Post on 04-Jan-2016
Downtownby Robert Liston
Urban Problems
• Overpopulation
• Power
• Money
• Planning
• Renewal Projects
• Pollution
Overpopulation
Book Prediction
• By the end of the century, there will be 330 million people living in the United States.
• 75% of them will live in a city
U.S. Census Bureau
• Currently a little over 298 million people live in the United States
• 80% of them live in a city
Why do these people live in a city?
• Employment
• Restaurants
• Shops
• Museums
• Parks
• Churches
• Libraries
• Hospitals
• Universities
Power
• The word “city” really means “metropolitan area”
• The towns included in the metropolitan areas are directly linked to the central city
• Each town has its own government officials, schools, housing zones and maintains their own streets
• Hundreds of towns must agree to solve problems in a city
Money
• Urban problems can not be solved without sufficient funds
• City officials spend money carelessly
• Important programs are eliminated
• Annual budgets can not be maintained
• “Freezes” are put on wage increases and hiring
• Main source of federal funding is through taxes
Money
• Income tax on individuals and corporations
• Sales tax
• Property tax
• Nuisance tax
• Income and sales tax create the most revenue.
• Urban areas rely on the revenue from property and nuisance taxes.
Planning
• Zoning
• Building costs
• Land use
• Architecture
• Beautification
*It is important to plan a city to accommodate growth.
Renewal Projects
• City chooses an area for redevelopment
• Funds are given to the local government to finance the preparation of the new plans
• The city buys up the old properties and pay for the residents to relocate.
• Old buildings are destroyed and resold to private developers
Pollution
Air pollution
• Automobiles
• Smokestacks from factories and power plants
• Pollution has a huge effect on a persons health
• Humans consume 30 gallons of air a day
• Causes lung cancer, emphysema, bronchitis and asthma
Urban Problems
• Many of these problems occur because of negligence.
• It takes a lot of planning and support from the community to prevent these problems.
• As long as someone is aware of the problems, there will always be someone working on a solution.