Mega cities: challenges

Question 1

Housing: and eg

Answer 1

rapid growth (natural and rural-urban migration)= many challenges: homelessness, squatting, slums all common

well known for slums- areas of makeshift/substandard housing

• lrg range of problems for megacities –> chaotic/close knit nature hard to improve infrastructure
• absence of services in slums= unhealthy, while building materials = hazardous

eg: 40% of Karachi (Pakistan) live in squatter/slums, over 50% in Mexico City

Question 2

Traffic infrastructure: eg

Answer 2

• decrease of extreme poverty–> owning vehicle more common = worse traffic
• roads clogged with different vehicles, “unstandardized” driver training, no culture of road rules = gridlock

eg: Mumbai- railwork can’t cope (200+ trains/day male 2000+ trips), walking is faster some places

Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP) funded by World Bank= increase efficiency/capacity of railway services

Question 3

water/ sanitation: eg

Answer 3

clean water + sewage removal = vital

• challenge: inability to provide water to slums, also old colonial infrastructure can’t deal (vol, new materials in sewer systems)
  eg: water- 1/2 Jakarta buys water from street vendors, 80%+ no direct access to piped system
  sewage: Karachi (20%) of metro population connected to sewarge, let flow untreated in waterways

Question 4

electricity: eg

Answer 4

inadequate, unreliable
- no electricity for cooking use biomass (wood/dung) = low air quality, higher household fire risk

renewable energy good- dont rely on grid, supply power for slum families

Question 5

employment:

Answer 5

informal: provide cheap goods/services for poor
- larger sector of economy, unregulated (exploited- low wages, bad conditions, child labour)
- but only jobs available
- UN estimates 37% in megacities work in informal sector
eg. Mexico City (approx 1/2)

formal:
- good infrastructure= encourage foreign/domestic investment
- link industrial zones (airport/seaport) reduce time/cost/inconvenience of shipping goods

Question 6

health and nutrition:

Answer 6

overcrowding: quicker transmission of disease (eg. TB, pneumonia) with poor hygiene

lack of privacy: mental health problems (anxiety, depression)

food contamination: lack hygienic conditions for food prep (transmit disease)–> diarrhea (cause death/illness of children prematurely), street food (unsanitary conditions)