Why are Cities
Becoming Overcrowded?
The fact that
the world’s cities are getting more and more crowded is well-known. Cities such
as Tokyo, Sao Paolo, Bombay and Shanghai are now considered ‘mega-cities’,
because of their enormous size and huge populations. There are two main reasons
why these and other cities are becoming so crowded; one economic, the other
socio-cultural.
First, the
primary cause of cities becoming so crowded is economic. As a country develops,
its cities become the engines of development, thus jobs are available in these
areas. Frankfurt, Istanbul, Bombay and Sao Paolo are all the economic centres
of their countries. For example, Tokyo was the motor for Japan’s rapid economic
development in the 1960’s and 70’s; as a result, its population increased
rapidly. People moved to Tokyo because they could find employment and establish
economic security for themselves and their families there.
Second, another
factor in the huge increase in urban populations is the socio-cultural factor.
Thousands of people migrate to the cities not only for jobs but also for
educational and personal reasons. The better universities are always located in
big cities and this attracts thousands of students every year, and these students
stay on and work in the city after they graduate. Moreover, young people will
move to the city as the villages and rural areas are more custom and tradition
oriented. Therefore, young people believe this is an obstacle to their personal
freedom.
In conclusion,
economic and cultural factors are the major causes of huge urban population.
People will always move to the areas which provide opportunity and to the
places which can give them the freedom they desire.
What effects has the computer had on our lives?
The twenty-first
century is already turning out to be the century of the computer. The computer
revolution that started after the Second World War is now developing
exponentially and computers are beginning to influence and take over nearly
every aspect of our lives. Computers are clearly changing and affecting society
in many ways. The two main areas in which computers have brought about a
profound change in our lives are in the economic field and in the field of
communications.
The computer has
led to immense changes in economic and business life. First, businesses now
have to be computerised or they risk failure. Every big corporation bases its
operations on computing, regardless of which sector they are in. For example,
Coca-Cola, the BBC and Levi’s market and sell different products and services,
yet they all share one basic property – without computers their operations
would collapse. Second, computing is an economic dynamo. Japan, China, India
and many other countries have large IT sectors which drive their economies
upwards. Furthermore, the developed world is moving from an industrial-based
economy to a computer and IT-based one.
It is not just
in business that computers have affected us so profoundly; communication has
been revolutionised totally. Firstly, whereas before, people wrote letters,
which would often take weeks to reach their destinations, or speak on the
phone, which was terribly expensive, now they e-mail. For instance, instead of
waiting weeks for a letter now, we can read it instantly, seconds after it’s
been written. Secondly, many people use computers to communicate with people
all around the world using chat rooms and chat programs, this was impossible
before the computer became widespread. As a result, now people who live
thousands of kilometres away from each other can communicate as much as they
want and whenever they want using e-mail and/or chat rooms.
In conclusion,
computers have had a profound effect on our lives in many ways and it is in business
and communication that they have had the greatest influence. In the future, if
the computer continues evolving at such speed, our business practices and
methods of communication will undergo even more radical changes.
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