Family, Resources, and Biodiversity - What Mega Cities Sacrifice

28 December 2024 - 11 mins read time
Tags: Observer Blog Future

Introduction

In 2023, 4.4 billion people, more than half the world's population, lived in urban areas—a number projected to rise to 68% by 2050 [1]. While cities symbolize progress and opportunity, their rapid growth often comes at a steep cost. The United Nations estimates that urban sprawl contributes to 70% of global CO₂ emissions, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable urban planning [2].

Yet, amidst this modern race toward economic progress and urban expansion, we often overlook quieter but foundational elements that truly sustain us—family ties, ecological balance, and cultural continuity. As Jane Jacobs, a renowned urban theorist, aptly noted, "Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody" [3]. However, massively populated megacities frequently fail to uphold this ideal, prioritizing short-term growth over long-term resilience.

This blog explores three critical dimensions—community cohesion, resource management, and biodiversity preservation—to illustrate why densely populated cities often fall short of genuine sustainability. By examining insights from notable urban theorists and environmental thinkers, we aim to inspire a shift in how we design and manage urban spaces.

Credits: World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action Source

1. Family and Community: Lost in the Concrete Jungle

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

— Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Massive urban centers frequently prioritize infrastructure and economic growth over fostering close-knit, supportive communities. As Jane Jacobs observed, genuine community flourishes when cities are designed with human connections in mind—small-scale neighborhoods, shared public spaces, and walkable streets. People frequently move across vast urban landscapes for jobs and away from rural cities [4] [5] [6], gradually eroding their ties with extended family and long-standing social networks [7]. This displacement not only diminishes the day-to-day emotional support that was once woven into village or small-town life, but it also increases the risk of depression and loneliness [8] [9].

In times past, large families—often living together or close by—could unite to weather hardships as a whole entity, tackling challenges as a group and reducing the workload for each individual [10]. Today, a parent in one suburb, a sibling in another, and grandparents in another city can leave each individual more vulnerable, lacking the tight-knit circle that shares not just resources but also emotional and moral support [11]. With smaller household sizes and perpetually shifting populations, many residents find themselves without a robust safety net when crisis strikes [12]. To reclaim a measure of this human connection, we need urban designs and social policies that encourage stable communities, ensuring families and neighborhoods are not merely cogs in the economic machine, but living, resilient networks of mutual care [13].

Credits: Dall E 2024 (AI Generated): Family ties severed

2. Resource Diversification: The Overlooked Pillar of Sustainability

“We have mortgaged the future, in exchange for short-term gains.”

— Bill McKibben, Deep Economy (paraphrased)

Beyond the erosion of family ties, resource mismanagement often serves as a hidden fault line in massive urban environments. Bill McKibben’s critiques of relentless economic growth underscore how large cities, obsessed with expansion, quickly devour finite resources—ranging from fresh water to farmland—without sufficient plans for replenishment [14] [15]. Governments eager to build towering skylines or cutting-edge tech sectors sometimes neglect more fundamental considerations, such as investing in sustainable infrastructure, adopting localized agriculture, or protecting green spaces [16] [17]. While initial returns on such unchecked growth may appear economically beneficial, the long-term consequences can be disastrous: food insecurity, water shortages, and heavy pollution [18].

Urban theorists like Jane Jacobs have long advocated for resource diversification—ensuring that everything from transportation to energy production has multiple, renewable pathways [19] [20]. By decentralizing essentials like food production or power grids, cities can avoid the perils of “all eggs in one basket” economics and reduce vulnerability to global supply-chain disruptions [21].

Credits: IPCC Land Report - Climate Change and Land Source

3. Environmental Limits and the Biodiversity Reckoning

“Each time a species goes extinct, we lose part of our world’s story—one that may never be told again.”

—Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction (paraphrased)

Massively populated cities also strain the planet’s ecological limits. As they expand, they encroach on habitats and disrupt natural ecosystems—escalating the rate at which species become endangered or extinct [22] [23]. Elizabeth Kolbert’s investigation into the ongoing mass extinction event reveals how urban sprawl, pollution, and climate change compound to threaten biodiversity [24] [25]. While skyscrapers symbolize progress, their sprawling footprints leave little room for wildlife corridors or essential green belts [26]. The result is a devastating domino effect: once-thriving ecosystems collapse, pollinators decline, and local water sources become contaminated or overdrawn [27] [28]. Bridging the gap between urban needs and ecological wisdom—by preserving wetlands, supporting urban forests, and enforcing sustainable zoning laws—becomes imperative if we hope to maintain the diverse life forms that make our world livable [29] [30].

Credits: DreamsTime Source

Conclusion

Mega-cities might symbolize modern progress, but their unchecked growth comes at a steep human and environmental cost. When families are separated, crucial resources overdrawn, and ecosystems compromised, our collective well-being inevitably suffers. Addressing these vulnerabilities involves more than simply building taller structures or smarter devices: it requires reimagining our cities to preserve family cohesion, diversify resource use, and respect the planet’s ecological boundaries. By broadening our perspective to include cultural, economic, and environmental resilience, we can forge a path toward sustainable urban living—ensuring that progress does not come at the expense of our shared future.

Key Takeaways

Healthy Urban Communities: Prioritize neighborhood-level designs and policies that keep families close.
Sustainable Resource Management: Adopt diversified approaches for food, energy, and infrastructure to avoid single points of failure.
Protect Biodiversity: Ensure a balanced approach to urban development and ecological preservation across all states to safeguard the planet’s vital life-support systems.

Author Comments

What we have observed unfolding in America is no longer limited to its borders. Developing nations such as India—whose democratic values mirror those of the United States—are now navigating similar patterns of rapid urbanization, familial disconnection, and resource strain. As an author keenly observing these shifts in India, it is evident that this convergence of challenges calls for transformative action. Our shared democratic ideals demand a coordinated response: one that prioritizes sustainable development, reaffirms the importance of family and community ties, and actively safeguards natural resources for future generations.

— Narendhiran Saravanane

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Should governments prioritize diversified development or focus on enhancing megacities?

Equitable and diversified development across the country
Improve only Urban Infrastructure/ Mega cities
Both

References

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[2] United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2021). Cities and Pollution: The Problem and Solutions. Link.
[3] Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.
[4] Florida, R. (2002). The Rise of the Creative Class. Basic Books.
[5] Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
[6] International Organization for Migration (IOM). (2020). World Migration Report 2020. Link.
[7] Wirth, L. (1938). Urbanism as a Way of Life. American Journal of Sociology, 44(1), 1–24.
[8] World Health Organization. (2017). Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. WHO Press.
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[10] Laslett, P. (1977). Family Life and Illicit Love in Earlier Generations. Cambridge University Press.
[11] Putney, N. M., & Bengtson, V. L. (2003). Families, intergenerational relationships, and kinkeeping in midlife. In S. L. Willis & M. S. Reid (Eds.), Life in the Middle (pp. 221–241). Academic Press.
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[13] Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for People. Island Press.
[14] McKibben, B. (2007). Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. Times Books.
[15] Homer-Dixon, T. (2006). The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization. Island Press.
[16] UN-Habitat. (2022). World Cities Report 2022. Link.
[17] International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). (2020). Global Renewables Outlook: Energy Transformation 2050. Link.
[18] World Bank. (2021). Urban Development Overview. Link.
[19] Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.
[20] Speck, J. (2012). Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
[21] IPCC. (2022). Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Link.
[22] Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). (2020). Global Biodiversity Outlook 5. Link.
[23] Brondizio, E. S., Settele, J., Díaz, S., & Ngo, H. T. (Eds.). (2019). Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES.
[24] Kolbert, E. (2014). The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. Henry Holt and Company.
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[27] Newbold, T., et al. (2016). Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? Science, 353(6296), 288–291.
[28] Foley, J. A., et al. (2005). Global consequences of land use. Science, 309(5734), 570–574.
[29] Benedict, M. A., & McMahon, E. T. (2012). Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities. Island Press.
[30] Elmqvist, T., et al. (2013). Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities. Springer.