This essay attempts to describe the effects of sustainable development on the problems of urbanisation and bring about a solution to different aspects of it. It also focuses on noise pollution and the measurement[v] taken against it.
Since human beings life changes constantly, they commence to think of the better ways of moving around rather than on foot. People transformed from ‘hunt gathering’ to agriculture which was still before the industrial revolutions (the 18th) which spread out from England to the world and developed rapidly after the invention of steam powered machines. Nowadays people are moving to the huge cities mostly because of jobs opportunities and of course making more money in the capitals rather than their perhaps small hometowns or let’s say rural areas.
Urbanisation refers to the process of increasing population in the cities and physical growth of a city in general. Most of people are immigrating from rural to urban areas because of facing to economic difficulties in small towns in terms of job opportunities and markets. Obviously, depending of limited capacity of cities this may cause problems such as housing, traffic jams, parking spaces, jobs, pollutions and etc. Also it is widening the gap between poor and rich and at the end of day it will increase crimes. Additionally with the high speed growth in urbanisation and industrialisation all the natural resources are in danger of extinction which is a very important case. The extender[?] of civilisation means replacing the nature with buildings and roads as well and still the traffic jams are one of the biggest problems of capital and big cities. In simple terms the process of manufacturing cars is much faster than building roads and motorways.
Sustainable development refers to the proportional amount of consumption of resources available to an extent in which it meets the human needs and at the same time preserves the environment so our generation and the future one can have their fair share out of it. In 2009 DEFRA(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) mentioned that over the past 20 years it has been clear that the growth of development has been unsustainable and the negative effect of our consumption pattern has had damaged the environment and also climate.
Sustainable development attempts to keep up the way of natural systems through the social challenges concerning the humanity, giving no less value to the environmental concerns as well. It is clear that development in the present should not compromise the future life. That is why the concept of needs and the idea of limitations are introduced; so that it doesn’t harm the system which is the world that we are living in.
Sustainable development is a global term which began in Europe and it includes all aspects of better standards of life, environment and economy. This study argues the advantages and disadvantages of [sustainable mobility of traffic jams problems]? and whether it is a way forward for providing better lifestyle or not.
[Intro too long, and doesn't focus the esay on noise pollution as you said it would.]
Main body:
One of the most focused areas in sustainable development is traffic congestion especially on the roads in busy areas. It has partly solved with brilliant ideas [eg?] and projects of public transportation. It is also clear that it helps people to save time and energy and it is a lot greener than using private vehicles but is it necessarily good for the health of human beings.[Is this a question?]
The growth in transportation and the rise in the number of people moving to the cities have increased the amount of the air pollution dramatically. To solve these problems, sustainable mobility through the way of public transportations tends to be off a cure to it. “During the last decade, air pollution in relation to respiratory health has again become an important issue. In addition to indoor sources, automobile traffic has been recognized as a major source of air pollution exposure” Say Rijnders et al (2001). Therefore the sustainable mobility by the means of public transportation takes actions to overcome this. As it is known; spatial mobility is at the heart of human activity. Even though, it doesn’t qualify the abuse of transportation. This is why public transport is becoming an important matter as a way of solving the problems and also continuing the traditional desire of mankind over exhaustion. In order to achieve a sustainable transport system new technology is the most significant option which again deals with the matter of developing new means of transport that use alternative and eco-friendly fuels which are non-emission. According to Munasinghe (1997), one of the most important targets of sustainable development is the economic efficiency subject. They have to use the scarce resources in the best possible way to avoid wasting and emissions. Also it is considering the danger of climate change and global warming.” Public transportation saves more than 855 million gallons of gasoline a year, or 45 million barrels of oil. These savings equal about one month’s oil imports from Saudi Arabia and three months of the energy that Americans use to heat, cool and operate their homes, or half the energy used to manufacture all computers and electronic equipment in America.”(Shapiro, 2002)[need direct quote?]
As it shown sustainable mobility succeed to reduce some fuel consumption and air pollution. “Intelligent transportation system is a global phenomenon, attracting worldwide interest from transportation professionals, automotive industry and political decision makers. ITS apply advance communication, information and electronics technology to solve transportation problems such as traffic congestion, safety, transport efficiency and environmental conservation.” (Figueiredo et al, 2005) [paraphrase -too much lengthy quoting - put citation in same sentence as quote] in other words, by the increase in the number of automotive products, the number of accidents or problems caused due to these vehicles increases and hence there should be an advance technology to decrease these inefficiencies and provide the services expected. Therefore the advance technology can bring about the sustainability of transportation. Even though industrialization means more [
On the other hand sticking in the traffic jams means wasting the time of human resources. Therefore Good transportation system for a city saves its people time which is a vital element of developing a country and it can make a significant change for its economy. For instance if someone wants to drive from east to west in a huge capital, he can use the underground instead of driving in the busy roads in rush hours for [quiet] long time.
It is shown that sustainable mobility meets a lot of needs in huge cities and it is more efficient but it is not always good and it claimed other issues at the same time such as noise pollution, busy stations and etc. “The state of the environment is a major worldwide concern today. Pollution in particular is perceived as a serious threat in the industrialized countries, where the quality of life had hitherto been measured mainly in terms of growth in material output. Meanwhile, environmental degradation has become a serious impediment to economic development and easing of poverty in the developing world.”(Munasinghe, 1997) [paraphrase]
The negative points of transportation are cause by the increase in the usage of different means of mobility. Rienstra et al. (1995) claims that: “Over the past few decades, the volume of passenger kilometers by car, trains and bus in Western-Europe has increased by 246% between 1965 and 1989. The number of airplane kilometers flown by the main Western-Europe companies has at the same time increased by more than 700%.” [paraphrase] Increase in population due to the urbanisation, means the increase in the demands for more and more mobility services, which eventually results in consumption of more fuel that ultimately causes more pollution. These fuels other than not being renewable, causes severe problems for the environment, problems such as the greenhouse gasses like CO2. Therefore there were rules and regulations which has been declared to avoid this problem, like bringing congestion charge into capital and important cities all over the world, or trying to change the fuels to alternate and safer ones and encouraging people to use public transportation. Air pollution problems are most intense where the traffic is most dense, around city centres and airports, for example. Over the years, as transport has been used more widely, legislation has been introduced to reduce the amounts of pollutants released, and in modern society vehicles are becoming increasingly environmentally friendly. However, this positive effect is offset by the increasing number of vehicles. For example, in the UK, experts predict that car traffic will grow by at least 50% over the next 25 years. [Is this a new point? - reads like space filler - repetitive.]
Most of public transits are not sustainable because of either being over crowded in peak hours which is not convenience for people or not being used by passengers in off-peak hours which is not efficient. Apart of this, noise pollution is one of the most significant consequences of all kinds of transportations such as airplanes, trains and buses. “Noise pollution is a major problem in urban environments, affecting human behaviour, well-being, productivity and health.”(Environmental-protection) [weak connection to first part of essay]
Sound is essential in our life, but noise is not. Everyone who lives in big cities is forced to hear the harsh noises of trains and airplanes every single day. The people who live close to the airports sometimes are hearing the landing and taking off the hundreds of planes every day. The noise pollution can increase the depression among the urban residents. The effects of depression are referring to problems such as appetite disorders, giving up the old hobbies, lack of concentration and short memory, feeling hopeless and/or having suicidal thoughts, misuse alcoholic drinks or consuming drugs. Even crimes and mindless vandalisms can be the consequence of noise pollutions because it raises significantly aggressive behaviour and sleep disorders. [ref?] “Human beings will spend approximately one third of their lives in a sleep state, and sleep has been shown to be essential for the maintenance of mental health.”(Jenson, 2003)
It is hard to define certainly the influence of noise on bodies and/or behaviours. Noise can affect human body in many ways depending on its loudness and type. For example, recently experts carry out that the noise of airplanes around airports is at the same decibel of the traffic jam but it is more bothersome in people’s opinion. So it is not just about the loudness, but it is about the sort of the noise as well. Maybe the noises in the undergrounds are not that loud but everyone agrees how annoying they are. Problems caused by noise could divide in four main categories:
• Physical effects. For example the noise affects the cellular structures of inner ear and may cause deaf or serious hearing defects. Women’s hearing is more sensitive than men’s; consequently it is more dangerous for them.
• Physiological effects. For instance ascending blood pressure and heart rhythm or even worse; if the noise is becoming more than the standard rate at the nights it may result a heart attack according to British Medical Bulletin.
• Psychological effects. It includes the appetite disorders, sleeplessness, going late to bed or early morning wakening, stress and irritability.Work performance, such as reduction of productivity or misunderstanding of what is heard. [That's 3]
Unfortunately most of people especially in Europe suffer from noise pollution unintentionally. It is becoming clear when they are more likely to live in a country-sides rather than centres of cities. But usually due to their job locations, most of them have to stay and live in the crowded areas. Still they prefer flats located in quiet avenues with double glazing windows to avoid the noise at least in their home.
According to TFL (Transport for London),” final design for new bus is confirmed.” Johnson [who?] also claimed that the design of new buses is similar to the old London buses but with the 15% more fuel efficient and “eco-friendly hybrid technology” system. It is lighter than the older ones and quieter. As it illustrated in this example, the technology innovations can play an important role in becoming more efficient and sustainable in various fields in the world.
Conclusion
Sustainable development is essential for urbanisation in the way that living in the busy cities without it becomes impossible. The demand for transportation is increasing continuously and it needs new policies and thoughts to be able to meet them adequately. Sustainable development provides the better lifestyle and in terms of mobility, despite of saving fuel and time, it is greener as well. It should reduce the traffic jams with the high taxes and congestion charges for private vehicles.
New technology innovations would be a great remedy for unwanted noises and public transportation capability. In the future it may come up with less noisy trains, planes or quieter motorways. The government should promote strategies for encouraging people to use public transportation more and to drive smoothly. Sustainable mobility helps the governments and people in many problems of civilisation such as saving scarce resources like time and oil but it has its own problems as well.
There is no doubt that Sustainable development is improving the human’s health and life but it may raise other issues at the same time such as increasing noise pollutions or accelerating global warming by too many flights all around the world. The effects of noise pollution are very dangerous and eventually can cause deaf in personal perspective and increase illegal acts from social point of view.
On balance, the governments should provide huge cities with new ideas and technologies to improve the sustainable development with considering the environment and society. The transportation means should consume alternative fuels rather than petrol to become greener and more efficient. Taking the best care of the pollutions and resources is our first responsibility to next generations.
Bibliography:
Figueiredo L. et al. (2005). ‘Towards the Development of Intelligent Transportation System’, available on line www.ave.dee.isep.ipp.pt [accessed 05/07/2010]
Jenson & Dallas R. (2003). ‘Understanding sleep disorders in student population’ available on line from http//www.highbeam.com [accessed 05/07/2010]
McCormack, J. & Slaght, J. (2009). Extended Writing & Research skills. Published in UK by Garnet Publishing, 4th edition www.environmental-protection.org.uk [accessed 06/07/2010]
Munasinghe M. (1997). ‘Environmental economics and sustainable development’ published in Washington D.C. by The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, third edition.
Pearce, D. and Barbier E. & Markandya A, (1997). ‘sustainable development economics and environment in the third world’, published in London by Eathscan Publications Ltd.
Rijnders, E. & Janssen, N. & Van Vliet, P. & Brunekreef, B.(2001). ‘Personal and outdoor Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations in relation to degree of urbanization and traffic density’. Environmental Health Perspective. Vol. 109. Available on line at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [accessed 03/07/2010]
Rienstra S. & Vluegel J. & Niikamp P. (1995). ‘options for Sustainable Passenger Transport; An Assessment of Policy Chioces’, available online at www.dspace.ubvu.vu.nl [accessed 03/07/2010]
Singh, N. (2004). ‘Noise Pollution- Sources, Effects and Control’ pp. 181-187 available online at http://www.krepublishers.com [accessed 05/07/2010]
Shapiro, R. & Hassett, K. & Arnold F (2002). ‘Conserving Energy and Preserving
The Environment: The Role of Public Transportation’ available online at www.archives.eesi.org [accessed 04/07/2010]
The 2 parts of the essay are not really connected - focus on one or the other. The 1st part has no counter argumetns, but the same argumetns repeated. Only use quotations when necessary.
