There is perhaps only one phenomenon which is more characteristic to the today’s world than computers and Internet – megacities. Nowadays, megacities can be found all over the world and with the Earth’s population snowballing from day to day, megacities keep mushrooming at an increasing rate.
Megacity or an urban agglomeration is defined as an area having a population of more than 10 million people (Kotkin 1). It is often a challenge to strictly define the borders of such structures and often a megacity is not only a city but a few cities in close proximity or city and its agglomeration. Today, among the existing 35 megacities, Tokyo Area is the largest having its population over 38 million, the second is Shanghai with 35.5 million.
People move to the cities from rural regions in search of better opportunities. However, along with producing a large part of the GDP and offering a variety of opportunities for individuals and large companies, megacities also face many serious issues. By far, the acutest problem of such agglomerations is infrastructure. All megacities have serious problems with traffic congestions and service providing. Populations of many megacities are growing exponentially and do not let the governments take measures on time. This is why many districts arise without proper public transport, healthcare, and education being provided. Many issues are connected with high population density. They are high unemployment, income inequality, environmental pollution, health issues including mental health problems, slums, crime, and homelessness (Kotkin 12-15).
Nevertheless, many problems are being solved piecewise. And often, the changes are induced with the help of novel technologies. The Internet and wireless communications help in fixing certain infrastructure issues, as well as help in providing services and exchanging information. People in megacities seldom wait for government to solve their problems and try their best in helping the situation. For example, in India, a LabourNet company helps to match the local vacancies with the unemployed (Schoen). Although, large problems such as traffic issues or crime can only be addressed by government using urban planning, new legislation, etc.
References
Kotkin, Joel. The Problem With Megacities. Chapman University Press, 2014. Web. 20 July 2016.
Schoen, John W. "Megacities' Explosive Growth Poses Epic Challenges". CNBC. 2014. Web. 20 July 2016.
