“What are the key problems facing the world's cities in the

21st century and what can be done about them?”

People living in the cities realize that there are some problems the city is facing, but they are not
aware of that. They do not prompt an action because it’s so complicated to solve them on their own.
In this essay three city problems are mentioned and solutions to those problems are recommended.

The most popular problem is the over-population. Over-population means there are many more
people living in the city than number of people that city can handle. This problem often appears as
crowdedness and queues when using resources. For instance, you are on an emergency line and
waiting for healthcare, but there are a lot of people in the queue and you are worried about not
getting help on time. Furthermore; unless this problem is solved, it leads a disaster that no one can
reach any resources. This disaster is called “tragedy of commons” in literature and it can be solved by
efficient resource planning.

Another problem, which is a consequence of over-population, is traffic jam. It is mentioned as a

separate problem since it cannot be solved without the help of citizens. When you are stuck in the
traffic jam, the most important result is waste of time. Besides traffic is the most common reason for
the unpreventable stress. There is a critical mission that the citizens are responsible for and it is using
public transportation. The government should do whatever it takes to encourage people about this
mission.

There is also another important problem that should be considered: The air pollution. Because there
are a lot of people in the city who prefer driving their own vehicle, the Carbon emission level is very
high for the last 50 years. However this problem is a result of the two problems above. Hence it will
be solved if the other two are solved.

In conclusion, despite there are different problems and different solutions to them there is a fact that
they are all connected. This is the main reason that those problems cannot be handled one by one. In
addition the responsibility belongs to all of the citizens not just the government. In my opinion by
making people more conscious about the problems that the city is facing, they can be reduced at
least.