Some findings have revealed that cities around the world are growing large. What are the possible causes for this? What are the consequences?

The number of urban sprawls seems to be growing around the globe. Chief among all the reasons leading to such phenomenon, I believe, are the industrialization of big cities and the possibility of having a higher quality of life in the outskirts. This development, however, seems to be leading to the rise of air pollution in the suburbs as well as placing pressure on infrastructure in those areas.

Firstly, industrial progression in cities seems to be a factor causing the growth of urban sprawls. In other words, industrial advancements in urban areas attract flocks of people from rural areas to major cities in pursuit of better job opportunities. Since inner cities have not been designed and planned to accommodate such large numbers of immigrants from rural areas, the crowds of new immigrants should be accommodated on the outskirts. Therefore, the more industrialized the cities get, the more extended their boundaries are likely to become.

Secondly, the city dwellers’ desire for higher quality of life can be a reason leading to expansion of cities. This roots in the fact that, lower-density accommodations, and, therefore, more tranquility and comfort is available around the cities for those who are exhausted from the current rat race in urban areas. Most American city dwellers, for instance, prefer living in buildings with fewer stories and longer distances from their neighbors in the countryside. Such tendency has led to the appearance of sprawls around most American cities, where used to be green landmarks in the past. Therefore, city dwellers’ expectations for a better life quality around cities is causing the expansion of residential areas in the suburbs.

Considering the consequences of such trend, in my perspective, one foreseeable issue can be the rise of air-pollution level. As a matter of fact, inhabitants of the suburbs need to commute to inner cities in order to go to work or study since most factories, business buildings and academic institutes are located in towns. Such huge numbers of daily commuters, as a result, would cause noticeable rise of air pollution in both suburbs and cities. In addition to that, in order to reside in the suburbs, individuals require amenities such as water supplies, electricity, waste disposal, etc. Due to the fact that such areas are turning into residential areas without being initially planned to house such numbers of people, this developing trend would undoubtedly place excessive pressure on suburban infrastructure.

To conclude, in my opinion, the more industrialized the cities become, the more expanded suburbs are going to get. This trend, also, impacts the growth of sprawls by triggering city dwellers’ desire to move to the suburbs in pursuit of tranquility. Therefore, in order to prevent the probable subsequences of cities’ expansion such as rise of air pollution and added pressure on suburban infrastructure, governments need to plan adequate housing facilities in cities and enhance the suburban infrastructure before locating new industries in giant cities.