Modern cities all over the world face the same problems. 

  • As city population grows, governments don’t have the money to build modern apartment buildings. This leads to poor housing, where many residents live in old houses without electricity or sanitation.
  • City air is increasingly polluted by cars and industry. Waste is either burned or sent to landfills, making cities less healthy places to live.
  • Especially during morning and evening rush hours, cities become packed with vehicles. Daily traffic jams make it very hard for people to get to work on time. City authorities spend more and more money on public transportation and are taking other steps to reduce traffic in cities. Some large cities, for example London, charge drivers a fee to enter the city centre.
  • The gap between wealthy and poorer parts of a city is increasing. Government authorities work hard to get rid of poverty and make life better for people living in slums and run-down neighbourhoods. These people need more opportunities to get good jobs and better education.
  • Crime rates are higher in cities, often due to problems such as alcoholism and drug addiction. In large multiethnic cities, conflicts can arise between groups with different cultural backgrounds. 



Pollution in Delhi

Pollution in Delhi, India
Image: "Killer Fog in Delhi", by Sumitmpsd, via Wikimedia Commons, Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0




Afternoon rush hour in Miami

Afternoon rush hour in Miami
Image: "Miami traffic jam, I-95 North rush hour", by B137, via Wikimedia Commons, Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0




share of urban population living in slums (2022)

Share of city population living in slums
Image: "Percent of urban populations living in slums (2022)", by PrydwenCK12, via Wikimedia Commons, Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0



Words

  • authorities = the organizations that control and run a city
  • charge = collect money
  • crime rate = number of crimes that are committed for every 100,000 people
  • drug addiction = if you have to take drugs regularly without stopping
  • due to = because of
  • electricity = the power that is in wires and cables and which is used to make things work
  • especially = above all
  • face = here: have
  • fee = small amount of money that you pay for a service
  • gap = difference
  • government = the people who rule a city or country
  • housing = the houses that people live in and in which condition they are
  • increasingly = more and more
  • landfill = place where waste is buried under the ground
  • multiethnic = full of people from different countries
  • opportunity = chance
  • pollute = to make dirty
  • poverty = the situation of being poor
  • public transportation = buses, trains, subways that are here for everyone to use
  • reduce = make lower
  • resident = a person who lives in a city
  • run-down = in very bad condition
  • rush hour = time of day when lots of cars travel and buses and trains are full because many people are travelling to work
  • sanitation = to remove waste and make dirty water clean again
  • slum = a house or an area of a city that is in very bad condition, where very poor people live
  • traffic jam = long line of cars on a road that cannot move or move very slowly
  • vehicle = machine with an engine that transports people or things
  • waste = unwanted materials that people throw away after they have used them

  • wealthy = rich