Why it is important to develop a sustainable city

Firstly, the main feature of urbanisation is high population density, which may cause a series of problems such as the boom of squatter settlements and urban sprawl if the city has not been designed in a sustainable way. For instance, a large number of high-rise apartment has been constructed in urban areas for large scales of dwellers when the some ecocities were designed. Simultaneously, the authorities of these cities also provide basic sources and services for those who are living in the squatter settlements so that these residents could afford themselves and the environment of the slum will also be improved. Compared to merely dismantling the shanty houses which will cause the appearance of another new slum areas and even worse living conditions, what the governments in ecocities do has coped with the problems of urban space caused by urbanisation. Secondly, lack of urban transport, considered as a big challenge in the ordinary megapolis , can also be solved in a relative effective way in a sustainable city. More precisely, the reasonable plan of public transport is the best method to decline the automobile dependence in megacities. For example, a huge transit center has been established in Hong-Kong in order to avoid the dwellers’ reliance on private vehicle. It is estimated that the metro has covered every section of Hong-Kong and even residents living in the edge of Hong-Kong could spend only 40 minutes to the urban area. Actually, the usage of vehicles in Hong-Kong is far lower than that in any other megacities even if there is no restriction on the usage of automobile and the gasoline price is also low in Hong-Kong. Obviously, the gigantic network could not be set up after the urbanisation formed. Thus, it is necessary to develop sustainable cities to prevent the possible urbanisation. Word Count: 300