- Hello and welcome to FM radio. I'm Jenifer Ha, your host today. I'll talk about urbanisation in the global world. You probably know that in 1950, only about 30 per cent of the world's population lived in urban areas. But over the past few decades, the urban population has increased rapidly, and the rural population has decreased. Today, over 55 per cent of the world's population lives in cities. This figure is expected to reach around 70 per cent by 2050. So you can see that urbanisation is happening very quickly.
- So, what are the advantages of urbanisation?
- Well, urbanised areas usually have better facilities, such as good schools and modern hospitals. City residents also have access to better health and communication services, clean water and waste management facilities. When urban infrastructure is well-planned, people's quality of life is also improved. Local authorities expand roads trying to make driving easier. At the same time, they try to get more people into public transport by making bus and train services more convenient and frequent. As many city residents earn higher salaries, they can also afford to buy a nice house or a flat in the many high-rise buildings. Now, let's talk about the disadvantages of urbanisation. When too many people live in urban areas, traffic conditions become worse and worse. As a result, public transport may not be as reliable as residents would wish. Smog, high carbon emissions, increased number of private cars and waste from the large population can all lead to higher levels of pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause a range of diseases. In addition, home prices become higher, and goods and services cost more. So cities tend to be more expensive to live in.
- But what can local authorities do to solve these problems? ...