Introduction
Urbanization is in most cases associated with the human movement from the rural to the urban areas. This movement is usually motivated by lack of employment and scarce resources especially land. This results to the areas affected by the influx becoming densely populated and pushing the cost of living in those areas to higher level. The results of urbanization have a dual effect; while the urban centers receive great wealth of labor and specialized skills, the rural areas are deprived of labor resources. This creates an imbalance between the rural and urban areas. Urbanization is also caused by environmental factors. This occurs especially in region where environment does not favor agriculture and people have to seek employment in industrial areas.
Benefits of urbanization
Urbanization is profound mainly in the third world countries. This is as a result of increased population in the rural areas in relation to the lands and housing. Urbanization is beneficial to these countries. It has been noted that, in the future, more than 80 % of all economic developments in these countries will mainly be concentrated in the urban areas. Some of the benefits associated with the urbanization are:
- Centralization of housing
Availability of apartments in urban areas that houses a great number of residents reduces the resources (land) required in catering for their accommodation. This is in contrary with rural areas where the houses are fragmented and accommodates only a small number of people; usually a family. The cultural diversity within the city centre also helps fight ethnicity as people living together learn to respect other culture (Berg and Hager, 2007, p.79).
- Concentration of resources
The urgency to meet economic demand of the diverse urban dwellers contributes to availability of ranging products within the urban centers. Due to the influx of people with different opinions and ideas, people are able to come up with new ways of improving their lives. Demand to improve their livelihood coupled with technological advances results in a growth of a highly skilled labor.
- Economy
Most of the industries are located within the city center. These industries obtain the raw materials from the rural areas and process them to finished goods. This requires labor force to ensure the production is sustained. This results in creation of jobs and an overall improvement in economy and an in crease in the GDP (Wagner, 2008, p. 59).
- Improved transport and communication network
Due to mass production of finished products which requires transportation to the end users, there are better roads in the urban areas as compared to the rural areas. This is also instigated by the availability of administrative offices within the city centers that requires improved transport and communication facilities
Challenges facing urbanization
Although urbanization is characterized with lots of advantages it has its shortcomings especially if it’s not properly managed. Some of the challenges that face the urbanization include:
- Global warming
Though global warming is profound in the developed countries, third world countries also contribute to the depletion of the O-zone layer. According to research, 80% of carbon dioxide comes from urban centers through emission from industries and motor vehicles. This has a detrimental weather effect. It is raising concern that, if burning of carbon fossils continues in a direct proportion of deforestation, there might be a complete depletion of o-zone layer, thereby exposing human being to the poisonous ultra violet rays.
Another challenging posing on urbanization is increased crime (berg and Hager, 2007, p.46). Industrialization had seen sprouts of many industries offering jobs to the people and consequently reduced unemployment. However this was short lived because technological advances saw the introduction of machines in the industries. This meant downsizing the number of employees working within an industry. For instance a single robot could handle a job done by hundred men. This has led to unemployment. This has resulted in a number of youth resulting to crime to earn living.
- Accelerated population growth
Population increase in the urban areas has been triggered by two reasons which are interlinked. The first one being lack of requisite education to secure places in the industrial areas. The second factor that has led to population growth is lack of education about family planning and lack of contraceptives. This is a challenge to the urbanization because the local government is not able to supply even the basic necessities like water and sanitation. Evidence shows that most of people in third world countries live in slums areas with no clean water and lack of latrines. This exposes them to communicable disease like Cholera
The UN has been at the centers for rewarding institutions that have been exceptional in addressing the plight of urban and rural poor. Some of the rewarded institutions include, SEWA India (A women’s self-help organization for poverty alleviation in India). This group has been uplifted the living standards of the self-employed women by forming a bank that extends loans to the members. The surplus deposits made by the members are used to provide essential commodities like water. A Cote D’ivoire institution on Institutionalizing Community-Based Development- the institution was rewarded for addressing issues affecting people. CDQ neighborhood committees were established by the committee with the mandate of engaging resources and energies from the society. These resources and energies were later to be channeled with an aim of improving the living standards of the communities. Another institution that was rewarded is The Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association. It revitalized 300 block section of the south Bronx. Other activities of the project were cultural issues, education, development human services as well as health, transportation and issues to do with housing. Project of lots and services for those people in the north zone who receive low incomes were also rewarded, as well as shelter renovations in morocco.
Conclusion
Urbanization can have devastating effects if measures to check its limits are not put in place. It can lead to social adversaries and degradation in environment an overall ecology. However, urbanization can help in ending ethnicity and uniting people. With urbanization there is also great exchange of ideas that can help in improving the standard of living.
Reference list
- Berg, L. R., & Hager, M. C. (2007). Visualizing environmental science. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
- Wagner, L.N. (2008). Urbanization: 21st century issues and challenges. Berlin: Nova Publishers.