Urbanization is the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban or city like. This is a simply explanation. By definition, urbanization comprises population immigration to an already existing urban area that results in expansion of that area at the cost of rural or natural land. Thus, surrounding outskirts will be changed from rural to urban. Urbanization is an important symbol of human civilization, and urbanization in the human history not only has positive effects but also negative effects. Nowadays we face enormous challenges. Urbanization makes economic develop and also has many environmental problems.
Urbanization make social develop. Urbanization occurred primarily due to economical changes within both rural and urban areas. As agriculture become more technologically advanced, there was less need for people to do work that could now be replaced by machines. "In addition, living in rural areas and working on farms oftentimes also became unpredictable during times of flood, drought, or pestilence."(Angotti, T, 1993) Urban areas, in turn offered greater occupational opportunities that rural areas simply did not posses. Moving closer to urban areas also allowed for a reduction in travel commuting time or expenses that often resulted from having to work in an urban area but residing outside urban perimeters. Urban centers also offered increased educational opportunities, housing, and transportation. The urban areas often contain better services. Many individuals also found it necessary to move closer to urban areas, due to better availability of medical professionals, especially specialists in a certain field of medicine. Greater availability and variety of entertainment sources, such as restaurants, theaters, night clubs, or recreational places have also played a role in people's decisions to move to a urban area.
Urbanization also has effect on economy. On one hand, with the developing of urbanization, the social production is changed a lot. Agriculture is gradually changed into industry. On the other hand, in the process of urbanization, the education and technology develop quickly. On a global scale, changes in information, production and transportation technologies have had profound effects on urbanization. To the extent that these changes substitute for geographic proximity, they have vastly reduced the need for face-to-face communications and have greatly increased the mobility of goods, services, labor, technology and capital throughout the world. This marked increase in the pace of globalization has spurred rapid economic growth in many countries.
There are two sides to everything. Urbanization also causes some environmental problems. The major cause of most environmental problems is the rapidly growing human population. About 90 million babies are born each year. At this rate, by the year 2050, global population will reach 10 billion. The current world population is on average very young and has many years of reproductive life ahead. Because of this the population will grow even the fertility rate seems to decrease. The population growth takes mostly place in developing countries. These countries are in charge of 90 per cent of current population growth. It has been estimated that by the year 2025 even 84 per cent of the world's people will live in developing regions. "Due to the growing population, demands for water, food, housing, heat, energy, clothing, and consume goods are increasing alarmingly" (Rees & Waackernagel, 1994) Rapid population growth not only lessens available calorie supply from food per person but also risks the present food production with pollution. Increasing demand forces farmers to exhaust the soil or to use marginal land. The only way to product food to all this population is to create more effective agricultural production. Irrigation is the most important way, because in the future the arable land is not increasing, probably decreasing, due to erosion and land deterioration. At this moment world's population is 6 billion people. The urbanization is about 50 per cent which means that half of the population is living in the urban areas and the other half in the rural areas. This means that the other half of the population, in rural areas, has to produce the food to the population in urban areas. Most of the population growth takes place in urban areas, which means more pressure to the rural people to produce food for the growing amount of urban people.
In addition, air pollutions are also caused by urbanization. In many cities the air is already so polluted that it has been causing illnesses and premature deaths among elderly people and children. Studies show that disease rate rises when the air pollution level increases. Air pollutants are also harmful for water and environment, for example, by causing acid precipitation and acidity of waters. Most of the ambient air-pollution in urban areas comes from the fossil fuels industry, motor vehicles, heating and electricity generation. In some cities the main air polluter is the domestic heating. Many people heat their houses with firewood and cheap coal. This kind of heating method will decrease in the future. Although, new heating methods can be even worse polluters. "Instead of carbon dioxide the emissions can include various toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, heavy metals, trace organic chemicals and fibers, photochemical pollutants, lead and carbon monoxide, which are much more harmful to human health."(UN, 1996)
Currently, we face enormous challenges. "By the year 2000, 50% of the world population will live in urban areas."(UN, 2001) Cities are the center of economic activity. Consumption is the highest in cities. Cities produce the most pollution and waste. Three issues are particularly crucial to survival: the water supply, sanitation, and water resource management. Neglect of these and other environmental issues is likely to have important consequences in both developing and developed countries. The greatest growth in urban areas is occurring in developing countries. Cities in developing countries have huge populations living in poverty. The poor in either rural or urban areas are confronted with lack of access to clean water, to sanitation, and to housing. There is overcrowding and exposure to industrial wastes and air pollution. There is a need for policy reform, stronger institutions, and enlightened political leadership. Cities need to improve their environment and to strengthen local government and implement poverty reduction programs. Reform of urban policies must be accompanied by effective urban governance. Community-based approaches are essential. Broad-based support is needed for changes in strategies and practices and for attainment of a more sustainable environment.
To improve the urbanization, we require infrastructure, industry, commerce, trade and skilled people. The populace with peace, harmony, safety, facilities for self development, health and education, entertainment and so on and so forth, but not at cost of environmental damage, taking climate change and global warming into consideration. The process of optimization is not easy, as diverse interest groups are to be handled. But it is not impossible, if the leader are visionary, impartial, good administrators having democratic style of functioning, equity and rendering justice in their heart.
