Why cities have more opportunities than the rural areas.

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Whycities have more opportunities than the rural areas.

Urbanizationhas affected nearly all aspects of human life. The concept ofurbanization has been closely associated with the increase incivilization. Many countries in the world are in the process ofdeveloping large cities, which one of the key factors that aremotivating people to move from rural to urban areas. Differentauthors have defined the word city in different ways. However, thestandard definition should include the key features of a city, whichinclude a large land area, dense population, and permanentsettlements that are occupied by heterogeneous individuals. The citypopulation is characterized by individual variability, lack ofintimate personal acquaintanceship, and segmentation of relations(Wirth 1). Human relations among the city dwellers are weak,transitory, and superficial. Cities are not only composed of humanbeings, but they also have integrated facilities that are constructedto serve the large population. This paper will address the benefitsof cities to people living in the urban areas, with the main focus onthe opportunities that result from the development of cities.

Theavailability of a large number and diverse job opportunities is oneof the key factors that motivate people to move from rural areas tocities. Many people believe that it is easier to find a jobopportunity and earn more in cities than in the rural areas. It isestimated that about 1,800,000,000, which is approximately 69.2 % ofthe world population live in the urban areas (Wirth 2). The existenceof a large population in cities increases material as well asspiritual demands, which in turn increases the number of jobopportunities available for people living in the cities. For example,if a worker makes 50 nails to meet the demand for 100 people, threeworkers will be needed to satisfy the demand created by 300 people.Similarly, a larger number of workers will be required to meet thedemand created by the city population, compared to the number ofemployees required to satisfy the demand created by the scarce ruralpopulation. Hundreds of workers are needed to build the nailfactories in the cities. Running machines need to be purchased fromother cities or produced by the city.

Inmost cases, consumers (such as the furniture factories in the case ofthe nail industry) do not acquire products directly from thefactories. This means that more people should be employed todistribute the nails to customers. The same case applies to othersectors, such as bakery and textile industries. This implies thaturbanization has greatly affected the urbanization of the modernworld (Documentary). Although industrialization brings smoke, weakensrelationship between people, and introduces rapid lifestyle in largecities (such as New York, Tokyo, and Beijing), it is still the bestchoice for youths. It is widely believed that dreams are dreamt incities and in the same place they are achieved. This can be equatedto the new comers to New York who quickly got used to the rudebehavior and find their position there as New Yorkers (Buckeley 1).

Utilitiesin the cities improve at a higher speed as the cities grow comparedto urban utilities that remain relatively the same or grow at a slowpace. For example, people in the rural areas go out on foot or by carsince the community is small. There is no need for publictransportation. In cities, on the other hand, undergroundintersections are located in nearly all areas of the cities. Busroutes are regulated by the bus companies and taxis are readilyavailable. Some cities are built along the coast to take advantage ofits natural scenery. Docks are built to facilitate the importation ofresources to enrich the local markets. Immigrants have easy access tocities by air, water, or land. The frequent movement of people andmaterials creates the demand for an improved transportation system(Wirth 18).

Medicalservices are in cities are well developed and have well qualifiedhealth care providers and well equipped facilities. Rural health careservices, on the other hand, are characterized by less qualifiedpersonnel and limited equipment, which reduces their capacity tohandle serious illnesses. Many patients are transported from therural to health care facilities located in cities for better healthcare services. Apart from the medical and transportation facilities,cities have a higher concentration of commercial, industrial,financial, administrative facilities, cultural, recreational media,research, religious, educational, and welfare institutions (Wirth 6).

Citiesalso provide an opportunity for social interaction between peoplefrom different backgrounds. This means that people living in citieshave a higher probability to build relationships with other peoplewho might be of significance to their career and social lives.However, the newcomers might face the rudeness of other people, butthey have an opportunity to participate in social and religiousevents available in cities. Some people feel that they are in abetter position to get involved in the community and become part ofthe city (Buckley 2). Other people living in cities also state thatit is easier to get promotions, find business partners, and marriageparts in cities in cities.

Inconclusion, the population size in cities has been increasingexponentially with no signs of its decrease in the future. Manypeople move from rural areas to urban areas to search for betterlives. Some of the key opportunities that people living in cities getinclude the job opportunities, easy access to quality facilities(including transport and medical facilities), and opportunities tosocialize with people from different backgrounds. These benefitsoutweigh the challenges founds in cities, including environmentalpollution and limited opportunities to establish intimaterelationships.


Buckley,C. New Adjust, eventually, to New York. NewYork Times.August 26. 2008. Web. September 15 2014.

Wirth,L. Urbanism as a way of life. TheAmerican Journal of Sociology64.1 (2014): 1-24. Print.