Urban issues assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Urban issues assignment - Essay Example Taking USA and Germany as case studies, the paper seeks to come up with the best possible solutions to these challenges for a sustainable future. Germany and The USA are among the highest motorized countries around the world. Between 2010 and 2014, there were 588 and 786 motor vehicles per 1000 people in Germany and the IUS respectively (National Transportation Statistics). Motorization has in turn increased the demand for parking areas, resulting in problems in consumption of space mainly in central areas. The connection between congestion and parking is also evident where motorists experience delays looking for parking areas, negatively affecting local flow. In both of these countries, there is a high density of population and due to the fact that many households are close to means of public transport, there are a small number of trips made by personal cars owing to the convenience of public transport. There are, however, differences that are still evident. Most Americans depend more on cars as compared to their German counterparts (786 against 588 per 10000 people) as more Germans prefer walking or cycling as well as us of public transport. This over-reliance on motor vehicles by Americans has led to heavy consumption of energy and ultimately resulting in pollution, rendering the current maintenance cost of urban spaces unsustainable (Wellman 336). The American transport system grapples with high number of trips per capita, estimated to be about three times higher as compared to Germany. Americans also spend about 5% of their budget on transport, a crucial amount compared to other countries that pay between 2 and 3% (National Transportation Statistics). For this reason, there has been need to adopt policies that would assist in reducing the over-reliance on automobiles and ultimately aid in reduction of congestion in major areas. For example, one of the most densely populated states,