Introduction
Many people in the world live in slums where conditions such as inadequate living space, dirty drinking water, and poor sanitation prevail. It is anticipated that if rural people continue moving into towns, the global slum populace will double. Research shows that many rural dwellers in developing nations move to towns and as cities struggle to accommodate the high growth, the rural residents often end up living in slums that are already teemed.
Main body
Urban areas act as potential instruments for the financial and social development of a state but if these areas become crowded, then they become centers of poverty and deprivation. This rapid and hectic urbanization leads to competition for the available necessities and this poses a great challenge to humanity in terms of safety and security. It is, therefore, clear that when towns become crowded, the downsides associated with urban life exceed the benefits.
The reason why rural residents keep moving to urban areas has not yet been established. Research shows that rural residents find more job opportunities and hope to get higher salaries in towns. However, other experts argue that only skilled newcomers are capable of getting well-paying jobs and illiterate rural residents often end up in informal business activities such as collecting compost for reprocessing. Such business activities have low profits and very few workers are able to expand their businesses. This explains why many overcrowded towns are undergoing urban growth in the absence of job growth.
The question of whether governments should control the number of rural residents moving to towns has been debatable for a number of years. Many governments, in an attempt to reduce problems associated with urban life, have restricted people’s migration to towns by controlling the speed of urban growth. Some nations use household registration principles while others directly assist rural dwellers with finance for economic development. Experts say that limiting migration to towns reduces strain on urban areas and protects rural areas from languishing as the most innovative dwellers leave.
City governments all over the world are concerned with making their towns greener and more appealing. Although greening urban areas is quite costly, it offers big payoffs. For instance, energy-effective buildings are cheaper to operate and give towns cachet as bases for improved technology and design. Greening also enables urban areas to attain wider social objectives by making town dwellers be friendly.
There has been a constant debate over the best approach to alleviate poverty in slums. The practice of clearing slums has been contentious in both developed and developing nations. The approach of urban upgrading should be adopted in towns since this helps advance services offered to slum residents. This approach is cheaper and focuses on advancing infrastructural services such as water supply, hygiene, and electricity.
Conclusion
It should be recognized that improving people’s way of life in urban areas is crucial. Policymakers should put up with the fact that urbanization is inexorable and should thus put every effort into making it more constructive. Research shows that rural residents are vulnerable since they cannot provide for themselves and their families while in the rural areas. As a result, nations need to reorganize their development principles since the globe is urbanizing. These principles should focus on specific issues in order to ensure that rural people have better lives in the city.