Urban planners face a conflict of interests when designing cities’ infrastructure since some people believe that a greater number of trees is needed to be planted, as they are necessary for the biodiversity of metropolises and make cities more livable. Others, however, argue that planners should allocate more space for residential construction works since it allows more people to move to the larger areas, helping them to get access to a higher standard of living. Personally, I do stand for the former view, as in my opinion, it is way more important to try to reach the environmental balance, than to overpopulate urban centers, even with the best intentions.
On the one hand, some claim that urban greening is vital, as it is the best solution to reduce pollution, which is one of the major issues that megacities face. Admittedly, huge amount of vegetation makes the biodiversity better, improving the air quality, which fosters safe and pleasant living conditions for city dwellers. Large areas that lack greenery, for example, cannot overcome problems with dangerous – even toxic levels of pollution, which leads to the rising incidence of respiratory diseases, including lung cancer among their residents. This, in turn, costs the governments a fortune in medical expenses.
On the other hand, some individuals strongly support the idea of allocating more land for the construction of new accommodations in urban centers since by building new houses, it is possible to provide proximity to many opportunities for rural-to-urban migrants, who will also have a chance to live near modern facilities, thereby getting better education and career opportunities. This may benefit the governments economically in the long term due to the greater number of qualified people in different fields of science and technology, who are able to represent their countries on a global stage, attracting foreign investors.
In conclusion, even though the construction of new places to live has its own benefits to regular residents as well as governments, from my own point of view, it is crucial to plant trees everywhere, especially in large cities, as they play a significant role in the biodiversity and environmental sustainability, which have a huge impact on the comfort of living in the area.