[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 4, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E980-E981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WINNING ESSAY: ``IMPOVERISHED METROPOLISES''

                                 ______


                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 1996

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, when HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros leads U.S. 
representatives to HABITAT II--the Second U.N. Conference on Human 
Settlement--in Istanbul, Turkey, the official delegation will include a 
Michigan high school student whose essay won first place in the 1996 
National High School Contest on the United Nations.
  In his essay, John Hart, a junior at Kimball High School in Royal 
Oak, MI, describes the impact of migration, trade policies, and 
international economics on urban centers throughout the world, and 
argues for a ``new set of priorities,'' based primarily on free trade 
and multilateral investment, to promote global prosperity.
  Hart's essay, ``Impoverished Metropolises,'' won a $1,000 first prize 
and a trip to HABITAT II for both Hart and his history and 
international relations teacher at Kimball High School, Patricia Estep. 
The conference focuses on building links among national urban 
development programs, environmental studies and social service 
networks.
  I compliment John Hart for his accomplishment, and commend his work 
to the attention of my colleagues.

                       Impoverished Metropolises

                             (By John Hart)

       The fate of the world is entwined with the fate of its 
     cities. Social critic Lewis Mumford remarked that ``the city 
     is a place for multiplying happy chances and making the most 
     of unplanned opportunities.'' At the turn of the century, 
     roughly five percent of the world's people lived in cities 
     with populations over 100,000. Today, an estimated forty-five 
     percent, slightly more than 2.5 billion people, live in urban 
     centers. Every year, millions migrate to metropolitan areas 
     in search of prosperity. However, bright hopes have been 
     clouded by dim prospects, as rapid population growth has 
     strained resources and ignited economic turmoil. These 
     problems plague the growth of the developing world. Millions 
     of citizens face deplorable living conditions, while others 
     struggle to support themselves. Poverty and unemployment form 
     the core of metropolitan crises; economic and social 
     hardships in developing nations are one of the world's most 
     prevalent ills.
       The influx of billions of people into metropolitan areas 
     strains the resources, leadership, and infrastructure of 
     dozens of nations. Migration is a continuous trend. Citizens 
     from the poor interior of sub-Saharan Africa travel to 
     Kinshasa, Zaire, despite the collapse of its economy and 
     services. Rapid population growth has pushed Kinshasa to the 
     edge of anarchy. Between 1950 and 1995 the number of cities 
     worldwide with a population of over one million increased 
     fourfold, from 83 to 315. Cities, first and third world 
     alike, are coping with waves of poor newcomers while affluent 
     citizens move out, driven away by crime and a deteriorating 
     quality of life. Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Jakarta, Mexico 
     City, Cairo, Delhi, and Beijing face similar situations. The 
     United Nations estimates that by the year 2025 more than five 
     billion people, or sixty-one percent of humanity, will be 
     living in cities.
       Poverty and disease are rampant in hundreds of the world's 
     metropolises. Unsanitary conditions breed infectious 
     diseases, infecting millions chronically. In Poland, the

[[Page E981]]

     land and water have been so poisoned by toxic waste that ten 
     percent of babies are born with birth defects. Virulent 
     insects thrive in contaminated areas. Urbanization has 
     produced an ideal environment for the spread of disease. 
     Carolyn Stevens, an epidemiologist at the London School of 
     Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, notes that poverty is the root 
     cause of such epidemics. Disproportionate numbers of poor 
     people living in cities die from both infectious diseases and 
     chronic illnesses. As migrants flood cities, resulting urban 
     growth outruns the installation of sanitation. Hopeful 
     citizens view metropolitan life as one of opportunity; 
     however, resources are drained quickly and the standard of 
     living falls exponentially. As time progresses, crowded, 
     unsanitary slums will continue to harbor disease, 
     perpetuating massive poverty.
       Massive migration also strains rural economies. Millions 
     move toward the cities, abandoning suburban life in hope of 
     metropolitan prosperity. Many of those who migrate in the 
     developing world are farmers. The world's largest nations, 
     including India and China, depend upon massive production of 
     grain to feed their millions. As rural populations dwindle, 
     grain output also dwindles commensurably. Burgeoning city 
     populations, on the other hand, demand widespread resources. 
     Agricultural output fails to fulfill the demand of large 
     metropolises. As a result, much of the third world must 
     import billions of pounds of grain. Although such attempts 
     are successful, many are still left in poverty. Urban growth 
     creates an unprecedented strain on the worldwide agricultural 
     industry, ensuing economic hardship and widespread poverty.
       Population growth also strains urban economies. As cities 
     swell from migration and births, workers face crowds of 
     competitors. Economic growth cannot keep up with population 
     expansion. Beijing is home to an estimated one million 
     floating workers in search of jobs. Unemployment rates in 
     scores of African cities top twenty percent and are unlikely 
     to drop anytime soon. Newcomers have fled to Kinshasa, yet 
     recent violence has scared away affluent businessmen and 
     foreign workers. As a result, over the last three years, 
     Kinshasa has seen its economy shrink by forty percent. 
     Thousands of government jobs have disappeared, and the city's 
     infrastructure has crumbled. In Beijing, the banking system 
     is on the brink of collapse, as inflation is rapidly 
     outpacing income growth. Hundreds of cities face similar 
     situations; growing demand outpaces economic supply, 
     harboring unemployment and depression. Metropolitan economics 
     can't keep up with increased pressure.
       More and more, the fate of cities determines the fate of 
     nations and regions. In dozens of countries, a single major 
     city accounts for half of the government's revenues and a 
     large portion of GDP. Karachi is Pakistan's financial center, 
     only major port, and has the highest concentration of 
     literate people. Large cities such as these are not only 
     fundamental to the economy of their nation but are also 
     catalysts for political movements. Depression and widespread 
     poverty often spur ethnic or religious conflict. Overcrowded 
     cities harbor violence and civil strife; passions incubate 
     among disgusted peasants. In Pakistan, if factional violence 
     intensifies, unrest could engulf the rest of the populace, 
     leading to international conflicts and large movements of 
     people. Cities are fundamental to economic and social 
     stability.
       The problems of the world's major cities demand the 
     attention of policy makers. The international community must 
     work toward creating a new agenda for dealing with rapid 
     urbanization. First, aid must not be prioritized to the 
     world's few largest metropolises. Most international 
     attention is directed toward the most gigantic cities, 
     although smaller urban centers often face more severe 
     hardships. Future programs must concentrate on assisting 
     cities with the deepest problems, not those with the largest 
     populations.
       Moreover, international organizations, such as the United 
     Nations, must support community-based initiatives. These 
     projects, pioneered by the World Bank, focus on small, yet 
     fundamental problems. One of these initiatives, the Kampung 
     Improvement Program in Jakarta, Indonesia, gave citizens an 
     incentive to clean up their community. This method of foreign 
     aid concentrates expertise of foreign workers, yet also gives 
     cities a certain degree of autonomy in the self-improvement 
     process. After the Jakarta program was implemented, Josef 
     Leitmann, a World Bank urban planner, indicated that the 
     ``poor began to look at their community as their home. A 
     simple change in psychology produced a change in physical 
     surroundings.'' By impressing the process of social and 
     economic development, rather than blanketing certain areas 
     with massive amounts of aid, international organizations can 
     improve the welfare of cities dramatically.
       The international community must also promote multilateral 
     free trade. Developing countries, such as China and Russia, 
     must be included in the World Trade Organization. Increasing 
     economic relations between all nations helps narrow the 
     North-South gap, the economic and political barrier between 
     first and third world countries. The United States and other 
     major global powers can no longer concentrate trade with a 
     select few large partners; they must open their doors to 
     small, indigenous nations. Such an initiative would boost the 
     economies of struggling cities, as increased exposure to 
     world markets would boost standards of living and calm 
     protectionist unrest.
       Current United States policies, such as the Export 
     Enhancement Program (EEP), are contributing to third world 
     city poverty. The program, known as the EEP, allows China to 
     purchase grain from the United States at a substantially 
     reduced price. Although China is the world's largest importer 
     of grain, programs like the EEP, essentially subsidize 
     foreign agricultural industries, killing their ability to 
     complete. Nations such as China are, thus, able to purchase 
     grain from the United States at a cheaper price than from 
     their own farmers. This system pressures the individual 
     farmers, causing millions to move to cities. Mass migration, 
     in turn, strains resources in urban areas, perpetuating 
     poverty and unemployment.
       Corporate investment also plays a fundamental role in 
     reaching out to swelling metropolises. Abolishment of 
     protectionist trade barriers must be accompanied by increased 
     investment in fledgling economies. Multinational 
     corporations, or MNCs, must be encouraged to develop new 
     initiatives to boost the infrastructures of struggling 
     cities. Hands-on investment, as opposed to large monetary 
     grants, will pave the way for worldwide metropolitan 
     prosperity.
       Cities form the cornerstone of civilization. Recent 
     population growth has dulled the luster of shining 
     metropolises. Migration has strained the developing world, 
     creating millions of unemployed workers, pushing even more 
     into poverty. Industrialized nations must form a new set of 
     priorities, hinging chief objectives upon free trade and 
     multilateral investment. Although the world cannot rectify 
     all urban problems, it must act quickly and decisively in 
     order to promote global prosperity. If positive steps are 
     taken, present-day slums may become, as Lewis Mumford put it, 
     ``symbols of the possible.''

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