Most major cities around the world continue to grow at a phenomenal rate due to the massive increase in population. This has led to a general decline in the quality of life in city areas as the environment becomes more crowded and polluted. Give some reasons why this growth has occurred and suggest some practical solutions to this problem.

Over the

last

few decades, the world has seen tremendous urbanisation to support its rising population.

However

,

this

growth has been tainted by a gradual reduction in quality of life

due to

significant pollution and overcrowding. In

this

essay, I will highlight the reasons for the uncontrolled expansion of

cities

and some viable solutions to

this

predicament

Firstly

, urban

areas

have high economic activity. They are either big financial hubs or have large manufacturing

centres

.

Hence

, they have more job opportunities compared to neighbouring small towns.

This

leads to a constant migration of people from rural to urban

centres

in search of a better financial future. To accommodate the pressures of

this

rising population these

centres

require vast upgrades to infrastructure like wider roads, new housing complexes and recreational

areas

.

For example

, ever since the Indian

city

of Patna was declared a special economic zone, its population has had a 40% increment and it has undergone a massive upgrade of its airports and railway stations.

Hence

, an increase in economic value and the subsequent exodus of job seekers often lead to the growth of a

city

.

However

,

this

expansion comes at the cost of a poor life quality. A possible solution to prevent

this

unchecked growth of

cities

is to have a balanced national development plan. Governments must ensure that industries are divided equally amongst rural and urban

areas

so that there are plenty of employment opportunities in the villages.

This

will significantly reduce the overpopulation of

cities

due to

rural-urban migration and in turn, prevent unchecked, imbalanced expansion of

city

areas

. To summarise, globally, big

cities

are constantly undergoing rapid urbanisation. the possible causes of

this

are the disproportionately high number of jobs in

city

centres

and the subsequent rural-to-urban migration. To prevent

this

, countries must adopt a more balanced approach to development with equitable opportunities in both villages and

city

areas

.