Urban problems and solutions

Junior Certificate Geography Notes on Urban Problems and Urban Solutions for the Irish Second Level Education Curriculum

1. Urban problems and Solutions
Urban problems
Urban decline- old, poor quality houses and
buildings fall into decay, people leave the area for
the suburbs.
↓This leads to another problem
Urban Sprawl- This is the rapid growth of
housing from urban areas outwards into the
countryside.
 Valuable farmland being used for building
purposes
 Villages become swallowed into the city, and lose
their identity. E.g. Dundrum
Inadequate services-
 Poor public transport means more people resort
to private cars > Traffic congestion
 Poor water quality
 Waste disposal problems associated with
Landfill and Incinerators
 Nothing for young people to do contributes to
anti-social behaviour
 Overcrowded Schools/Hospitals

2. Urban solutions
Urban renewal-
Older houses and buildings are refurbished or
replaced.
Urban redevelopment-
This is when people being re-housed in new
suburbs so the inner city areas can be used instead
for commercial uses.

New towns
Like Tallaght, Blanchardstown are built to cater for
the growing populations of the city. They are well
connected with road and rail and are planned so as
they will not suffer urban sprawl.