Write an essay (150 - 300 words) about this topic:
More and more people are migrating to cities in search of a better life, but city life can be extremely difficult. Explain some of the difficulties of living in a city. How can governments make urban life better for everyone? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
It is certainly true that people in rural areas move to cities in order to achieve high standards of living, but indeed life in cities is more challenging and difficult when compared to villages. There are several reasons for this kind of problem and various measures could be taken by government to improve the situation.
Life in the cities has its drawbacks, for instance, the cost of living in cities is higher than in rural areas, especially housing is much more expensive. As a result, homelessness is becoming more common in cities. There are also more serious problem like traffic congestion and some people do not manage work that can lead to people to commit crime. Moreover, there is a lack of sense of community in big cities, people do not even know their neighbors. Life in cities can be stressful and individuals do not have much time for themselves and their families, as a result the gap between family members is on the increase.
To overcome the increasing troublesome life in cities, the government should start some active measures. Firstly, one key to cities work better is good planning. Planners need to transform cities to make them beneficial for all citizens. Cities need green transport and green spaces; they need to be energy efficient and pedestrian friendly, with housing and jobs to attract people to come to live there. Secondly, the authority should make stricter laws to reduce traffic such as allowing ownership of only car per family and increasing the price of the car and petrol. And people would be encouraged to use public transport rather than driving. Finally, the initiatives could solve the housing problem by building high-rise apartment or by expanding cities.
In conclusion, it seems to me that there are various reasons for the problem in cities life that we are facing now and steps need to taken to tackle this problem.
Cities are often seen as places of opportunity, but there are also some major drawbacks of living in a large metropolis. In my opinion, governments could do much more to improve city life for the average inhabitant.
The main problem for anyone who hopes to migrate to a large city is that the cost of living is likely to be much higher than it is in a small town or village. Inhabitants of cities have to pay higher prices for housing, transport, and even food. Another issue is that urban areas tend to suffer from social problems such as high crime and poverty rates in comparison with rural areas. Furthermore, the air quality in cities is often poor, due to pollution from traffic, and the streets and public transport systems are usually overcrowded. As a result, city life can be unhealthy and stressful.
However, there are various steps that governments could take to tackle these problems. Firstly, they could invest money in the building of affordable or social housing to reduce the cost of living. Secondly, politicians have the power to ban vehicles from city centres and promote the use of cleaner public transport, which would help to reduce both air pollution and traffic congestion. In London, for example, the introduction of a congestion charge for drivers has helped to curb the traffic problem. A third option would be to develop provincial towns and rural areas, by moving industry and jobs to those regions, in order to reduce the pressure on major cities.
In conclusion, governments could certainly implement a range of measures to enhance the quality of life for all city residents.
