Wicked Urban Problems in the News
Introduction
Wicked problems refer to socio-cultural difficulties that are impossible to solve due inadequacy of knowledge, large number of involved opinions of people, heavy effect on the economy, and the interlinked manner of the given problems to others. Wicked, in this context, represents something that opposes resolution. Various urban problems are persistent due to their wicked characteristics. This paper seeks to contextualize three wicked urban issues, namely, urban biodiversity, urban street planning, and urban smart cities, as reported in news articles. This will necessitate a better understanding of the specified wicked problems as a way of finding probable solutions.
Contextual Discussion
First,
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These motives are behind the current world’s 50% urbanization rate. Among all countries, Canada heads the urbanization process with 80% of its total area (Snell par.7). The ever-increasing urbanization rate is characterized by human-related destructive activities, which lead to creation of urban centers by destroying inherent biodiversity. The rate is increasing each passing day. However, one thing to note is that destructive activities embody the causes of urban biodiversity wicked problem. The easy way of identification provides land conversion, climate change, consumerism, land fragmentation, and invasive species as the main causes of the wicked problem of urban biodiversity. These causes constitute every aspect of urban life. For instance, there is no way that people living in urban areas can do without proper infrastructures (such as houses, roads, and communication lines). All kinds of infrastructure need space, and, in creating it, there is clearance of all natural vegetation and conversion of land to other uses. The result is annihilation of nature and predisposition of climatic changes. The only easy approach to identify an appropriate solution to the wicked problem of urban biodiversity is to decrease the rate of urbanization by …show more content…
As an easy scope of defining it, urban smart city is a wicked problem since it represents the inability of city planners to incorporate information technology in the daily processes of every urban area to increase their effectiveness and efficiency due to lack of adequate knowledge concerning the outcome of such initiatives. It is a fact that information technology’s limitless uses are likely to create urban centers that make living easier and better, but there is uncertainty with reference to their interconnectivity impacts (Chen par.2). The easiness of identifying the causes of the wicked problem of urban smart city prompts the consideration of various factors. These factors include the issues of privacy and security that surround technological devices, lack of clarity on eventual impact to urban livelihoods, lack of proper operation and maintenance funds, and non-commonness of policies that promote smart city agendas. Fortunately, a solution is available that can alienate all the afore-listed causes of the wicked problem of urban smart city. It involves the adoption of a leadership plan that centers on harmonizing all elements that typify urban smart city. Harmonized leadership is poised to describe systematically the vital features and functions of a typical urban smart city that covers conception, design, implementation, operation, and maintenance. These descriptions are what every involved
We don’t often stop to consider the impact that simply living our human lives has on the other species that once called our neighbourhoods their home. The Fraser Valley, “one of the most important and complex ecosystems in the country” (Thom, p. 171), has been dramatically altered to make a more convenient landscape for housing and farming. In this process, critical habitat has been destroyed and many species that were once abundant have disappeared from our area (Cuthbert p. 24). Urbanization is ongoing and is thought to be the most significant threat to the incredible biodiversity found throughout British Columbia, and particularly the population-dense Lower Mainland (Harding, p. 355). Biodiversity, the “complex web that sustains life on this planet” (Austin, et al., p. 5), is vital for our survival as humans (Cuthbert p. 74). Any loss of biodiversity affects the entire ecosystem and all organisms within it (Fetene et al., p. 52). In the quest to house the ever-expanding human population, we must also consider habitat conservation and seek to preserve the rich biodiversity found in the Fraser Valley that supports and enriches our lives.
promoting smart growth. It will be clear that smart growth is the better policy when it comes to building and maintaining America’s towns and cities. One of the most startling consequences associated with urban sprawl is the endless array. of health implications that it has been linked to. According to Public Health Grand.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
With urban population growth, both ecological and industrial consequences directly affect those in poverty and the urban poor. Slums usually develop in the worst types of terrain, and lead to flooding, landslides, and fires that destroy thousands of people’s homes. Yet population growth and the amounts of waste created by urban civilizations are also pushed on the hidden faces and locations of those on the outskirts of the cities. “If natural hazards are magnified by urban poverty, new and entirely artificial hazards are created by poverty’s interactions with toxic industries, anarchic traffic, and collapsing infrastructures” (Davis 128).
An important feature of green roofs is their potential to provide habitation for urban wildlife, therefore many animal species such as rats and ants would benefit from green roofs. Coffman and Waites, (2008) explains that the urban development practices recognised as roof greening offers habitat for wild species within the towns and it also helps rise the home-grown natural diversity. However, roof greening is not a method restoration ecology, but it is method of reconciliation ecology, where entirely new habitation is formed for non-human species. In addition Green roofs certainly delivers some form of habitat, it is also possible that the properties of the roof could harm the wildlife diversity.
Again, this section will give a working definition of the “urban question’. To fully compare the political economy and ecological perspectives a description of the “urban question” allows the reader to better understand the divergent schools of thought. For Social Science scholars, from a variety of disciplines, the “urban question” asks how space and the urban or city are related (The City Reader, 2009). The perspective that guides the ecological and the social spatial-dialect schools of thought asks the “urban question” in separate distinct terminology. Respected scholars from the ecological mode of thinking, like Burgess, Wirth and others view society and space from the rationale that geographical scope determines society (The City Reader, 2009). The “urban question” that results from the ecological paradigm sees the relationship between the city (space) as influencing the behaviors of individuals or society in the city. On the other hand...
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Urban forests are small pockets of green in a gray landscape. They are ribbons of life meandering through a largely artificial environment. They are enclaves of serenity and biological diversity tucked within the suburban development and busy streets. The worldwide trend toward urbanization threatens the ‘green infrastructure’ of our cities,
Cities in different areas are often renowned for the wealth of culture and the chances they provide. The increase in technological ingenuity has led to the growth and expansion of downtown areas in the city. Cities have grown over the past decade hence increasing the number of individuals living in these areas. The rise in population density in these regions has led to the development of dangerous and run-down regions in different cities. Downtown areas play a fundamental role in the well being and interactions of the society. Increase in population in urban centers has led to the development of downtown areas which are withered, run down and violent.
First of all, overpopulation drastically affects the land. Possibly the most prominent example of the depreciating health and amount of land is the need for developments. Due to the exploding population in the United States, about 1.2 million acres of land every year is being converted to subdivisions, malls, workplaces, roads, parking lots, resorts, and many other developments (“Overpopulation,” Internet). That is a substantial amount of land being overturned to satisfy human desires. To put it in better perspective, between 1982 and 1997, the land mass lost to development is equal to the size of Maine and New Hampshire combined, which is approximately 25 million acres (“Overpopulation,” Internet). While soil is being ruptured for human preference, the number of cities has remarkably modified. In 1975, Mexico City, Tokyo, and New York City were the only cities considered as megacities (“Special,” Internet). In today’s world, that number is considerably small. Now, there are 21 megacities in the world. A megacity is when the population of that city becomes greater than 10 million people (“Special,” Internet). Therefore, the 21 megacities that are currently in the world holds more than 21...
With the development of urbanization, an increasing number of social problems have emerged. These problems will decelerate the urban development, however, there are many ways in which sustainable development can reduce the impact of these urbanization problems. “Sustainable development seeks to improve the quality of human life without undermining the quality of our natural environment” (Adams, W.M. 1999). Actually, sustainable development can partly solve the urbanization problems, for it can reduce the impact of the problems such as traffic jam, housing shortage and severe pollution, but it is difficult to completely solve these problems in a short time.
Humans have been changing the environment for thousands of years. With the advent of agriculture, humans began to effect the land in more ways then before. Rapid change in the way we channeled rivers to grow crops soon began to change where cities grew around certain areas. It also allowed areas with little rain to be able to grow food, allowing for further expansion of civilizations. When the industrial revolution came to America, Americans began to see more urbanization. As things became easier to make, areas that couldn’t sustain many people then became able to have giant cities. Growth in civilizations plays a huge factor into environmental change, and when the world’s population grow the world’s urban population
...only a very small part of the extremely multifaceted phenomenon of urban sprawl. As previously mentioned, urban sprawl seems to be an inherent part of human community development and an issue that has always present worldwide. It seems highly unlikely that the phenomenon of urban sprawl itself can be eradicated from society. It may be a more realistic goal to attempt to change various aspects of society to decrease the effects of urban sprawl, which may require a dramatic paradigm shift for everyone in a society. It is impossible to correct a community problem if the members of that community are not even aware of the issues and the stakes at hand. Such an overreaching phenomenon such as urban sprawl will require acute awareness and enormous effort on the part of every individual in a community to make a marked difference on the negative effects of urban sprawl.
There is no clear definition of smart city. Smart city carry a vision that an urban space is well planned and structured, technologically sound and environment friendly. It should evolve itself as the technology advance. It should be highly integrated with latest technologies which help in making people live livable, workable and sustain able.
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.