Galen's Final Essay

1. Introduction

In order to provide a favorable environment to our later generations, economic development could not ignore the social and environmental factors. Defined by the ‘WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT’ as: ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. (Gilpin, A. 1996)
Therefore, sustainable development will have been a concern topic, which, urbanization has become particularly important.
Urbanization is the process of city growth; the term usually means that the increase in urban population, resulting in domestic economic growth and immigration, as well as the expansion of the urban space.
(Thomas, R. D. & Melvin, G. M. 1972)
In the issue of urbanization, there were many problems, as follows:
*High unemployment rate
*Poverty
*Poor quality and overcrowded housing
*Failing transport, water supply and sewage systems
* Education
* Population increasing
*Eenvironment pollution and health (Bilham-Boult, A., 1999)

In the above-mentioned issues, we can see that the issue of population and housing is associated. For example, in China, population about 1.4 billion, and in this social, every people want got a large house, however, it is impossible to realize in China. Therefore, that is why overcrowded housing will become the problem of urbanization. On the other hand, we also see the issue of the environment. In this article, it will be descript and focused on the impact of the environment in urbanization, and show some problems about pollution of urbanization issues. Then make the corresponding solution be met by a policy of sustainable development. Use the good way like transport policy in UK to analysis and evaluation that issue.


2. Transport policy

Transport is a very important source of most of the pollutants. For example, in the UK more than one million people have been road noise more than 70 A-weighted decibels (dB (A)), and around 15 meters to more than 60 (dB(A)) (Mauch and Rothengatter, 1995). ‘Transportation accounted for 55 percent of nitrogen oxides, 72 percent of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds 41%, and 26 percent of the particulate,’ (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), 1998 l); it is the dominant mode of road transport is responsible for virtually all emissions.

The impact of these external conditions vary, from a purely local, in the take from the land, destruction of property, noise and air pollution from local, regional, such as acid rain and its impact on wildlife, forests, and buildings, as well as the world's greenhouse gases, such as emissions. It is true that the use of catalytic converters is now to reduce all of the new European Union resulting from the new best way to air pollution. (Chris, N. 2000). However, ‘the situation regarding greenhouse gases continues to worsen. In 1996, transport accounted for 26 per cent of carbon-dioxide emissions, and these emissions were projected to increase by at least a third by 2020.’ (DETR, 1998l). Therefore, it is clear that the transport sector is the manufacturer of an impact on the environment is cause for concern.


3. Transport Policy in the UK

In the UK, transport planning from the point of fashion, the government sector sought to make the market-oriented, the privatization of air, bus and rail sectors, even beginning of the privatization of roads, the implementation of 'shadow toll' approach that means the government pay for private developers to build or transform the cost of the road use for public traffic. (Chris, N. 2000).

However, some writers, notably Goodwin (1991), identified the emergence of what he calls the ’new transport realism’ in the late 1980s. ‘This is the realization that environmental and budgetary constraints make it impossible to provide for the rate of growth of road traffic that then existed, making a new set of interventions inevitable. The transport Green Paper of the last government (Department of Transport (DoT), 1996) is seen as representing a significant step towards a more interventionist policy, and of course the White Paper of the Labor government (DETR, 1998a) moves further in that direction.’

The most important part of the traffic problem has been very rapid growth. In the passenger sector, the total amount of travel for more than 50 three times since the early 20th century (Chris, N. 2000).


4. Evaluation & analysis of environment policy

Means of transport policy is often divided into the following categories:
‘Infrastructure measures;
Management measures;
Information measures;
Pricing;
Land-use. ‘(Institution of Highways and Transportation (IHT), 1995)
Their impact on the environment has also taken many ways. Infrastructure might be in order to reduce congestion and pollution, by providing more road space, or encourage the use of alternative modes of transport. Management measures was intended to affect the use of technology, for example, through the introduction of more stringent emission standards, or a controlled manner, the use of the technology, such as traffic management measures, or to improve the integration of public transport. Information on the scope of trying to encourage more economical of driving style, it is in order to promote public transport. The more consistent pricing is including fees of the true cost of alternative transport modes and measures to encourage the use of cleaner vehicles or fuels. Land use planning aimed at separation of pollution may be to their homes and employment opportunities, reducing the demand for travel, or promoting the use of public transport, walking or riding a bicycle. (Chris, N. 2000).


5. Conclusion

Environmental policy is increasingly affecting the work of all government departments, but in the United Kingdom, it has been the treatment of the environment, as an additional current policy, rather than the need for a strategic response. On the other hand, appropriate policies considered the transport demand in the forecast, the construction of new facilities. Therefore, we have shifted to a complex case, must fully take into account the environmental impact, however, measures to develop an integrated transport policy. (Chris, N. 2000).
In UK, transport policy becomes the main policy, they allow the privatization of some public facilities, reset the new prices and new methods of rational use the land and same time. To effectively control, the traffic generated because of the pollution of the environment. The reason why this policy will succeed in UK, it is mainly because the British Government has a clear understanding of that problem.


6. Bibliography

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