Challenges of Urban Areas in Developed Countries
Geography: KS3, topic 14.1.8
Challenges of Urban Areas in Developed Countries
Urbanisation in developed countries happened over a slower period of time after the Industrial Revolution and so the challenges faced are different from urban areas in developing countries.
International migration growth
- Many cities in developed countries (e.g. London) are not experiencing rapid rural-urban migration because this happened in the past.
- But their population is still growing as international migrants move to cities.
Problems providing services
- One of the biggest challenges for developed urban areas is to provide enough services for the population.
- Larger populations put more pressure on services than smaller populations.
- High rates of population growth mean that new schools, hospitals and doctors surgeries are always needing to be built.
Traffic congestion and pollution
- Many cities in the developed world face major problems with traffic congestion because so many people drive cars.
- More cars mean more air pollution. Living in an area with high levels of air pollution increases the risk of certain diseases.
- London is the worst city in the UK for air pollution. Air pollution in London can take 6 months off your life expectancy and can even be linked to 1 in 12 deaths in the city.
Lack of affordable housing
- A challenge for urban areas in developed countries is providing enough housing at prices that people can afford.
- In many cities in developed countries, people on the lowest-incomes are now struggling to find affordable housing.
- Houses are cheaper if people live further out but then they have to spend more time and more money travelling for their job.
- In London, rents are rising at an average of 6% per year for one and two bedroom properties.
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