More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. The rapid growth of cities in some parts of the world is bringing all kinds of social, economic, and environmental problems. Describe some of these problems and suggest possible solutions. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

In the era of urbanisation, many people move to the cities in search of better opportunities. However, despite the benefits of living in a city, there are also many drawbacks. This essay will discuss the problems relating to a surge in city inhabitants and examine possible solutions. To begin, there has been a growing media coverage which has had an impressive influence on people's attitude towards the problems associated with increasing population in urban areas. For instance, in 2018, BBC News reported that 65 per cent of UK population now lives in cities and to accommodate the high volume of people, authorities have built approximately forty new buildings costing more than 10 million just in the first quarter of the year. Indeed, the numbers are shocking for the public, as an enormous amount of taxpayers earnings is getting utilised to construct tall skyscrapers. Based on this report, it is profoundly evident that government needs to obtain control in the number of people relocating from the countryside to downtown. A solution to this situation can be investing in faster trains from rural areas to the city for commuting working people. In addition to the impact on the economy, another problem city people are likely to experience is an act of terrorism. It is known that such attacks are often aimed at highly-dense areas, so many people are injured. For instance, in 2015, London experienced two major incidents by religious rebellions which left around 5000 citizens dead and others injured. Such events are traumatising, and the law-makers need to implement steps to prevent such disasters. One way this problem can be resolved is by investing in highly advanced security cameras and scanners in dense parts of the centre. This idea has been practised by Sweden, and since its application, the country has not faced any major attacks since 1995. To conclude, in the face of rapidly growing urban population, there are many problems emerging such as the impact on the economy and terror attacks. The aforementioned solutions which can help in preventing these problems include, investing in latest transport projects and installing thermal scanners and cameras.