6. Issues & Solutions Within Urban Areas

• Problems within urban areas

  • Lack of space for development in CBD
  • High cost of land in CBD
  • Meeting strict planning and government policies in CBD
  • Congestion
  • Pollution
  • Inequality
  • Housing
  • Crime
  • Land-use change
• Congestion


  • Delays journeys and makes people late
  • Increases fuel consumption
  • Adds to emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants
  • Negative impact on people's health due to stress and poor air quality
• Types of pollution


  • Air
  • Noise
  • Light
  • Visual
  • Water
• Air pollution


  • Half of the world's urban population is affected by poor air quality
  • Thousands of people die each year from air pollution-related conditions
  • Causes include: burning fuelwood, using paraffin, weak/no government pollution controls, use of cheap/poor grade coal, burning of rubbish and plastics
• Noise pollution


  • Arises from: road traffic, people, music, weather, road surfaces, barriers, doors and shutters
  • Associated with mental stress, anger issues, sleep deprivation, hypertension and heart disease
• Light pollution


  • Arises from: street lighting, homes, shops, factories, and offices
  • Linked to headaches, loss of sleep, disruption of nocturnal animals and wasted energy
  • Cities can be seen from space due to their lighting
• Visual pollution


  • Run-down, derelict buildings, streets or neighbourhoods
  • Graffiti and tagging
  • New architecture or roadways
• Water pollution


  • Causes diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery
  • Causes include: industrial discharge, vehicles, residential/commercial wastewater, rubbish, chemicals and other toxic wastes, polluted stormwater and runoff from urban landscapes
• Inequality in urban areas

  • Wealth
  • Housing
  • Employment
  • Educational attainment and achievements
  • Access to healthcare and other opportunities
• Housing in urban areas

  • Expensive in relation to general wages
  • Many families sharing one house or just a room
  • Opportunities for landlords to set high rents and no building maintenance
  • Poor transport links make inner city housing the most desirable and expensive
  • Many houses in LEDCs without adequate space, running water or sanitation
  • Waste removal is inadequate or non-existent, leading to the spread of diseases
  • Lack of access to electricity leads to people burning fuelwood, coal or paraffin
• Crime in urban areas

  • Concentrated in areas of high population densities
  • Partly due to lack of job opportunities and large-scale unemployment
  • Main criminal activities include drug and human trafficking, drug abuse, violence, rape, and robbery
  • The poorest areas of the city (slums) are usually ruled by gangs and intimidation
  • The wealthier areas see car theft, kidnapping, and property damage
• Urban sprawl


  • Outward spread of a city
  • Noticeable in areas which have low-density suburbs
  • Issues include: higher emissions due to car dependency, lost time due to commuting, loss of rural way of life and character of the countryside, higher costs for public transport and social facilities
• Land-use change in urban areas

  • Building on the land, which is in short supply in the urban centres
  • Open land around the urban fringe desirable for housing, industry, shopping, recreation, hospitals and public utilities
  • Brownfield sites
  • Greenfield sites
• Brownfield sites


  Advantages: helps revive old and disused urban areas, reduces the loss of countryside, services already in place, located near to main areas of employment, reduces the risk of squatter settlements

  Disadvantages: often more expensive, often surrounded by rundown areas, higher levels of pollution
• Greenfield sites


  Advantages: healthier environment, close to the countryside, leisure and recreation, layout not restricted, relatively cheap, access and infrastructure easier to build

  Disadvantages: valuable farmland lost, encourages further suburban sprawl, wildlife and habitats lost or disturbed, recreational space and attractive scenery lost, lacks access to public transport, development causes noise and light pollution, cost of installing services
• Solutions to urban challenges

  • Reduce reliance on fossil fuels through renewable energy
  • Energy efficient goods in public buildings, homes, offices and shops
  • Use public rather than private transport
  • Provide green spaces
  • Recycle water
  • Conserve cultural/historical buildings and environmental sites
  • Minimise use of greenfield sites and use brownfield sites
  • Involve local communities and provide a range of employment
  • Reduce packaging, use recyclable packaging, trade locally, use renewable energy and other low-energy devices
  • Invest in public transport, encourage cycling, promote car sharing, invest in Park and Ride, implement congestion charges
  • Develop ecotown communities with energy saving measures and green spaces
• Sustainability is a need for social, economic and environmental factors to be managed so that people can have a better quality of life
• The challenge is for towns and cities to reduce their ecological footprint whilst also tackling social inequalities
• Detroit, Michigan became the largest city in US history (2013) to file for bankruptcy after its revenue fell due to a declining population, rising unemployment and a lack of property and income taxes
• Bristol was the UK's first city to promote cycling, investing in cycle lanes and supporting bike projects
• London has a strict congestion charge and has reduced its levels of pollution by approximately 25% and stopped 13,500 cars a day entering the city centre