City Planners' new designs include setting up schools, markets, and commercial places (offices) in different areas of the city. Do you think it will help the city dwellers?

City Planners' new designs include setting up schools, markets, and commercial places (offices) in different areas of the city. Do you think it will help the city dwellers?

Decentralization 

• Smaller neighborhoods 

• Reduced commuting times and save money 

• Better living conditions due to easy accessibility of services  

• Lower pollution 

Cons 

• Will cause an increment in the infrastructural investments: area development, building roads and bridges, and other amenities  

• Disparity will increase: the areas (affluent) that have better facilities will offer better lifestyles, while the others will lag behind  

Urban dispersal has usurped traditional town planning concepts and relies on creating distinct civic amenities and educational facilities for every residential area, turning them into self-contained hubs. This kind of layout, despite presenting certain challenges,  can help resolve several complications facing incessantly expanding cities, thereby improving the standards of life. 

Although some might profess that this could result in precipitating higher infrastructural investments to erect duplicate establishments and render services within a limited area, the benefits derived would greatly outweigh the resources channelised into creating such an arrangement. The urbanites, to start with, would not need to endure exhaustive commutes required to fulfill their daily requirements, including but not limited to working, gaining education, procuring groceries and other necessities, and instead afford everything they need within their neighborhoods, thinning traffic that criss-crosses urban roads. Consequently, this would help alleviate vehicular density and snarls, and emissions, thereby enhancing the quality of urban air. For example, the pilot smart city systems being deployed in various European and Middle Eastern countries have yielded encouraging outcomes, in the form of lower traffic and pollution. 

Moreover, urban dwellers would be spared time to be spent with their families and practicing leisure, augmenting their lifestyles and family environment, as well as sustaining their well being, for they will be able to forgo the the stress of traveling, saving them time and money spent on undertaking journeys to work, schools and markets, among others. To exemplify, the residents of Montpellier are reported to be healthier and happier than their counterparts living in Paris because of the former espousing decentralized urban configuration. 

Overall, such urban settings are the need of the hour, for these can aid in cities gaining their lost charm, creating a liveable environment and easing the lives of urban inhabitants.