Social Challenges
A growing population in an urbanised area means that more people will be living in the city. This can bring about social problems and fairness challenges (uneven distribution of services and facilities).
Social cohesion describes the level of willingness members of a society have to cooperate with one another in order to have a socially health society. Urbanisation incorporates the notion that better employment opportunities are on offer, however urbanisation also brings about higher unemployment rates. This can increase criminal activity such as graffiti on public property as unemployed people are bored with nothing to do and result to poor behaviour. In this instance social cohesion is broken.
Social cohesion is also broken due to isolation in poorly-supplied suburbs on the outskirts of a city which often tend to be deserted as “government focus” has been implemented on the city itself. Residents of these suburbs may feel socially disadvantaged due to lack of access of employment opportunities, public spaces coupled with social attractions, facilities and infrastructure, thus resulting to criminal activity. There is also a higher risk of poverty associated with these suburbs. This is an instance of where urbanisation can have social disadvantages and lead to spatial disparity (unequal amounts of services or facilities in an area).
Another social disadvantage of urbanisation is that it can bring about stress. City life is not for everyone and many people can become frustrated or stressed due to urbanisation. For example, traffic congestion can bring about stress, financial problems may include finding an accommodation that is close to work and cheap to rent even though it may not be ideal for the home owner. Other residents may choose to live further out to find ideal housing, however may face long travel with more expensive petrol bills and paying tolls in order to access specific roads and bridges.
Social disadvantages also include isolation. This can be highlighted when the host of 'Cities on the Edge' visits Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, and discovers a resident who has never left his house. This fear is due to the fast paste of city life and the fear of confronting the extremely busy city. City life can be very overwhelming and this may lead to isolation by hiding in one’s house, trying to escape the busyness of reality.
Social cohesion describes the level of willingness members of a society have to cooperate with one another in order to have a socially health society. Urbanisation incorporates the notion that better employment opportunities are on offer, however urbanisation also brings about higher unemployment rates. This can increase criminal activity such as graffiti on public property as unemployed people are bored with nothing to do and result to poor behaviour. In this instance social cohesion is broken.
Social cohesion is also broken due to isolation in poorly-supplied suburbs on the outskirts of a city which often tend to be deserted as “government focus” has been implemented on the city itself. Residents of these suburbs may feel socially disadvantaged due to lack of access of employment opportunities, public spaces coupled with social attractions, facilities and infrastructure, thus resulting to criminal activity. There is also a higher risk of poverty associated with these suburbs. This is an instance of where urbanisation can have social disadvantages and lead to spatial disparity (unequal amounts of services or facilities in an area).
Another social disadvantage of urbanisation is that it can bring about stress. City life is not for everyone and many people can become frustrated or stressed due to urbanisation. For example, traffic congestion can bring about stress, financial problems may include finding an accommodation that is close to work and cheap to rent even though it may not be ideal for the home owner. Other residents may choose to live further out to find ideal housing, however may face long travel with more expensive petrol bills and paying tolls in order to access specific roads and bridges.
Social disadvantages also include isolation. This can be highlighted when the host of 'Cities on the Edge' visits Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, and discovers a resident who has never left his house. This fear is due to the fast paste of city life and the fear of confronting the extremely busy city. City life can be very overwhelming and this may lead to isolation by hiding in one’s house, trying to escape the busyness of reality.
How to manage Social Challenges
With urbanisation, people can have many social advantages like having opportunities to socially interact at social facilities like restaurants and be immersed into different cultures. However social disadvantages can also occur due to urbanisation. These disadvantages are listed above and can negatively affect the social cohesion of suburbs that outskirt cities. However the feeling of being socially disadvantaged can be prevented with measures, thus if these problems were to arise in Metropolis social disadvantages can be avoided.
A measure that can be implemented includes better detailed planning and infrastructure before building suburbs and communities. Or if community and townships are already built, surveys should be conducted to find out what the community needs.
Environment
By having a detailed plan about certain infrastructure like social facilities where people can interact, education and learning centres/schools, health facilities and public transportation system, the social environment of the town would be a better and happier environment to live, thus improving quality of life. This would prevent the feeling of boredom for many residents and preventing reckless energy inflicted upon nature that could damage the environment. For instance, people who commit criminal activity may result to littering water systems, tormenting wildlife or mistreating parks and green spaces. Criminal activity can also lead to use of drugs, alcohol and smoking cigarettes. By smoking cigarettes, pollutants are released in the atmosphere which contributes to air pollution. By providing rural suburbs with such facilities as listed above, criminal activity can be avoided and damage to the environment can be reduced.
Economy
Money allocated by the government can be used to construct infrastructure needed to make suburbs a socially sustainable place to live before building the suburbs or after conducting surveys to determine what suburbs require to live a high standard of living without feeling socially disadvantaged. As suburbs do not have all the benefits of living in the city, basic infrastructure like social infrastructure i.e. restaurants or shopping malls, public transport, schools, community halls, humanitarian aid/services, chemists etc., must be provided to suburbs on the outskirts of large, growing cities to sustain their interest and living requirements. These new precincts can also promote local businesses which will gain clients and customers to financially support their revenue. Without these services and facilities residents of these fringe suburbs would feel isolated, distant and socially or economically disadvantage as they lack access to facilities and services in the city. This may bring about crime such as vandalism as the suburbs lack the facilities and services to promote community cohesion or hobbies of people’s interests. However without customers, services would not be able to make any revenue to sustain their business and therefore shut down. Hence, people require services and services require people to sustain a good quality of life for residents in the fringe suburbs of cities.
Social
By building infrastructure required to sustain the social aspect of suburbs, community cohesion will be encouraged, criminal activity will be reduced and the feeling of infrastructural disadvantage will be abolished. Suburban residents require local facilities to have a good quality of life by being able to interact with one another at social facilities and having access to facilities and services such as medical centre, shopping malls and transport systems. By having easy access to facilities and services within suburbs out skirting the city, suburbs of the greater region of Metropolis provide a sustainable life for residents to experience. Having services, local facilities, and businesses that can offer employment opportunities will reduce activities of crime such as vandalism, destroying recreational facilities, transport systems and street/footpaths, making suburbs a better and safer environment to reside in. Access to facilities and service will make the community a happy place and promote community cohesion, where residents get along with one another and assist the community where or when required.
Having better and detailed planning of infrastructure and surveying communities to determine what they require to sustain their lifestyle is an essential measure to reduce anti-social behaviour such as crime, and eradicate the feeling of having social and infrastructural disadvantages because of residence in suburbs that do not have the same benefits of living in the city. This needs to happen in the short term future and continue to happen over the lifespan of Metropolis as sustaining the needs of residents of the greater region of Metropolis is a priority in sustaining population growth and assisting the city prosper and providing a great living experience for future generations to come.
A measure that can be implemented includes better detailed planning and infrastructure before building suburbs and communities. Or if community and townships are already built, surveys should be conducted to find out what the community needs.
Environment
By having a detailed plan about certain infrastructure like social facilities where people can interact, education and learning centres/schools, health facilities and public transportation system, the social environment of the town would be a better and happier environment to live, thus improving quality of life. This would prevent the feeling of boredom for many residents and preventing reckless energy inflicted upon nature that could damage the environment. For instance, people who commit criminal activity may result to littering water systems, tormenting wildlife or mistreating parks and green spaces. Criminal activity can also lead to use of drugs, alcohol and smoking cigarettes. By smoking cigarettes, pollutants are released in the atmosphere which contributes to air pollution. By providing rural suburbs with such facilities as listed above, criminal activity can be avoided and damage to the environment can be reduced.
Economy
Money allocated by the government can be used to construct infrastructure needed to make suburbs a socially sustainable place to live before building the suburbs or after conducting surveys to determine what suburbs require to live a high standard of living without feeling socially disadvantaged. As suburbs do not have all the benefits of living in the city, basic infrastructure like social infrastructure i.e. restaurants or shopping malls, public transport, schools, community halls, humanitarian aid/services, chemists etc., must be provided to suburbs on the outskirts of large, growing cities to sustain their interest and living requirements. These new precincts can also promote local businesses which will gain clients and customers to financially support their revenue. Without these services and facilities residents of these fringe suburbs would feel isolated, distant and socially or economically disadvantage as they lack access to facilities and services in the city. This may bring about crime such as vandalism as the suburbs lack the facilities and services to promote community cohesion or hobbies of people’s interests. However without customers, services would not be able to make any revenue to sustain their business and therefore shut down. Hence, people require services and services require people to sustain a good quality of life for residents in the fringe suburbs of cities.
Social
By building infrastructure required to sustain the social aspect of suburbs, community cohesion will be encouraged, criminal activity will be reduced and the feeling of infrastructural disadvantage will be abolished. Suburban residents require local facilities to have a good quality of life by being able to interact with one another at social facilities and having access to facilities and services such as medical centre, shopping malls and transport systems. By having easy access to facilities and services within suburbs out skirting the city, suburbs of the greater region of Metropolis provide a sustainable life for residents to experience. Having services, local facilities, and businesses that can offer employment opportunities will reduce activities of crime such as vandalism, destroying recreational facilities, transport systems and street/footpaths, making suburbs a better and safer environment to reside in. Access to facilities and service will make the community a happy place and promote community cohesion, where residents get along with one another and assist the community where or when required.
Having better and detailed planning of infrastructure and surveying communities to determine what they require to sustain their lifestyle is an essential measure to reduce anti-social behaviour such as crime, and eradicate the feeling of having social and infrastructural disadvantages because of residence in suburbs that do not have the same benefits of living in the city. This needs to happen in the short term future and continue to happen over the lifespan of Metropolis as sustaining the needs of residents of the greater region of Metropolis is a priority in sustaining population growth and assisting the city prosper and providing a great living experience for future generations to come.