Preview

To What Extent Can the Problems of Urbanization Be Met by a Policy of Sustainable Development?

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1156 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To What Extent Can the Problems of Urbanization Be Met by a Policy of Sustainable Development?
To what extent can the problems of urbanization be met by a policy of sustainable development?

With increasing life expectancy, people have moved from rural area to urban area and cities have grown rapidly, which causes many problems. To solve these problems of urbanisation, the concept of sustainability emerged, which is always used by environmentalists and political planners to express their own view of how environment and economy should be administrated (Adams, 2001). One of the most quoted definitions of it is that provided by Brundtland: ‘ development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Adams, 2001:114). In my opinion, to some extent, these problems can be addressed by the policy of sustainable development with good planning and control. In this essay, the way how it can tackle these problems will be explored by discussing three problems including environmental pollution, traffic and housing.

Damage to the environment in the process of urbanisation is the root reason for the presence of sustainability. To make cities more livable, many measures have been taken to preserve the ecosystem, such as protect green belts, building sewerage system and using new energy. Nevertheless, increasing environmental awareness is the most significant and sustainable way to improve urban environment (Ramachandraiah, 1997).

There are two main ways to increase the consciousness of protecting the environment which is regarded as civic value. Some cities use economic measures, like introducing legal restrictions and fines, which makes use of punishment to change environmental attitudes. However, in the environmental education, fostering self-efficiency is a more efficient way to change environmental behaviour patterns. Actually, nowadays, both the individuals and the organisations, especially in the developed countries, have realized that the environmental pollution has negative effects on



References: Adams, W.M. (2001). Green Development: Environment and Sustainability in the Third World. London, Taylor and Francis Ltd. Bilham-Boult, A. (2001). People, Places and Themes. Oxford, Pearson Education. Chatley, J. (1994). Social Justice in the City. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Mega, V. (1994). Improving the Urban Environment: European Challenges. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 23/7: 451-454. Newman, P. (1999). Transport: Reducing Automobile Dependence. The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Cities. D. Satterthwaite. London, Earthscan Publications: 173-198. Ramachandraiah, C. (1997). Weather and Water in Urban Areas. Economic and Political Weekly 32/43: 2797-2800. Thisdell, D. (1993). Can LA Kick the Car Habit? New Scientist. 1877: 24-29.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Remaking Birmingham

    • 2064 Words
    • 9 Pages

    This essay focuses on the subjects of urban regeneration and sustainability in the UK. I shall start by exploring the true meanings of the two subjects and how they are connected with one another. The UK has many urban regeneration projects happening all the time and I have chosen to focus on the city of Birmingham and the “Big City Plan.’ I am going to delve into the processes, objectives and outcomes of the project and come to my own conclusion as to whether urban regeneration in Birmingham is done in a sustainable way.…

    • 2064 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Instead, the definition of sustainability focuses on growing areas of the city accessible to transit, employment opportunities, a better selection of housing choices, water and energy conservation, and using materials and methods to improve public health. Albeit these ideas may be noble, they do not present solutions on improving environmental sustainability, which is key to increasing human…

    • 4655 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Geography Synoptic Essay

    • 2010 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The economic development of a country can be defined as the growth of industry, wealth, employment and the level of urbanisation. The planning and management issues that are linked to economic development, are those associated with processes such as urbanisation, suburbanisation and counter-urbanisation of cities. These may include pollution of water, air and noise. Other issues may be the increase in transport and waste, created by people living, travelling through and working in urban areas. These problems need solutions, which often leads to planning and carrying out redevelopment of urban areas. The effects of urbanisation on a city can be seen in Sao Paolo, a newly industrialised country in Brazil where housing improvement schemes are evident. Furthermore we can see issues of planning and management in the UK, a more economically developed country, due to increasing re-urbanisation and suburbanisation. Using these 2 counties of different levels of development, I will be able to eventually assess to what extent the level of economic development will affect planning and management of cities.…

    • 2010 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    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…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sustainable development is defined as the production and consumption of goods and services and the development of the built environment being achieved without degrading the natural environment. In terms of a sustainable city, this means that the city is designed with thorough consideration to potential environmental impact. The city of the Gold Coast has made many strives towards becoming a more sustainable area through contributions made within the built environment like increasing sustainable transport, however, the city has struggled with some issues surrounding their built environment, like their rapid urban sprawl.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rapid urbanisation has caused a variety of problems, including transport congestion, lack of sufficient homes and living conditions, sanitary and health care issues, and crime. For all these problems, city planners have attempted potential solutions, each with varying degrees of success. Cities including London, Manila and Mumbai have several of the aforementioned problems, and have each tried their own potential solutions. This essay will discuss how successful these schemes have been in resolving these issues.…

    • 828 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Urban Planning

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In his book Urban Geography, Michael Pacione, discusses the “Future City-Cities of the Future”. In his analysis there are several principles that must be included in the future city in order for it to strive and be successful, “by 2025 65 percent of the world’s population will be in urban areas” (Pacione 2005) The need for the city of the next 100 years to be sustainable in all aspects is paramount for its success and its citizens to live in peace and harmony. The factors that will play a large part in deciding the fate of our future cities are addressing population growth, the economics of cities, or making cities economically competitive, the effective managing and creation of various modes of transportation and mobility and managing the largest pollutant most inefficient parts of of our cities: buildings. All while maintaining high ecological and environmental standards including proper reduction and disposal of waste . The city of the next 100 years must be successful in managing the impacts of all of these stated areas. I will highlight current cities that are struggling with some of these areas and what must be done for the future to prepare for the next century.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Sustainability and Food

    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Sustainable Development according Bruntland (1987) means “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (The World Bank Group, 2001) This paper seeks to study and analyze the issues related to the following questions in the backdrop of sustainable development:…

    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Date 2 Oct 9 Oct Lecture topics Required Readings The ecological crisis Sustainable Baker S. (2006) The concept of sustainable development development, Chapter 2 in Sustainable Development London, Routledge, pp. 17-48. Kates, R., Parris, T. and Leiserowitz, A. (2005) What is sustainable development? Goals, indicators, values and practice, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 47(3), pp.9-21. Ecological modernisation Barry J. (2005) Ecological Modernisation, in Dryzek…

    • 3717 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Wheeler, S.M. & Beatley, T. (2004). The sustainable urban development reader. (pp.202-207). New York: Routledge.…

    • 2085 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sustainability Outline

    • 6836 Words
    • 28 Pages

    what is sustainability: sustainability is the capacity to endure. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission of the UN on March, 20, 1987)…

    • 6836 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This approach is about considering sustainable development as seeking to preserve and enhance what are sometimes called ‘the five capitals’ and then ‘living off the interest’. In this context ‘enhance’ often does not mean simply ‘increase’ but to improve matters, such as quality of life or quality of environment. The five forms of capital that determine the options available to future generations are:…

    • 1118 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Elkin, T., McLaren, D. and Hillman, M., Reviving the City: towards sustainable urban development, London: Friends of the Earth, 1991…

    • 3540 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    For the past decades the trend of urbanization has rapidly increased, especially in developing countries. Urbanization may be defined as a process in which people from rural areas are migrating to the city. The sudden increase of the population in cities has brought significant problems to their inhabitants, the environment and resources. These problems are providing housing with basic facilities and public transport, mitigating the effect of pollution which is detrimental to the environment and people, and sustaining its development and resources. Sustainable development is defined in the Brundtland Report in Our Common Future as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtlant, 1987, p. 43). Governments have established sustainable development policies to address problems of urbanization. This essay will discuss why policies of sustainable development have partly met the problems of urbanization.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Eco-Cities

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The concept of an eco-city came about as a challenge in creating a new and superior form of settlements. It is one of the models created towards the City of the Future. These different models have occupied philosophers, architects, planners, and urban theorist throughout the past centuries. The vision of an eco-city involves a mixed-used urban form, with higher density, human-inhabited centres that are the core points for the population and employment growth linked by public transport. Attention has been given to the development of a superior public transport system, and a need for non-motorised modes of travel with a minimal road capacity; it decreases the dependence to automobile and protects the city’s natural areas and its food-producing capacity. Its aim is to establish innovative environmental technologies for water, energy and waste management, an economic growth based on the creativity, innovation and sensitivity to the local environment and cultural…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays