Consequences of Urban Growth *AS*

Settlement: Consequences of Urban Growth

The rapid growth in cities in developing world has led to serious problems in providing housing, basic services and employment

Housing

·      Most housing in inadequate

·      Most must fend for themselves and survive by their own efforts

·      1/3 of urban dwellers in developing countries can’t find/ afford accommodation to meet basic health and safety standards

·      Many sleep on the streets, rent a single room or create shelters themselves

·      Some of the settlements are improved over time. The government adds sewerage, water supply, and electricity and refuse disposal to existing shanty-towns (cheaper than making new houses).

Services

·      Only parts of the city have access to infrastructure

·      Rubbish is rarely collected

·      Drainage is inadequate

·      Lack of electricity hinders industrial growth

·      Emergency services are unreliable

·      Shops may only carry essentials

Pollution & Health

·      Drinking water is often contaminated with sewerage

·      Disease is often caused by drinking water

·      Many are malnourished

·      Lack of pollution controls fuel the spread of respiratory disease

·      High IMF

Transport

·      Inadequate transport system

·      Road networks unable to deal with a large volume of traffic

·      High accident rates and pollution

·      Traffic mainly consists of old cars, vans, trucks, overcrowded buses, carts, rickshaws and bicycles.

Unemployment and Underemployment

·      New arrivals exceed the number of jobs available

·      Manufacturing industry is limited

·      Occupations limited to police, army, cleaners, security and the civil service.

·      Many work in informal sector

·      Informal jobs include street trading, food processing and local crafts

Problems resulting from rapid urban growth: Cairo, Egypt

Ø Cairo has a population between 6-12 million residents (unknown really as no real census has been conducted).

Ø Many live in the Medieval centre of town in: Overcrowded two room apartments in densely packed flats, additional roof top slums on top of flat top buildings and in the city of the dead (a Muslim cemetery estimated to hold 3 million people).

Ø Streets are narrow, noisy and polluted.

Ø Pollution comes from dilapidated 20^th Century sewerage systems and small factories located in backyards.

Ø Carts take rubbish to the edge of the city where it is sorted by people sifting for things to recycle for money

Ø By 2009 sewerage was improved, roads improved, metro was built, refuse collection began, and low cost apartment blocks were built.