Population and Urbanization in the Future

I believe that most of the worst scenarios associated with population and urbanization in the United States of America can be improved upon. The possible scenarios related to rapid population growth and urbanization include social and economic impacts. The social implications of rapid urbanization are social instability which provides for insecurity due to increased criminal activities, violence, and social unrest due to unemployment.

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The economic impacts of rapid urbanization include positive and negative effects (Rafiq, 2016). When people move from the rural areas to the urban areas, they are likely to have improved living standards due to the access to social amenities, and higher availability of opportunities. Conversely, urbanization and rapid population growth are associated with adverse economic outcomes which include strained infrastructure leading to high costs of living, inadequate sanitation which breeds poor health, and decline in agricultural production. Other consequences of population growth and urbanization are pollution and climate change.

These adverse effects of rapid population growth and urbanization can be improved by planning, good governance, and the provision of basic amenities (Rafiq, 2016). Urban planning can enhance the effects of urbanization because it enables sustainable expansion and therefore more spatial organization which can reduce straining of infrastructure. Besides, the plan puts strategic measures of dealing with garbage to reduce pollution.

Good governance can improve the worst scenarios of population growth and urbanization. It is because it ensures the deliverance of services to the urban area dwellers, and also enhanced infrastructure that meets the needs of all the people. It, therefore, reduces competition and lowers the rate of crime in these places. Besides, good governance creates a lot of job opportunities which reduces the rates of unemployment.

Reducing the rate of pollution and climate changes associated with urbanization and population growth requires maintenance of the biodiversity and reduction of the release of greenhouse gases. Achievement of this is by the introduction of government policies that protect the urban area green vegetation and limits the use of fossil fuels in these places.

When it comes to the future of the United States of America future, I look at it optimistically in regards to changes in technology, population, and economics. I am optimistic about these changes because the advancement in technology is more beneficial than detrimental to the standards of living (Kulikova et al., 2016). The changes in technology will lead to advanced healthcare, creation of more job opportunities. Population growth has positive impacts on the economy where there are sufficient resources. Therefore, economic growth is promoted by both technological advancement and population growth.

Technological advancement helps in the treatment of many diseases and thus improves the quality of life of patients. It is possible to use technology to control viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. Besides, technology has increased productivity in different industries as it improves communication, production, and therefore more goods (Kulikova et al., 2016).

Population growth is also a driver of economic growth. When there are sufficient resources in the community, a large population will utilize these resources to generate income (Coale, 2015). Therefore the growth of the American population has an advantage such that people will be engaged in economic activities which translates to economic growth. Also, when there are more people in the country, it means an increased market for goods produced and therefore more business opportunities which creates employment. It means that the population growth in America will have a positive impact on the American economy.

To sum up, the economic future of the United States of America seems bright with technological advancement and population growth. It is because the resources in the US will be fully utilized and therefore this will lead to increased job opportunities and more production of goods.

References

Coale, A. J., & Hoover, E. M. (2015). Population growth and economic development (Vol. 2319). Princeton University Press.

Kulikova, N. N., Smolentsev, V. M., Tikhonov, A. I., Kireev, V. S., & Dikareva, V. A. (2016). Planning of technological development of new products and their impact on the economic performance of the enterprise. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 6(8S), 213-219.

Rafiq, S., Salim, R., & Nielsen, I. (2016). Urbanization, openness, emissions, and energy intensity: a study of increasingly urbanized emerging economies. Energy Economics, 56, 20-28.