Section 4: Impacts

As mentioned in the previous post, Tokyo's population is expected to decline by 30% by 2060. The issues that Tokyo's faces are not too great and many of the issues such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and economic growth and stability from the recent earthquakes have been improved over the course of the previous years. Tokyo is a post-industrial city that is well off in terms of economic stability, as well as socially and environmentally. Nonetheless, Tokyo still faces a number of issues that is always associated with having the title of a 'megacity.' This includes, waste management, lack of urban space, relative poverty and overcrowding.

Issues such as overcrowding, traffic congestion, are not likely to be great problems foreseen in the future of Tokyo as the population is likely to drop, but, nonetheless there will still be some problems to overcome. However, major issues such as employment problems due to the ageing population, housing in-affordability and some forms of relative poverty could likely climb in the near future. Tokyo's ageing population is becoming a serious problem as birth and mortality rates decline, as more and more people delay starting a family and primarily focus on their careers and city lifestyle. As the amount of retirement increases, the employment rate is likely to drop as the numbers of  the young and skillful declines. With no income, comes relative poverty, where affording basic necessities become a hard task.

Economic:
competition for open space among developers
economic stability and growth from the recent natural disaster

Social:
ageing population
overcrowding
relative poverty
racism against foreigners (population mostly homogeneous)
gender discrimination

Transport:
traffic congestion
overcrowding in public transport

Living:
housing in-affordability
more high-rise apartments than proper housing
limited living space
affordability for most things is expensive

Environmental:
poor waste management
air pollution
water pollution




Bibliography - Access Date: 6/5/2012
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