1.0 INTRODUCTION
In 2007, 50% of the world’s population became urban dwellers, this meant that approximately 3.3 billion persons were dwelling in cities across the globe. It is also projected that another 500 million persons will become urban dwellers in another 5 years, and there are further indications that by 2030, about 60% of the world’s population will be urban dwellers (FIG Commission, 2010).
Wealth generation and economic development have birthed a new phenomenon known as megacities, which are urban areas with an average population of 10 million or more persons, and 19 of such cities exist around the world at the moment (FIG Commission, 2010). Postulations have it that by 2020, the number of such mega cities would be about 27. This
…show more content…
When ecosystem services are altered, their capacity to satisfy even basic human needs starts to be compromised (Vitousek, et al, 1997)
The FIG commission, 2010, posits that urbanization comes with negative and positive impacts depending on how it is managed or planned for. Urbanization brings along development which in turn gives rise to higher living standards, which will also give rise to further urbanization.
Poorly planned rapid urbanization carries with it grave consequences in the form of urban environmental hazards which include flash floods, mudslides and the like. These hazards increase as urbanization increases. Thus there is need to plan and properly manage the process rapid urbanization (Nyambod,
…show more content…
This means more land would be required for expanding urban areas vis-à-vis urbanization.
With poorly managed rapid urbanization process, the consumption of threatened wetlands increases, thus cancelling or reducing the positive impacts of urbanization.
In Port Harcourt, the prevalence of poor development control by planning agencies, as well as poorly managed rapid urbanization has increased the demand for urban space, thus giving rise to more developments, which have, in turn, encroached into the wetland habitats of Port Harcourt. These wetlands which serve as natural sinks for rainfall, have been drained due to reclamation so as to make land available for residential, commercial and industrial accommodation as well as other infrastructure such as roads, etc.
The draining of the wetlands for urban development coupled with poor development control on the part of the planning agencies, gives rise to the prevalence of flash floods in times of heavy rainfall. These flash floods were rarely experienced 15-20 years ago, when the wetlands in the study area were predominantly in their natural
Richard C. Nelson, the author, is a professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and the Planning Degree program at the University of Arizona. He has made substantial contributions in real estate analysis and urban growth trends. Nelson also created the term ‘megapolitan’ which he predicts the United States will have over twenty by 2040. These megapolitans are the result of the reverse sprawl and creating major economic centers, which will make America globally competitive. Nelson’s background ties in to many of his ideas in the book, with the main points focusing on demographic changes, housing trends, more space for future jobs and the benefits of reshaping metropolitan America. Changing demographics support the notion that more people are choosing an urban lifestyle over sprawl, which means a higher preference of
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
The corporation or person buys the land to be “developed” in a few short weeks. In this time frame, everything becomes dirt. The land becomes a wasteland, because it is not longer topsoil that is rich with nutrients for plants to grow, but instead, it is the underlayer. There are no more trees, animals, or even grasses. The trees have most likely been sold to a paper factory. The animals have found residence in nearby places after their homes were destroyed. The grasses have no nutrients or topsoil to root themselves or seeds in. After this ground-breaking stage, the building is created, and then more business flood to the area. Overall, this means more deforestation. Houses are built in the “convenient” area. More people means more businesses want to come to an area. But what does this mean for the environment and people in
Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live in areas near wetlands and depend on them. Wetlands are mechanisms for treatment of wastewater are extremely efficient because they absorb chemicals and filter pollutants and sediments. Half the world's wetlands have disappeared due to urbanization and industrial development. The only way to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction will be through better management of rivers and wetlands, and the land they drain and drain as well as through increased investment in them.
In 1950, only 13% of China’s population lived in cities (Seto, n.d.). Post 30 years, one hundred-million people moved to large cities from rural areas in China. This migration was considered the largest migration in human history. To compare this migration to western cities, the example of Shenzhen is used. For a Western city to have a population of three million to increase to ten million, it takes about a hundred years. 30-year old city, Shenzhen on the other hand made this population increase in just a decade (qtd. Caughey and Dawn). Today, over 53.7% of its population lives in cities; by 2020 it is projected that a whole 60% of the population will live in cities (Xinhuanet, 2014).
According to the US Census Bureau report (2012), urban areas are defined as a densely residential, commercial, and other non-residential areas that account for more than 50,000 people. In the US urban population increased by 12.1 percent between 2000 and 2010. In general, urban population account for 80.7 percent of US total population. Other studies also indicate that urban areas are the engines of the United States of America’s economy, creating big opportunities for the entire population in the country. In fact, America’s top hundred urban areas alone comprise at least 75 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Urban areas connect consumers and suppliers together in a relatively close proximity leading driven innovations,
Urbanization has to deal with the construction of new modernized construction and the use of technology, in total it means advancing from the local to make modernized place and an industrial site. Also it includes the construction of infrastructural buildings, infrastructural buildings are buildings that are constructed for the betterment of the country for the people it includes hospital, schools, bridges, water supplies and different other buildings. Most of the land were covered by the trees, and they only few people living there, in order to develop a modernized place, or an urbanized place, construction needs to be made. In the determination of making an urbanized place where factories and all could be done, practice such as deforestation is done. Lands that were filled with tees are then cutting in order to satisfy the project of urbanization. The urbanized places are still developing which increases the rate of
Indeed, many global cities face compelling urban planning issues like urban sprawl, population, low density development, overuse of non-renewable natural recourses, social inequities and environmental degradation. These issues affect the cities themselves, the adjacent regions and often even globally. The resulting ecological footprint upsets the balance in adjacent rural and natural areas. Unplanned or organic development leads to urban sprawl, traffic problems, pollution and slums (as evident in the case of Mumbai city). Such unplanned development causes solid waste management and water supply to fall inadequate. Urban sprawl gives rise to low density development and car dependent communities, consequently leading to increased urban flooding, low energy efficiency, longer travel time and destruction of croplands, forests and open spaces for development.
The Negative Effects of Urbanization on People and their Environment As our world becomes increasingly globalized, numerous people travel to urban areas in search of economic prosperity. As a consequence of this, cities in periphery countries expand at rates of 4 to 7 percent annually. Many cities offer entrepreneurs the potential for resources, labor, and resources. With prosperity, cities also allow the freedom of a diversity of ways of life and manners (Knox & Marston, 2012). However, in the quest to be prosperous, increasing burdens are placed on our health and the condition of our environment.
...population distribution designed to reduce the rate of rural-urban migration appears to have had limited success in many developing countries. Policies must be directed at altering the rural economy in order to slow the rate of urban sprawl. Broad land use planning and changing of planning standards and governmental procedures would go a long way to reduce many of the problems that face urban populations in the developing areas, especially Africa. Urbanization can cause a lot of problems for a city or even a country. It can cause cities to become overpopulated which are known as mega-cites, and cause problems with living arrangements and finding a job. Urbanization can also cause health problems. Urbanization is supposed to be good for developing countries on the rise but with this rapid growth in Africa, these problems can become a major concern in the future.
Water purification and a wastewater treatment plants would be necessary in order to provide the citizens and visitors with clean healthy water. To prevent flooding, this city was built on flood plains.
A general situation of urbanization trend in developing countries and developed countries is increasing. In 18th Century only 3% of the world total population lived in urban areas but as projected in 2000 this number will increase at above 50% (UN as cited in Elliot, 1999, p. 144). According to UN (as cited in Elliot, 1999, p.144), it is figured that the total urban population in developing countries has increased from approximately 400 millions people in 1950 to approximately 2000 millions people in 2000. At the same time, total urban population in developed countries is double...
Urbanization occurs naturally from individual and corporate efforts to cut time and cost in commuting and transportation while improving opportunities for jobs, education, housing, and transportation. Living in cities allows individuals and families to take advantage of the opportunities of proximity, diversity, and marketplace competition. People began moving into cities to seek economic opportunities.
Global cities are cities with substantial economic power, controlling the concentration and accumulation of capital and global investments. Despite this, global cities are the sites of increasing disparities in occupation and income. This is as a result of large in-migration and growing income inequality together with capacity and resource constraints, and inadequate Government policies.
Most people think they know a wetland when they see one, but the delineation of wetlands for the purpose of granting permits has proven enormously controversial. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an area is defined as a wetland when a combination of three technical criteria are met: Wetland hydrology (land that is saturated within 18 inches of the surface for more than seven days per year), Hydrophytic vegetation (a list of plants that will thrive in wet areas), and Hydric soil (mucky and peat-based soil). The continual destruction of these valuable lands is due mainly to farmers, oil and mining interests, and development groups (Russel, p.36). It is estimated that 30-40% of the original wetlands in the United States have been lost, and about 300-400,000 acres are destroyed each year (Hollis, p. 36). Recent concern has led to an increase in wetland restoration and creation to reduce the impacts of activities in or near wetlands, compensate for additional losses, and to restore or replace wetlands already degraded or destroyed (Nicholas, p. 39).