Conflicts in Measuring Progress - Megacity in Asia (Seoul) Essay

Conflicts in Measuring Progress - Megacity in Asia (Seoul) - Essay Example The city’s rapid expansion and transformation comes with challenges in addition to the positive impacts. It is therefore worthwhile to explore impacts of urbanization in the city of Seoul considering issues of sustainability, effects to the environment, housing, transport systems and the overall quality of life. Though it was originally a phenomenon of cities from the west, urbanization has invaded even cities in Asia. According to (Clark, 2003), the world society is fast become urban in characteristic and this can now be applied to Seoul. As a result of an explosion in population, Seoul’s urbanization impacts are unique as compared to has been observed elsewhere such as in America and Europe. The periods from 1960 through the 1970s have seen South Korea grow at a rate of 10% economically. Per capita income was $76 in the year 1970 and has grown to more than $19,000 in just forty years; overall GDP is close to $ one trillion. Being the country’s biggest city and trade hub, the population of Seoul has increased by more than 500% since the year 1960; rural urban migration especially to Seoul has been on the rise. Though it sits on just 0.61% of South Korea’s total area, 84% of institutions and agencies of government, 88% of the country’s biggest companies and 75% o f major universities are hosted by Seoul. An excess of 65% in terms of financial/bank transactions are done in this city (Jeon, 2005 P.5). There is no other city across the globe taking an economic burden matching that of Seoul. Only 20sq.m of residential space is available per individual at the moment, this is extremely low as compared to other developed cities like New York, London and Paris. Tokyo has 55sq.m per person even though is considered highly populated. Basing on square kilometers, Seoul’s is 23,908 which is denser than Tokyo’s 7,099 persons. On the Gini index of income inequality Seoul scores 0.36,