Urban Evolution and Modern Challenges

The Growth of Urban Population

Throughout history, the urban population has increased; thus, the planet is becoming more urbanized and moving towards a world of cities. This produces an increased concentration of population in large cities. These are becoming megacities with more people than many states, but they also face more problems.

The Preindustrial City

Before the Industrial Revolution, cities had these characteristics:

• They were small cores, as they were compact and people moved on foot or by horses.
• The streets were narrow and many cities were protected by walls.
• Buildings were low-rise, and traders focused on streets specializing in the sale of certain products.
• The downtown area was the plaza.

The City in the Nineteenth Century

The first Industrial Revolution experienced a transformation: they had trams and trains, and the elevator was invented because buildings became elevated. The walls were demolished, and cities expanded. The center met most of the economic activities, while workers' quarters were located outside the city.

The City in the Twentieth Century

Key features include:

• The generalization of the automobile, causing cities to expand further.
• New industries located in peripheral areas and the construction of highways made cities grow more.
• Industry is installed in industrial parks, and residential areas are built in neighboring municipalities.

Transport and Mobility

There are serious transport problems. Many people use private cars, but streets are unable to absorb such traffic intensity. To improve mobility, authorities attempt to encourage public transport and promote sustainable mobility by creating pedestrian streets and bicycle lanes.

Pollution in Big Cities

Pollution has adverse effects on the health of the population, affects vegetation, and can even damage monuments. It also produces large-scale water contamination. Furthermore, noise pollution caused by mass transport, leisure activities, and industries is a very serious issue.

Social Exclusion and Crime

In cities, there are great social inequalities. Part of the population has a very low standard of living and lives in poor-quality dwellings or even shanties. These people have fewer opportunities for training, leading to greater difficulty in finding work. The term social exclusion is used to indicate that these citizens are not integrated into society. Crime rates are higher among the excluded than among the rest of the population.

Social Housing and Slums

In developed countries, the price of housing is very high, and part of the population is unable to access rented or purchased homes. Authorities attempt to mitigate this through social housing. The housing problem is very serious in underdeveloped countries, where much of the population lives in substandard housing. This happens in the neighborhoods of large cities, such as Brazilian favelas. In these neighborhoods, housing problems are joined by social exclusion and crime.