Social Issues: Urban Livability and Sustainability

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Constant movements of people from rural homes to urban centers have been due to several reasons, such as the search for employment and better social services. With the unceasing movema ents of humans to cities, the unrelenting demand for services has pushed up the prices of social amenities and other basic services. For example, purchasing rental houses in large urban areas like Portland, Boulder, and San Francisco is more expensive than in places like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

Ironically, costly areas like Portland and Santa Barbara have active plans for managing growth, thus maintaining their high status. On the other hand, expansive and less dense regions experience low entry of new occupants. When people can avoid focusing on somea specific cities by ensuring that they live in them, the cost of living in such areas will go down out-rightly. The present generation should be able to meet their needs without compromising on the abilities of the future generation from meeting their own necessities.

In achieving this choice in the United States, for instance, the Federal and State governments should allocate resources according to the development index of the cities in the continent. Cities with low development index should get more funding. The move will ensure that a city like Los Angeles develops its infrastructure and services just like Portland city in Oregon.

With lucrative services and available job opportunities, Los Angeles will be able to tap some populace from the highly expensive cities. In addition, as a way of creating employment for the citizens, the US government should offer subsidies and tax holidays to investors who intend to set up companies in the diverse cities. Such policies will attract many investors to these locations, and in the process pull out large population from the densely populated areas.

In addition to terms of tax holidays for companies, the government can levy low tax rates for a specified period on employees who accept to work in such areas. Notably, the incentives will encourage both investors and citizens to move to these inexpensive locations. One of the reasons for the expensive services in San Francisco is due to the availability of well-paying jobs and numerous opportunities for self-development. Such moves by the government can result in equal development of regions, hence attracting high population.

When people move out of cities like Portland and San Barbara, most of the resources will lack demand, and with the law of demand and supply in economics, the move will push down the cost of houses and other necessities (Chivot and Weterings par. 7).

Promoting sustainability and livability require pooling of knowledge and resources in developing expansive regions (Johnston par. 4). In the US, the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has planned to build affordable houses in densely populated cities. Moreover, subsidies on government services and social amenities in expensive regions can make life cheaper for families living in such cities.

Opportunities for commercial investment, transportation, and housing are significant requirements for a livable and sustainable city. Therefore, such government approaches will ensure that such services are available in all cities. Since sustainability and livability go hand in hand, launching renewable energy initiatives in expansive places like Phoenix and Los Angeles help in creating cheaper and safer energy supplies (Maddox par. 6).

The cities of the future can only be livable and sustainable if NGOs and government agencies pursue or address the two aspects of all initiatives. Such moves are long-lasting and not compromising on the future as well as providing equity, safety, opportunities, and mobility. If government agencies and NGOs can approach the issue of sustainability and livability in urban centers as demonstrated above, the overall quality of life will improve in all regions, thus making all humans happy irrespective of their location.

Works Cited

Chivot, Elin, and Rob Weterings. Livability and and Sustainability in Large Urban Regions. HCSS Centre for Strategic Studies. N.p., 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Johnston, Katrina. Livable Portland? A New Plan. RSS. N.p., 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Maddox, David. The Cities We Want: Resilient, Sustainable, and Livable. The Nature of Cities. N.p., 8 May 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

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