Urbanisation: Opportunities, Challenges and Urban Sprawl

Question

Step-by-step solution

1. Step 1

   Housing shortages and slums (2 marks). Demand exceeds supply. Slums (Mumbai's Dharavi, Rio's favelas) develop. Often without sanitation, electricity, water. Up to 1 billion people in slums globally.

2. Step 2

   Traffic and pollution (2 marks). Car ownership grows faster than roads. Congestion costs hours per day; air pollution kills millions (~7M annually globally).

3. Step 3

   Service strain (2 marks). Schools, hospitals, water, sewage overwhelmed. Crime can rise.

4. Step 4

   Inequality (2 marks). Wealth gap visible between gated communities and slums. Social tension, segregation, crime hotspots.

Question

Step-by-step solution

1. Step 1

   Urban sprawl (2 marks). Uncontrolled outward growth of a city into surrounding rural areas, often with low-density housing and car-dependent layouts. American cities (Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta) are classic examples.

2. Step 2

   Problem 1 — loss of farmland and wildlife habitat (1 mark). Productive agricultural land paved over.

3. Step 3

   Problem 2 — car dependence + pollution (2 marks). Low density makes public transport unviable. Everyone drives → traffic, emissions, parking demand.

4. Step 4

   Problem 3 — infrastructure costs (1 mark). Roads, water, sewage have to be extended over large areas — expensive per resident.

Question

Step-by-step solution

1. Step 1

   Jobs (2 marks). Diverse employment in manufacturing, services, finance, technology. Higher wages than rural areas.

2. Step 2

   Services (2 marks). Better schools, hospitals, universities. Cultural amenities (museums, theatres, restaurants).

3. Step 3

   Connection (1 mark). Networking, professional opportunities, social activities.

4. Step 4

   Infrastructure (1 mark). Public transport, internet, banking — modern services that benefit residents.