Pte Essay on “There has been a huge increase in the size of cities. Many cities have grown in a haphazard way”

There has been a huge increase in the size of cities. Many cities have grown in a haphazard way. Why is careful planning important in the development of cities?

 Increasing urbanization is a problem faced by world countries. It is an accepted fact that cities grown in a haphazard way are always a headache for the governments and hence there is the need for proper planning.

Firstly, cities are densely populated areas. Providing proper sanitation, shelter, transportation and water is a tremendous task. New buildings appear almost every day and thousands flow into cities for education and employment. If there is no proper planning, the entire system of cities will collapse. For example, if residential areas are not located at a safe distance from commercial and industrialized areas, people will face problems like air pollution and sound pollution. This can lead to many health problems like skin allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems. Also, if commercial areas are not conveniently located and easily accessible to people, city life will lose its charm and life will become miserable.

Some other factors are transportation and sanitation. If the streets are not preplanned, they may remain narrow causing traffic congestion. Without good sewerage system. waste water may get logged leading to many communicable diseases. Also, mosquitoes and other flies will increase uncontrollably making city life uncomfortable. In addition, there is the need to establish medical facilities and educational institutions at a reasonable distance from people because these are all essential services.

For all these reasons, it becomes highly necessary to preplan the development of any city.