URBANISATION

The major cities of the world have come a long way since the process of urbanization gathered momentum in the 20^th century. They are forever expanding outwards, upwards and very soon downwards as ever higher buildings replace rambling baronial residences and Victorian terraces. Mega cities like Istanbul are like small countries. In fact the population of the latter is currently equal to the total population of Greece. Although urbanization has some definite advantages, the giant metropolises of the world have created certain disadvantages as well.

Urbanization  has various undeniable benefits. The different areas in a city are linked by a network of roads, subways, railways, and buses, bullet trains, private vehicles, lorries and the like travel these roads 24/7. Superb connections link people and services like never before. People can access their workplaces, schools, hospitals, public buildings and malls in minutes. The sick get treated, business is transacted, young people are educated and everybody is entertained. Every type of good imaginable from mangos to melons and sweet potatoes is available in supermarkets irrespective of season, all major fashion stores compete to dress urban dwellers and even daily newspapers from all over the world are available in every large metropolis. The practicalities of living in this type of an environment are obvious. There is practically no demand that cannot be met in big cities, which continue to attract more and more people from the countryside each passing day. Yet this is not the full picture: this unnatural way of living has done a lot of damage too.

The negative impacts of urbanization cannot be denied. The first is on the environment. The spread of cities has meant the destruction of forests, woods, copses, fields, valleys and the like, which has had a knock on effect on all the wildlife we share the planet with. The habitats of many species have been shrinking rapidly over the years leading some animals to the brink of extinction. The growing concern over what we are doing to our countries has prompted some countries such as the UK to start planting new forests. The second environmental issue which is a natural consequence of urbanization is pollution. The transport vehicles and factories belch out toxic fumes; the same factories dump unsavory chemicals in the rivers and lakes; residents produce mountains of trash, which has to be dealt with; the noise in the cities is deafening and the excessive light is deeply disturbing. In short cities are not the heavens they are made out to be. This is not all though; there are other problems as well.

Another negative impact of urbanization involves the changing relationships between people. Living in closer proximity does not mean people are closer together; quite the reverse. People in cities hardly speak to their neighbours or even know their names. Everybody is trapped in their own little worlds and pass others like ships in the night. Anonymity is what characterizes human relations in cities. The resulting alienation can lead to serious psychological problems. Depression, anxiety disorder and also more serious problems and their unwanted consequences are more common in cities. Those who cannot cope in the urban jungle we have created for ourselves may turn to drugs, alcohol or even opt out by committing suicide. Loneliness is rife and so is a nagging feeling that there should be more to life than the rat race. People feel dissatisfied without realizing the source of their problem. They feel they are missing something without knowing what. In short, cities may be tough places to live.

In conclusion, one thing that needs to be realized is that urbanization is not all it is cracked up to be.  There are undeniable up sides to city life but the picture isn’t as rosy as one would like to think. Cities change human nature and can cause an undercurrent of despair while addressing many practical issues. There are a lot of lessons concerning city living both municipalities and city dwellers need to be reminded of.