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    A hundred years ago

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    ana cecilia chuquicondor lloclla

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    A hundred years ago

    Uploaded by

    ana cecilia chuquicondor lloclla
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    1 views1 page

    A hundred years ago

    Uploaded by

    ana cecilia chuquicondor lloclla

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    A hundred years ago, only 20 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas, but the

    20th century saw a dramatic shift that marks a turning point in history. Today, more people live
    in cities than in rural areas, and urbanization continues to grow around the world. According to
    the World Bank, city living is much more efficient in a variety of ways. It's easier to provide
    services when people live closer together. However, cities also change the way that humans
    interact with each other and the environment, often causing multiple problems. When families
    move into urban areas, they automatically place themselves in closer proximity to basic
    services such as hospitals and schools - urbanization often brings health care and educational
    opportunities to those who might not have had access to them in rural areas. Cities also offer
    public transportation, government run sanitation services and social programs such as libraries,
    health clinics and children's programs. For many people, especially in developing countries,
    access to these services offers many advantages in terms of creating opportunities. As large-
    scale agriculture displaces many traditional farmers from the rural lifestyle, the tremendous
    growth of modern industry in large urban areas attracts people with the promise 15 of
    employment. In general, urban wages are significantly higher, so moving to the city is an
    opportunity to earn that was impossible in rural areas. However, the wage difference is often
    offset by the higher cost of living and absence of self-produced goods, including subsistence
    farming. Those who move from rural areas to urban ones sometimes find themselves living in
    shanty towns or slum areas. These new city residents are faced with problems that do not exist
    in the countryside: street crime, including gangs, as well as social inequality and discrimination.
    The urban poor struggle to make a living, even if they do earn more than they did in rural
    areas, because the cost of city life is significantly higher and the opportunities to produce their
    own food and other basic necessities is greatly reduced. Traffic congestion and industrial
    manufacturing, prominent features of the urban landscape, 25 also take their toll on the
    natural environment and those who depend on it. A lack of clean water is a major problem
    among the urban poor in major cities around the world, as is air pollution from both cars and
    factory emissions. In fact, according to an article in the "British Medical Journal," almost 10
    percent of the world's disease burden is now caused by pollution and contamination, and the
    number is significantly higher among the poor in developing countries. For many, and
    especially those who moved to urban areas for opportunity, city living proves deadly in ways
    not known in the countryside.

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