Cities - Growing and Downsizing Factors

Cities

Growing and Downsizing Factors

Introduction:

With the beginning of the 21th century, people Began to move from the suburbs and the small villages to bigger developed communities that had better education, better healthcare, better transportations and more job opportunities. People Called these developed communities "Cities". Some have described the city as a community in which a considerable number of the population pursue their main activities within the city, in non-rural occupations" Chant (1999:ix, quoting Hammond 1972:8). Many factors can make these communities grow and develop to have influence and become one of the best places in the world where many people aim to live in. On the other hand, some problems may stop the growth of these cities or even lead them to become "Dead Cities". Dubai is one of the cities in the world that has stopped growing, after the vast development in the late nineties.

Development factors:

There are many reasons that cause the continuous growth of cities and their populations. For example, some cities began as small communities with religious status. The population of these cities begin to grow. Consequently, these communities turned into important cities. Mecca and Jerusalem are good examples of cities that owe their existence to their religious shrines(City,2008,p3).

Another factor that may attract people to live in a specific area and start building it is the location. A strategic location can turn a small village into an important trading center for the import and export of goods. For example, Detroit is the largest city in the United states, which is located on the Detroit River. This location helped this city became a major port city in the United States (Jacobs, 1969). Rivers, seas and favorable climate are also some signs of a strategic location.

Industrial revolution has also played an important role in the development of the cities. As transportation and the power sources improved after the industrial revolution, many factories were built in the communities that have excellent transportation and excellent power sources. Therefore, new job opportunities were created, which attracted people to live in such communities(City,2008).

City Problems:

However, some important cities could face crucial problems that lead them to cease to have influence after years or maybe centuries of growth and development. Overcrowding and slums are important factors that lead people to consider leaving a city. Overcrowding and slums are important factors that lead people to consider leaving a city. Slums are a concentration of social and economic deprivations, high population density, high numbers of broken families, high unemployment, and economic, physical and social exclusion. These characteristics are important factors that cause crime and violence (UN-HABITAT,2003). Furthermore, crowded creates a series of problems including disease transmission and traffic.

Pollution is another problem that faces many large cities which causes health problems and destroys the environment. Therefore, people prefer living in the suburbs rather than living in a polluted city.

Financial problems can also affect the growth of a city by raising the taxes which place people under financial pressure. Consequently, people aim to find another place to live (City, 2008).

Dubai:

Dubai is an example of a city that has gone through both the developmental and the downsizing factors. It has been heralded as a boomtown and as the city of the 8th wonder of the world (the Palm Islands), yet it has been facing some economic problems that impeded and continue to impede its development projects. Consequently, many construction projects has been suspended or cancelled. For example, Deira palm has been put on hold(Hill,2009). Moreover, Dubai was cancelling around 1500 work visas every day.