land and installed basic services such as water and a track before leaving the people to build their own homes on land that was formally theirs. The problem with these schemes is that the problem of slums is so great that not everyone can be rehoused in this way.
In Dharavi a lack of funds has led the authorities to try and work with private firms as has been tried in MEDC cities. Developers have tendered for ways to redevelop the slum with office blocks and leisure facilities. The profits from these developments close to the heart of Mumbai can then be used to rehouse the slum dwellers in formal apartments built at the developer’s expense. However the slum dwellers are rightly suspicious fearing their livelihoods will be destroyed and they will have nowhere to work from causing their incomes to fall and the apartment, which will be serviced, will be too expensive for them to afford. The scheme is likely to benefit large businesses far more than local people already living in abject poverty.
In LEDCs re-urbanisation schemes tend to need locals to do much more of the work and are less comprehensive in scope due to a lack of resources. This is made worse by the sheer scale of the problems they face. In MEDCs little is actually done by local residents. They may be asked for their opinions but it is the money from the council and government bodies that has helped to transform Salford in a much more comprehensive manner than is possible in a place like Dharavi at the moment. It is worth bearing in mind that many of the problems it faces today are more similar to those faced in the UK during the industrial revolution than the present day and eventually urban growth rates will start to slow down and the problems are likely to be easier to overcome as they eventually were in the UK.
To what extent do you agree with this view? (40 marks)
All Urban areas suffer urban problems of an economic, social, political and environmental nature but whilst they may share some similarities the rapid increase in the population of cities in many cities in LEDCs compared with that of MEDCs has meant the scale of the problems are far worse in poorer parts of the world. Likewise there are similarities in the solutions that are required across the world but the resources available to authorities in the richer parts of the world mean that often their schemes to solve the problems they experience can be far more comprehensive and ambitious than in poorer parts …show more content…
of the world.
In Mumbai, India the economic problems are severe. Vast numbers of people work in the informal sector of the economy doing jobs like shoe shining, pottery making and recycling because they are unable to find jobs in the formal sector. The wages these jobs pay are very low and irregular. If people are unable to work they must rely on charity as there are few social security benefits available. The businesses many of these people operate are not registered with the authorities so they do not pay any taxation to the local authorities which means the authority is under-resourced. Many people have to survive on perhaps less than $1 a day and the poverty is high.
In Salford in the UK there are significant numbers of people who are unemployed. 9% of the population are officially registered as such which is well above the UK average. Other people claim disability benefits, so the real number of those out of work is even higher. However all of these citizens are able to receive benefits as the vast majority of the population in urban areas in the UK work in the formal sector and pay tax. These can then be used to ensure less fortunate members of society avoid the poverty experienced by many in places like Mumbai. Areas like langworthy suffer economically as the area has suffered a decline in manufacturing jobs in recent years. Ironically many of these may have gone to people in places like Mumbai where they have to work for a fraction of the wages enjoyed by the people of Salford.
Social problems in LEDC and MEDC cities also vary in scale.
60% of the population in Mumbai are estimated to live in Slums, the largest of which is quite near the city centre and is known as Dharavi. Here the homes are made out of materials that people have found such as corrugated iron and wood. Over time people upgrade their housing to make it more substantial as they are able to afford to. The buildings are not just homes but also function as workshops where people run small businesses such as metal smelters. The homes were not planned for by the city authorities and hence basic services were not provided before homes were built. Therefore there are open sewers in the streets, homes do not all have running water but must use standpipes in the streets which may only have water for a few hours each day. The water is often contaminated with sewage and there are significant health problems. Basic services like rubbish collection do not exist and the streets are piled high with garbage which is picked through by the recyclers. People are on such low incomes that many people are malnourished. The population has grown so fast that there are not enough doctors or school places for everyone who wants them so levels of literacy are
low.
In Salford everyone either owns or rents a home. The authorities provide the least fortunate with a formal house no matter what their income because they can afford to do so. As homes were built in a planned manner basic services are always provided. Everyone has running water, a bathroom and litter is collected each week. However in some poor areas of Salford like Langworthy there are problems with 17% of housing standing empty because no one wants to live there due to the economic decline the area has suffered. High unemployment and a lack of opportunity have led to anti social behaviour and social problems such as drug and alcohol abuse becoming big problems as well as educational underachievement. Houses no one wants stand empty and boarded up which would never happen in Mumbai.
There are significant political problems in Mumbai as well as in Salford. There are wide differences in the levels of wealth some have and those others have. However in Mumbai these income differences are much wider because there is not a working tax system that redistributes income to create a more equitable society. This occurs in Salford and issues locals have are dealt with in a better manner because councillors and an MP are designated to each ward/constituency but in Mumbai only official areas of the city are properly represented and have a voice that is heard properly.
Both cities suffer significant environmental problems but again these are worse in Mumbai because the city’s expansion has occurred so rapidly that the authorities struggle to cope. There is terrible air pollution from the many unregulated factories and vehicles that ignore clean air legislation because it is poorly enforced. Rickshaws and motorbikes create terrible emissions and with it being the main form of transport in a population of 20 million it is a big problem. The number of vehicles on the roads is growing as the city becomes wealthier only adding to the problem. Congestion is a huge issue as the authorities struggle to build enough capacity for the rapidly increasing number of vehicles. 10 million journeys are made into the centre of Mumbai each day and the transport system is at breaking point. There is a deficit in the water supply to the city of 552 million litres each year and many people in the slums cannot get enough water. Some are forced to drink untreated water.
In Salford government legislation means that vehicles have to meet certain emission standards so air pollution is not such a big problem and there are fewer vehicles on the roads because UK cities are smaller. Whilst congestion exists there has been massive investment in roads such as the M602 to alleviate such problems and factories have to meet standards which are strictly enforced by council environmental officers. There is plenty of drinking water for everyone and the water sources such as the River Irwell are nowhere near as heavily polluted as waterways through Mumbai.
Solving these problems has caused huge headaches in both these cities. However the authorities in Salford have far more resources at their disposal to arrest the decline of areas like Langworthy. They have launched ambitious schemes and a total redevelopment of Salford Quays to revitalise the city. Economically the area has benefited from the development of offices.
In Langworthy management schemes have meant the renovation of hundreds of old terraced houses, repairing roofs, updating electric systems and installing double glazing. A Sure start community centre has been built to help those with child care difficulties get back to work and to help those with other social and educational problems. A private development company has developed 400 new homes in Langworthy costing over £100,000 each. They were very innovative and have received a lot of awards and commendations. They have helped to make the area a more popular area to live in and people are returning to the area with jobs. A lot of money has been spent on the environment and buildings but it is harder to solve the areas social problems; and educational underachievement is still a big problem.
In LEDC cities, such schemes, costing millions of pounds, are impossible as budgets are too tight. Instead authorities in some cities have tried to help residents help themselves with self help schemes like in Rocinha, Brazil. Here the government of Rio de Janeiro have given grants and loans to residents to enable them to make their homes more permanent such as with concrete walls. However this means the infrastructure problems still remain and it is not an ideal solution but is better than nothing. As residents do all the work the government doesn’t have to spend as much.
Sometime more formal schemes are attempted such as Site and Service Schemes. In Mumbai the authorities moved one slum called Sanjay Ghandi Nagar to another area. They gave the people land and installed basic services such as water and a track before leaving the people to build their own homes on land that was formally theirs. The problem with these schemes is that the problem of slums is so great that not everyone can be rehoused in this way.
In Dharavi a lack of funds has led the authorities to try and work with private firms as has been tried in MEDC cities. Developers have tendered for ways to redevelop the slum with office blocks and leisure facilities. The profits from these developments close to the heart of Mumbai can then be used to rehouse the slum dwellers in formal apartments built at the developer’s expense. However the slum dwellers are rightly suspicious fearing their livelihoods will be destroyed and they will have nowhere to work from causing their incomes to fall and the apartment, which will be serviced, will be too expensive for them to afford. The scheme is likely to benefit large businesses far more than local people already living in abject poverty.
In LEDCs re-urbanisation schemes tend to need locals to do much more of the work and are less comprehensive in scope due to a lack of resources. This is made worse by the sheer scale of the problems they face. In MEDCs little is actually done by local residents. They may be asked for their opinions but it is the money from the council and government bodies that has helped to transform Salford in a much more comprehensive manner than is possible in a place like Dharavi at the moment. It is worth bearing in mind that many of the problems it faces today are more similar to those faced in the UK during the industrial revolution than the present day and eventually urban growth rates will start to slow down and the problems are likely to be easier to overcome as they eventually were in the UK.