What are the most common challenges in urban environments?
There are five main parts that make up the answer to this question. Remember at GCSE the mark scheme is rather specific so you will need to make sure you mention all 5 of these items in order to gain maximum marks. The five parts are:
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Managing urban growth. This is about urban populations therefore you will need to talk about slums, squatter settlements and housing problems.
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Providing clean water, sanitation systems and energy. You may want to explore alternative and renewable energy systems as well as discussion around the problems/challenges that exist around sanitation and clean water.
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Providing access to services. Again, you will need to discuss health care but also focuss on other services such as education, transport, shops etc. Think about population pressures and appropriate services for the age group/ethnicities/economic groups that live in certain areas.
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Reducing unemployment and crime. You could discuss education alongside the problem of unemployment and also mention how unemployment and crime can lead to the decline of urban areas.
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Managing environmental issues. The main issues will be waste disposal, air and water pollution and traffic congestion. You could take two case studies from countries at different levels of development and discuss how their strategies for managing these environmental issues differ.
