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Running head: UNIT V INTRODUCTION 1
Urban Problems in Puerto Rico, Part 1
Puerto Rico is a Spanish word that means rich port. This is a Caribbean Island located northeast of the Caribbean Sea. It shares a boundary with the United States. The island has approximately 3.2 million residents. Spanish and English are the official languages in the island’s branch of government. The Spanish powers colonized the island. The Taino people are recognized as the indigenous habitants of the island (Garriga-López, 2019). Though strongly contested by other European powers interested in colonizing the island, the Spanish remained the rulers and developed the place by introducing African slaves. Due to African people on the island, another Puerto Rican identity centered around the fusion of Africans, European and indigenous habitats emerged. Puerto Ricans have been recognized as citizens of the United States of America, although they do not participate in political voting for president and vice president. They neither pay federal taxes. The United States Navy occupies a significant part as their base in the island, making it a strategic site for military purposes. The school dropouts on the island are very high despite free education being offered for pupils up to 16 years. Most children complete school at the age of 8 years. The popular fast foods of the United States are beginning to take a significant role in the island. This is a competition to the island’s traditional food, which consists of pork, beans, and rice.
Decrease in land is a major urban problem that Puerto Rico faces due to the increased housing rates in the area. Due to the influence of the United States housing programs, new houses have been built in Puerto Rico to give a new environment different from the swampy settlement. The housing projects took much land off the island, and the final product was too expensive for the citizens. This turned the housing projects into wastages (Santiago-Bartolomei, 2018). Globalization had a strong impact and influence on this problem because the United States influenced the island’s development and later influenced the people’s culture. The ideas of the housing projects were meant to modernize the region. Globalization gave room and space for the spread of ideas and cultures on the island. Geography was also an influential factor since the citizens of both Puerto Rico and the United States have the privilege of visiting each other and exchanging ideas which could later lead to a change in one of the cultures (Alvarado, 2021).
A possible solution to the housing problem faced in Puerto Rico would be to either demolish the newly constructed houses or the old house, which would give more room for the island’s development. By demolishing either of the stated houses, people of the region would have to live in only of the houses, which would, in turn, create space for continued development of the region. Another possible solution to the problem would be to decrease the housing charges for the people of the island to afford. This would increase movement from the old habitats to the new houses (Borges-Mendez, 2020). I believe that sustainability in Puerto Rico would help in lessening the tensions around the island, which would, in turn, lessen social problems faced in the area. The economy of the island has been significantly affected by debts which have led to an economic crisis. Puerto Rico depends on the United States for the provision of most of its services. The U.S. pays for many things on the island, such as education. The independence of Puerto Rico in terms of money and economy would aid it in achieving sustainability and in terms achieve control for most of its service.
References
Alvarado, C. M. (2021). Public Housing in Puerto Rico: Housing for a Lower Income Segment, a Special Case. In Public housing in Europe and America (pp. 167-177). Routledge.
Borges-Mendez, R. (2020). Community Development Corporations and Reconstruction Policy in Puerto Rico. Centro Journal, 32(3).
Garriga-López, A. (2019). Puerto Rico: The future in question. Shima, 13(2), 174-192.
Santiago-Bartolomei, R. (2018). Notes for a planning and public policy framework for housing in Puerto Rico. Center for a New Economy.
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