Band 6+: In many cities, problems related to overpopulation are becoming more common. Some governments are now encouraging businesses and individuals to move out of cities to rural areas. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Some governments suggest to businesses and individuals moving out of city to rural areas in order to handle the problems caused by overpopulation in the cities. Despite the fact that setting in rural areas creates obstacles for people who must travel a long distance for providing their household and education needs, I think the advantages of less traffic and less pollution in the cities suppress the disadvantages.

Looking at the positive side, relocating businesses to rural areas can reduce the number of car owners, resulting in fewer cars on the road. At present, there is too much traffic on the highways that hinder people to get their home or work at appropriate time. Furthermore, there are no enough parking spots in the city. As a result, the vehicles end up being parked on the streets, which even multiplies the congestion problem. For instance, Tokyo and New York have experienced reduced congestion when businesses and people have relocated to surrounding rural areas. Moreover, types of pollution such as noise and air pollution grow by the rising number of transport vehicles. The smoke from cars not only pollutes the environment, but also increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, contributing to global warming. Automobiles also creates too much noisy background in the cities. For instance, research shows that in rural areas, such as the countryside, where there is less traffic, both air and noise pollution are reduced.

Although there are valid merits of transferring businesses and individuals to rural areas, there is also a drawback of time consumption. Most people living in urban areas benefit from being close to shopping centers, grocery stores, and educational institutions such as schools and courses. It takes 15 maximum 30 minutes to go the closest market or school. But in countryside, there is not that many of stores and schools. Therefore it would take them more than an hour to get their daily needs. For example, in Azerbaijan, some villages lack schools, requiring students to travel to a different village or the countryside to receive education.

In conclusion, fostering businesses and individuals to move to rural areas has the advantages of less pollution and reduced traffic, but it also carries the disadvantage of increased time consumption.