Recently in class we have been focusing on the Urban Divide and its
vast implications on cities. With 50% of our world’s population being urban, it
is imperative find a solution to this global issue. The urban division is most
often recognized as a socio-economic division. However, its effects can be seen
through a number of geographic and societal issues including infrastructure,
public health, social, and economic factors. We have all seen it in cities.
Some segments of cities are well maintained, whereas other areas are unkempt
and perhaps run down, such as abandoned industrial parks. Although economic
growth and urbanization go hand in hand, there is still an extreme challenge in
the equitable distribution of benefits in cities. The article, “The Urban Divide – Unequal
Cities” analyzes the urban divide by utilizing the Gini Index. The Gini index
is a measure of inequality in cities. It exhibits the distribution of household
income or total consumption spending. A score of 0 implies that the country’s
resources are perfectly distributed, maintaining perfect equality. The article illustrates
the fact that nations such as India and Canada, have a much lower rate of
inequality than the United States because of the many resources offered for
free or at little cost.
This urban division of cities is prevalent around the world; however,
there seems to be a vast movement to rectify this issue. Many cities are now
regenerating abandoned or run down areas into luxury loft apartments or office
spaces. However, the issue of urban division is an enormous one to tackle. It
not only involves the infrastructure, but the economic, social, health, and
geographic state of the entire area. It is an immense predicament that requires
long term political policy implementation and community unification. The
article below provides amore in depth look at the Gini index and the Lorenz
curve.
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