Land scarcity is affecting our economy in many ways, such as prices of houses and

apartments increase at high rates. there can be scarcity in a land of abundance becuase
scarcity exists in all places at all times. We have unlimited wants and limited resources.
Environmental scarcity refers to the declining availability of renewable natural resources
such as freshwater or soil. There are three basic ways in which such scarcity can arise:
 Demand-induced scarcity: Population growth or increasing consumption levels
decrease the amount of limited natural resources available to each individual. The
population of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has increased from 177 million in
1950 to 657 million in 2000, shrinking the amount of land and freshwater available
to the average person. In the case of Rwanda, demographic pressures created
extreme environmental scarcity that played a role in the 1994 genocide.
 Supply-induced scarcity: Environmental degradation decreases the overall
amount of a limited natural resource, decreasing the amount available to each
individual. In western China, overgrazing in portions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
has combined with drought to degrade precious topsoil over the past several years.
Chinese scientists estimate that 900 square miles of land in the region degrade into
desert each year. As a result, herders and farmers have found it increasingly difficult
to earn a living in the area.
 Structural scarcity: Unequal access to natural resources in a given society makes
them scarce for large segments of the population. In South Africa, the system of
apartheid provided whites with 87 percent of the land, while blacks (almost 75
percent of the country's population) lived within restricted areas that accounted for
only 13 percent of the land. Resources were also inequitably distributed within the
restricted areas, as local elites controlled access to productive agriculture and
grazing land.

Different sources of environmental scarcity may interact, exacerbating the

problem:

 Resource capture: When a resource becomes relatively scarce — say, because of

population growth — it often becomes more valuable. This increase in value may
motivate powerful groups within society to take greater control of the resourc e,
making it scarcer still. In this way, the demand-induced scarcity that accompanies an
increase in population may lead to an increase in structural scarcity following efforts
to monopolize the resource.
 Ecological marginalization: When vital resources such as fertile land become scarce
due to population growth and unequal access, impoverished people often move into
ecologically-sensitive areas such as hillsides, tropical rain forests, and areas at risk of
 desertification. The rising population in these areas, combined with unsustainable land
use practices, leads to environmental degradation and further scarcity.
These various forms of environmental scarcity can lead to a number of potentially
destabilizing social effects, specifically:

 lower agricultural production

 economic stagnation or decline
 migrations from areas of resource scarcity to areas of perceived opportunity
 weakened governing institutions.

Reasons Why Metro Manila Have Land Scarcity

1. Metro Manila is very populated.

- This in itself is already a big reason for moving more development out
of it, as more investment and improvements outside also leads to
more taking opportunities and residing in those areas.
2. Hence, It Has Begun Lacking Developable Land
- Even the least keen of observers can attest to the scarcity of
developable land in Metro Manila. This has resulted in the current
trend where vertical developments are mostly what is built in the
metro, as high-rises do not require copious amounts of land. While
seemingly effective, this trend will not cater to everyone, as
Filipinos still prefer to own houses than condo units.
3. This Causes Available Living Space to Also Shrink in Metro Manila
- With a great deal of business, commerce, education, and national
government operations centered in Metro Manila, it cannot be
helped that people tend to flock to the region despite its already
being densely populated. Apart from developments leaning more
toward the vertical variety, their units have become comparably
smaller than their predecessors.
4. Prices Have Not Been Reduced along with Shrinking Condo Sizes
- While properties in Metro Manila offer significantly less space
when compared to most of the Philippines, majority of the National
Capital Region’s cities still command the highest prices both in
properties for sale and for rent.
5. Traffic Has Become Unbearable
- While the lack of solid planning and infrastructure is a real cause
for concern, public transport is also of equal importance, as the
increasing population also continues to opt for private transport
due to the lack of efficiency and safety that the public variant
provides.
Reference links:
http://www.lamudi.com.ph/journal/five-reasons-why-development-should-move-
outside-of-metro-manila-2/
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2001/EnvironmentalScarcityandtheOutbreako
fConflict.aspx