The Bane of Uneven Development
Explore how disparities in urban development hinder growth and sustainability. Join Urban Insights as we delve into the complexities of rapid urbanization and its profound societal impacts.
By Justin Delizo & Anish Sikka.
Policy: The Architect of Urban Development
Cities like Bangalore, India, are less evenly developed which is partially due to the caste system in the country, which forcibly puts the poor minorities within the city in slums (densely populated areas with little infrastructure and sanitation). In addition, many of those within the higher levels take up most of the higher-paying occupations in technology.
In addition, the implementation of the 1980 One Child Policy in China helped enforce the societal focus away from raising a family to adopting high work ethics and the pursuit of success and business; especially since females no longer had to be housewives 9ncrease in female representation in the workforce, especially in entrepreneurship) and have less overall investments towards children
However, there were still downsides, like gender imbalance due to a preference for male children and shrinking workforce due to the lack of children to replace their parents
Other countries like Japan and Germany also have low birth rates due to their societal norms of prioritizing work, which results in a more elderly-dependent society and a decreasing population (Stage 5 on the DTM)
Though, Germany is more welcoming of immigrants and asylum seekers to help compensate for its low domestic workforce
Urban Development: The Key to Global Growth and Sustainability
Generally, less developed cities that face rapid population growth are unable to provide enough infrastructure and public services for everyone, which is primarily due to factors like weak government planning or a weak economy that reduces the amount of resources available
It is these factors that tend to serve as push factors, incentivizing people to immigrate to more stable and equitable cities. Generally, the more popular/developed a city is, the more immigrants it receives
In addition, megacities that are run with prejudiced/unjust/theocratic governments tend to have less international migration because they typically only cater towards a certain ethnicity or group, creating a social hierarchy (leading to minorities being marginalized/live in less developed conditions)