Urban Issues in America and Foreign Cities

Urban Issues in America and Foreign Cities

    Introduction

Urban issues are the challenges and matters of contention that are encountered in urban areas. Urban problems are diverse depending on the setting described in the field of concern or the area in which one is trying to identify. Some urban issues are universal as they are encountered in both American cities as well as other foreign cities. Fiscal challenges, pollution, traffic congestion, housing challenges, poor quality of water supplied, dumping, and high energy consumption are the primary and universal challenges that have been observed since time immemorial. The immediate reason for these challenges is the fact that urban areas are always highly populated.

For the issue of waste, many cities have limited ways of proper waste disposal; hence there are challenges of diseases related to poor hygiene. This is due to limited space in the towns resulting from the high population. Similarly, traffic congestion in cities occurs from high listings of vehicles in the highways. Poor housing on the other hand has the same root cause. However, housing may be as a result of fiscal policies such as taxation rate, which makes house owners to raise the rent amounts. Pollution in the same cities encompasses air, water and soil pollution. Emission of gases by vehicles and plants affects the air which may eventually lead to green-house effect.

For the case of American cities, urban issues have been examined though various case studies. The deliverables of the case studies have therefore been compared to the results of other case studies for the foreign cities. The research paper entails a contrast between American cities and foreign cities in terms of the issues and the general aspects concerning the issues. The aspects are the general background of the issues, the consequences and how they handle the issues. The aspect and the contrasts are discussed below;

Issues in respective Cities (America and Europe)

Pollution in the two cities

As discussed earlier, pollution occurs in several dimension; air, noise and light, land pollution and water pollution. Scholars define pollution as introduction of harmful or poisonous substances into the environment. These different dimensions have specific significance as well as the future implications of the same issues if they are not addressed (Dantley, 2005). The most dangerous impacts of the same are the future or long term effects that are directly hazardous to human life. Research tells that the impacts of environmental pollution may take up to a century to manifest as well as to get completely finished.

High levels of pollution can lead to high risk of diseases such as heart attack, coughing and whizzing, breathing difficulties and irritation in eyes, nose, and throat. Pollution can also cause worsening of existing heart problems, asthmatic conditions and other complications in the body of human beings.

Pollution in Los Angeles.

Case study reports tell that Los Angeles is the most polluted city in US with widespread of air pollution issues, with sixty percent of the population breathing unclean air. The report tells that in the year 2013 the Los Angeles Riverside beach was ranked as the number one polluted zone in the city. Apparently, there has been a drastic decrease in the level of pollution following the lockdown due the corona virus outbreak. There has been little air pollution since there is no emission of gases into the atmosphere (Frazier, 2019). However, the decrease may not be permanent since the level may peak up after the pandemic to the usual levels. Contrary to this, air pollution is believed to worsen the symptoms of corona virus despite the fact the pandemic is increasing the quality of air in some places.

In some communities, wood smoke is from heating is still evident, therefore making the cases of air pollution in the current levels. With the current and past rankings, California cities still dominates the report on top most polluted cities in the Us. The place is also a home of ozone polluted cities with Los Angeles in the top of the list.

Problems associated with air pollution.

            The effects of air pollution are categorized into two; long term and short term effects. The effects include,

Health hazards; According to health experts, an adult can inhale an average of seven or eight liters of air per minute while at rest, which brings a minimum of eleven thousand liters of air in a day. However, inhaling dirty air in your body is invisible since pure air cannot separate from the dirt in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is very possible to have health issues in case one is in an air polluted environment. This might lead to respiratory diseases, blackening of lungs as well as diseases like cancer and asthma (Dantley, 2005). A recent study Forum of Respiratory societies shows that air pollution is directly linked to diabetes, infertility issues and child hood diseases such as leukemia.

Change in Climate; black carbon, which is a component of PM contributes to the warming of the climate. They are also referred to as short-lived climate pollutants. Therefore, air pollution affects climate through the ozone effects. Emission of the named gas into the atmosphere leads to formation of ozone layer. Ozone layer causes global warming by preventing heat from moving beyond the formed ozone. Black ozone was recently observed in the atmosphere for few days. However, even after the disappearance of the layer, it does not mean that the carbon (iv) oxide gases no longer exist in the atmosphere. The gas takes one hundred years to get completely finished in the atmosphere. Therefore, ozone layer increase temperature, hence changing the climate

Effects on water and weather; air pollution aca drastically affect the rainfall patterns to monsoon intensities. Particular matter can interfere with solar radiation, hence affecting the rate at which the earth’s surface gets heated. Poor heating on the earth’s surface leads to less vaporization which is the root cause of rainfall. Particulate matter can also affect cloud formation which in turn will directly affect the rainfall patterns. A case study in report tells that the areas which experiences little or no rainfall has issues to do with air pollution- particulate in the atmosphere which interferes with vaporization and formation of clouds in the sky (Morse, 1975). The study further implies that these impacts blend well with the general environmental variations.

Solar energy deteriorated; Dust in the solar panels interferes with its normal functioning. Sunlight cannot penetrate through the smog or dust and therefore reducing the output of the solar. For the cities and countries which consider renewable energy as an option, they are likely to have less productivity if they have air pollution issues.

Food and Vegetation; Ozone layer results in green house effects, by damaging plant cells and photosynthesis cycle. Particulate matter on the other hand can affect the intensity of light in plant cells. This will therefore affect vegetation as well as crop produce. A reduction I crop produce gives a corresponding reduction in food. A case study tells that massive air pollution leads to in India caused a significant decrease in the amount of food crops. Similarly, acid rains largely affect vegetation. This is because lower PH values are not conducive for growth of vegetation.

Air pollution level in Vienna, Europe

Vienna is the top ranked cleanest air condition City in Europe with the excellent strategies in maintaining the level (Spencer et al., 1993). This has enabled good reputation about the City and there has been a significant visiting rates in the place. The strategies used by the city to keep the air conditions excellent are discussed as follows;

Bio based economy

This is an approach which was incorporated to reduce gas emissions into the atmosphere. Production of biofuels has become increasingly important and has been kept to maintained to have a sustainable future. Rotterdam is the leading bio based industry enabling it to utilize the advantages of chemical cluster.

                                                            Local Transport

Some towns in Vienna incorporates environmental and economic objectives to achieve a sustainable urban proper planning. The quantitative targets in the urban areas include traffic reduction and car performance within the city boundaries, user environmentally friendly options and adjustment of traffic behaviors.

Nature and Biodiversity

            A significant action for the development and nurturing a green biodiversity in the city is being put into consideration in the city. The green environment facilitates exchange of gases hence purification of gases in the city.

Energy performance

Energy use in the city has a direct relation to air quality and climate change. This was established and implemented by a partnership to reduce air pollution and its impacts. The plan has an inclusive strategy for maintaining a green environment also. The strategies are; a significant carbon (iv) oxide reduction, district cooling, onshore power supply, implementing heat storage, high cost of effectiveness and use of electric power cars. These strategies are always in the lead in the city to increase high levels of air purification, hence the city has the best air conditions in Europe.

How to improve air conditions in the US city- Los Angeles.

Adopting alternative sources of energy; solar energy and bio based energy ca be adopted in the companies located in the city. Such forms of energy have the same functioning as the fuel related sources of energy which are always a threat to the environment. Another alternative in the local transport, vehicles should be serviced and fuel engines should be replaced with electric engines (Dantley, 2005). This will help reduce gas emission from the vehicles. Unworthy vehicles on the other hand should be eliminated. Such vehicles emit a lot of nitrogen (iv) oxide in the atmosphere which contributes to greenhouse effects.

Establishing strategies that promotes and maintains green environment. Just like how Vienna operates, most of its vegetation is green. There are various strategies that were laid down by their government to establish and maintain green environment. As discussed earlier, green vegetation enhances exchange of gases- purification of gases. This is possible since the plants absorb carbon (iv) oxide gases and remits oxygen which is pure and goo for the atmosphere.

Reducing the number of trips per day; there should be an overall transportation to reduce the number of cars in the highways as well as the number of trips within the city. A case study in the New York shows that the best alternative to local transport was implemented though it never went through, it had the objective of reducing the number of vehicles in the roads.

Burning of disposals should be eliminated at all cost. The best alternative to this is to recycle the waste products rather than burning (Morse 1975). Many disposal items are always associated with the city center, therefore should be eliminated in an environmentally friendly manner.

Crowding and housing issues in the two cities

Crowding and is a growing problem which has been observed in US cities, with higher levels prior to the great Recession Data reports extracted from American Community Survey tells that the share of household has spiked to significant ratios. This section of the research examines overcrowding in both New York and The number of cases where the people are intergrouped in the houses has increased from thirty-seven million to forty-three million. Similarly, overcrowding has been observed in the general set up of the city (Morse, 1975). However, there are effects of household overcrowding as well as the general overcrowding in the city. The effects are discussed as follows;

Faster spread of diseases; the recent case of COVID-19 explains how overcrowding is dangerous to a city. People who are grouped in a small area are likely to contract the virus due to its contagious nature. However, measures have been taken to reduce the phenomenon. This through the recent lockdown of the cities as well as workplaces. Similar contagious diseases such as airborne diseases and Ebola can also be easily be contracted if there is a case of overcrowding in a place.

Poor living and working conditions among the native citizens; since the opportunities in the city may not be able to fully support the whole population, the people will end up living the lowest standards of live as well as many people will be living below the poverty levels. A case study in a restaurant in New York done by Ruth Gombez, suggest that the workers in the restaurant had poor paying jobs with too much work. The workers however are willing to take even the little pay despite the fact that they are being poorly treated by the restaurant managers.    The primary cause of this is the influx of immigrants whose nationality is Mexico. These casual workers are so desperate for jobs that they are willing to take any conditions however unconducive they are; they are also willing to work with any amount of pay. This has made the American workers to work under the same conditions with the little pay (Dantley, 2005). However, the government has tried to make the working conditions for the immigrants to be hard so as to avoid more influx of refugees in their country, but the strategy has never worked since the undocumented workers are willing to work even with the new system. Therefore, it can be deducted that crowding lowers the people’s living standards.

Poor social Services; Medical and other social services become a difficulty in accessing as well as providing. In the event of an emergency case of a patient in any crowded area, the probability of the person getting quick medical services is close to zero. A case study shows that overcrowded places are often characterized with unemployment, therefore people are likely to have little for their welfare (Spencer et al., 1993). Recreation activities, though they have a significant listing is also a challenge to access. Similarly, people may fear to go to places with high populations due to the fear of robbery. In most cases, robbery is encountered in areas where people are many.

Crowding and housing issues in Islington, London

Northumberland is a European city located in United Kingdom, known for its organized population structure and minimum population density. It has less cases of crowding in the places of residence as well as workplace. Such phenomenon can give a direct reflection of the health issues which can be easily transmitted from one person to another. The population density of the area is small with a total population of three hundred and nineteen thousand people living in the entire township. The city has proper social services as well as better living standards among the people. The primary strategy used by the city council is the decentralization of authorities (Frazier, 2019). This is where the country scatters authority organs in a country or a nation to reduce the effect of high population in a place. Similarly, development of rural and native areas has been focused on in the city to maintain minimum population density.

How to reduce crowding and housing challenges in the New-York

The city should directly employ the strategies used by the Northumberland to maintain its minimum population density. The city should improve infrastructure in the native areas. This will make the people shift to the rural areas in search for opportunities. Secondly, investors should stop investing in the city center. This should be done to achieve a balance in the development to avoid overpopulation in a one area or a city. Administrative locations on the other hand should be moved to other small towns or native areas.

Conclusion

From the Research above, it can be concluded that there are several issues affecting urban areas most of which are as a result of high population pressure. This issues include crowding in residential areas, pollution, poor social services, high risks of fire as well as poor access to facilities. The American Cities which have been examined in this research are New York and Los Angeles while the European Cities in the research are Vienna and Northumberland. This Cities have been examined comparatively and recommendations have been made on how to bring change in the Cities which the urban issues as a challenge, Los Angeles and New York.

However, there are other foreign cities such as Vienna and Northumberland have excellent strategies in handling the urban issues. Air pollution in Vienna is no longer part of the challenges to be worked on in the city. This is due to proper environmental policies that are governing the city. Northumberland on the other hand have no issues to do with housing and crowding due to its minimal population density. Recommendation on America cities have drawn from the performance of the European Cities.

REFERENCES

Dantley, M. E. (2005). African American spirituality and Cornel West’s notions of prophetic pragmatism: Restructuring educational leadership in American urban schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(4), 651-674.

Frazier, J. W. (2019). Race and place: Equity issues in urban America. Routledge.

Morse, R. M. (1971). Trends and issues in Latin American urban research, 1965-1970 (Part I). Latin American Research Review, 6(1), 3-52.

Spencer, M. B., Cole, S. P., DuPree, D., Glymph, A., & Pierre, P. (1993). Self-efficacy among urban African American early adolescents: Exploring issues of risk, vulnerability, and resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 5(4), 719-739.