This document discusses urban problems in large cities of developed countries. As people moved from rural areas to cities for jobs and improved standards of living, urban populations rapidly increased. This growth led to issues like crime, homelessness, traffic congestion, high housing costs, and environmental pollution in city centers. Outer suburbs faced problems like expensive commuting and crime. Inner cities struggled with racial tensions, unemployment as factories closed, poor housing, and a lack of amenities and services. The rural-urban fringe also saw crime and expensive housing. These economic, social, environmental, and housing stresses created cycles of poverty that governments and communities worked to overcome.

1. URBAN PROBLEMS IN BIG CITIES
OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
At the beginning, people from the countryside moved to the cities
because:
Jobs available Better housing Better standards of life
Better housing Better services
Thus, urban population increased rapidly and cities
changed their shape and size. Due to that growth, some
problems started to appear and – by the beginning of
the 21th - many people moved out of cities in the
counter-urbanisation movement

2. PROBLEMS IN THE CITIES
Urban problems are different depending on the place of the city that
we are talking about
PROBLEMS IN THE C.B.D.
Social / housing:
Crime (muggings) Homeless
Economical:
High land values  High rents for
Time lost by traffic
companies and expensive homes
congestion
Environmental:
Noise and air pollution due to the
traffic
Problems of waste
collection

3. PROBLEMS IN THE SUBURBS
Social / housing:
Price Crime  Burglary of housing is increasing
Economical:
Commuting to work in the city centre is expensive and people
waste their time
Environmental:
Noise and air pollution due to the traffic on main roads

4. PROBLEMS IN THE INNER CITY
Social / housing:
Racial tension (large presence
of immigrants) Pensioners (former workers)
Vandalism and crime
Poor quality of housing
Lower standards of life (health problems) Few ammenities
and services
Economical:
Most of factories have been closed  Lack of jobs
Unemployment  Low incomes  Poverty
Environmental:
Noise and air pollution due to the
traffic
Problems of waste collection
Lack of parks and
derelict buildings

5. PROBLEMS IN THE RURAL-URBAN FRINGE
Social / housing:
In some sectors, Crime  Burglary very expensive housing
Economical:
Commuting to work in the city centre is expensive and people
waste their time
Environmental:
Noise and air pollution due to the traffic on main roads
Loss of open green spaces due to the urban sprawl (new
factories, shopping centres, council state flats...)

6. There are some deprivation factors which create poverty in the Inner
City and in the outer city council estates of the rural-urban fringe
1. ECONOMIC STRESS / PROBLEMS: Unemployment  Low incomes
2. SOCIAL STRESS / PROBLEMS: Single parents and large families, crime
and racial tension, many pensioners, drugs...
3. HOUSING STRESS / PROBLEMS: Lack of basic public services and
overcrowded homes. Low quality of the flats
4. ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS / PROBLEMS: Noise, pollution, empty
buildings...
THESE FACTORS
CREATE THE
CYCLE OF
POVERTY

7. THE CYCLE OF POVERTY People have low incomes
because their jobs are not
well paid or they are
unemployed
As a result, they cannot
afford to live in a good
neighbourhood. That means
that they have poor living
conditions and
environmental problems
Those people have stress and
poor health due to those
conditions. It sometimes leads to
drugs and crime
Besides, there is a lack of
educational resources in those
neighbourhoods. So young people
have few opportunities to improve
their situation
Conditions get worse and
there are less jobs and
opportunities
Young people leave the school
very early because they do not
have good prospects of live.
Sometimes, those poor conditions
make increase the crime and the
poverty. As a result, some
governments and private
companies do not invest in those
areas

8. ACTIVITY
IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE LIVING IN A DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURHOOD
LOCATED IN THE INNER CITY.
THINK ABOUT THE WAY THAT YOU COULD OVERCOME THE
PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE CYCLE OF POVERTY.
WHAT COULD GOVERNMENTS DO TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
LIFE IN THESE PLACES?