Introduction

Urbanisation is a growing phenomenon in the Pacific Islands with many people migrating from
the rural to the urban areas and since largely escaped any critical review. Urban growth has given
rise to a number of issues namely the issue of lack of available land and informal settlements that
have sprung up; coupled with lawlessness, crime, poverty, and stress on the public infrastructure
as in roads; hospitals, schools and the loss of environmental dignity. The growing population has
made it difficult to get decent jobs and the income levels are also not steady and having to tackle
inflation rates on basic goods and services. Such wide-ranging issues have posed major obstacles
for sustained growth and the lack of political will to formulating policies. Urban development
needs a balanced approach and regional coordination to overcome crises and long term visions
need to become visible.
 1. What are the broad issues focused in the article?

Housing has seen the ballooning of squatter settlements with a high demand for land space and
unavailability of meeting the needs of the new migrants. Employment where towns and cities
have become the centre or hub with easy access to facilities and jobs created are usually in the
public service or bureaucracy with higher wages and benefits. Unemployment is growing in
urban areas and struggle for jobs is a constant adversity with most unable to utilize their skills
and thus tend to carry out anti-social behaviour such as alcohol, theft and drugs. There are a lot
of graduates and youths who leave schools and unable to find any decent work that is matching
to their skills and qualifications. Formal versus informal sector where the latter is able to absorb
the high percentage of the unemployed who are able to market and sell their own products and
services and yet are not given due recognition and repressed by denying social welfare policies.
Social order where due to the factors coupled with lack of land space, people have decided to
return to their rural villages. Those that have remained have broken traditional ties with their
rural homes. The follow up generations have little or no knowledge of their traditions and
customs and have no guidance from elders thus there is lawlessness and the need to do criminal
activities is prevalent. Environment and health as the increase in informal housing has led to
deplorable conditions and the lack of access to basic utilities such as water; electricity and
sanitation. Lack of income has led to young people especially young women and children to
resort to commercial sex work and in turn are at risk of catching HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases. People in urban areas tend not to indulge in recreational activities and do
not eat a proper diet so they are prone to cardio-vascular and non-communicable diseases.
 2. What does elephant refer to in this article and why?

Towns and cities that are being impacted by the rise of urbanization and the problems and issues
associated with them. They have for so long put up the facade of meeting expectations of would
be migrants from rural and remote areas who aspire to accomplish their dreams and try their luck
but are unable to satisfy. Growth is uneven and disparity among the 'have' and 'have-nots' is ever
growing with simmering tensions recorded. Pressures on health; education and social service
systems and coupled with increasing crime and unemployment rates and the loss of environment
dignity. There is slow progress and no sound policy decisions made on examining the urban life
and to create an idealist vision of sustainability.
 3. What relationships the author has pointed out between depopulation, remittances,
and traditional change?

They are all causally linked. People migrating from rural to urban areas looking for better
opportunities invariably lose touch or ties with their traditions and culture in the towns and cities
there are no traditional leaders to guide and pass the wisdom so there is a tendency to transgress
into antip-social behavior as in substance abuse, violence and crime. Rural dwellers who have
migrated to the urban centres have to forego certain obligations and have to bid time to gain
secure and a better employment whilst presently being low in income and have no other means
of financial support. Demand for basic necessities as in electricity and water cannot be paid for
and many residents just survive on whatever little they earn. Consequently, the migrants are
unable to send enough money back to their rural homes. This is in turn puts added burden on
those in villages with already having to deal with limited access to services and inequality of
land tenure and ownership and dampening the bridge between expectation and reality. Pacific
societies have trained workers for international migration and to be able to send money back
home.
 4. What evidences did author provide linking the rural and urban sectors?

The socio-economic changes in rural areas has raised expectations of the people to have more
expectations of life in the towns and cities that they feel would complete their aspirations of
making more money; having better living conditions in terms of housing, education and the basic
utilities and escape the poverty and uncertainties that surround land tenure and ownership. Due
to this effect, national governments have sought to develop the urban areas whilst neglecting the
rural areas in delivering effective services which in turn contributes to more movement of
people. The movement to the cities and towns gives more rise to inequality as the rural migrants
lack the necessary education and skills to get better jobs. There is also a slow erosion of
traditional knowledge amongst the second and third generation migrants as they have stayed too
long in the urban areas, not returning to their village homes and are likely to keep living despite
the problems of housing and lack of jobs.
 5. Do you agree with the author that unemployment in Pacific is an urban
phenomenon? Give reasons.

Yes I do. Unemployment is on a constant rise and there is lot of difficulty in finding jobs and
despite creating extra employment opportunities there are still more educated individuals and
graduates searching for work that would match their skills and qualifications. This tension of
limited access leads to anti-social behaviour as in substance abuse of drinking alcohol and taking
drugs. There is a gap between the available urban jobs and the underlying aspirations of the
labour force. People escaping social strife back home in the villages or rural areas tend to crowd
towns and the cities and put stress on the burgeoning infrastructure networks. The rate of rural-
urban migration continues to outgrow the rate of job creation. The rural population outweighs the
resident urban population. Living in urban areas is not an easy venture and requires finance to
fund access to adequate services such as housing and utilities (electricity and water) to be able to
sustain a livelihood.
 6. What are the urban planning difficulties identified by the author?

The lack of political will by the governments and local authorities in policy making and
managing the development in urban areas. Forceful eviction and unable to upgrade informal
settlements. There are also the mushrooming of squatters in native land and the ensuing tensions
that arise between the tenants (rural migrants) and the landowners and the State lacking the
ability to negotiate. Lack of coordination and skills and knowledge amongst the different
agencies to carry out development work and may reciprocate only vested interests to certain parts
of the city or town perhaps for support and vote buying only. Little or no consultation with the
local landowners to involve them with decisions related to urban development and informal
settlements.
 7. What does convivial city refer to in the article?

Lack of any semblance and social order, crime has taken a hold in the cities of the Pacific. This is
due to rising inequality amongst the people with uncertainty in land tenure; housing and access
to better health and educational services. The loss of social harmony is related to the lack of
traditional leadership and knowledge in the urban areas that could have acted as a guide to the
people and their problems and the fact that due to migration and the movement of people there
are a lot of socio-cultural divisions giving rise to ethnic tensions and creating difficulty to living.
This is attributed to lifestyle and the levels of income.
Conclusion

Urbanization is a growing trend and the Pacific is no different. Towns and cities that are being
impacted by the rise of urbanization and the problems and issues associated with them need to
come out of their hibernating state. The national leaders and governing authorities need to
formulate sound policies that could help to alleviate some of the social ills and provide
sustainable growth where all residents are able to get equal opportunities to prosperity and where
their urban future is secure.
Reference

Connell, J. (2011). Elephants in the Pacific? Pacific urbanisation and its discontents. Asia Pacific
Viewpoint, 52(2). pp. 121-135.