Livability task
Introduction:
Perth and Addis Ababa have been chosen for this geographical research. I chose these two cities because they have very different cultures, governments, histories and way of life.
One of the most important events in Perth’s history was the gold rush in 1892. The opportunity of gold brought people all around Australia and the world to the, then small, city of Perth. This new wave of immigration brought new cultures, religion and food to Perth. Another added bonus of the gold rush is there was opportunity for business as more people moved to Perth, there was more jobs to be filled, and more jobs being created. This led to big business being opened, as there was more of a workforce to support it. As this gold rush followed many previous gold rushes around Australia, it made even more people believe Australia was a country of opportunity. Because of this, many families moved to Australia. This helped put Perth, and Australia, on the world map. Perth is home to a large British population due to its geographical population. (Perth is well known for this). According to the 2016 Australian Census, 18.8% of Perth residents have English parents, that figure increases to 30.4% when scotland and ireland are included . It is the westernmost capital city of Australia and therefore the closest to Europe. In the 1960s the Australian government wanted to boost 'White' immigration so they offered assisted passages to families from the UK. They were given very cheap tickets to sail to the WA port in Fremantle and were known as 'Ten Pound Poms'. From there they could make their way across the country to other cities or settle in WA. Many stayed and settled in Fremantle and Perth.
Addis Ababa’s history goes back a very long time, the first humans are thought to have come from Ethiopia. Many skeletons of ancient homo sapiens and homo erectus have been found throughout the country, the most famous being ‘Lucy’. Lucy is a collection of fossilised bones that date back to around 3.2 million years ago. With the advances of technology, scientists have managed to gather even more information about Lucy. Discoveries have been made by examining bone structure and comparing the bones with other bones of a similar era. Some other important aspects of Ethiopian history are cultural and religious side. Ethiopia was one of the first Christian countries in the world. Today the most common religion is orthodox Christian. The name Addis Ababa means ‘new flower’
These two cities have a very different history. Addis Ababa’s is an ancient city and has a long and complex history, while Perth’s history has been largely in the last few centuries.
Perth’s location affects many aspects of its geographical features.
One of Addis Ababa’s main attractions is the numerous spas.
Research:
Climate: The climate is something that can really affect the country the lifestyle of its inhabitants.
Population density:
The population of a city is always important, it can be one of the deciding factors of where to move. When a city is heavily populated it can result in heavy traffic, housing problems and issues with plumping.
Over the past few years, Perth’s population has been slowly increasing, with an average increase of 4.7%. The 2017 population was 2.2 million people. This means Perth has the population density of 317.74 people per square kilometre. Perth is the 4th most densely populated city in Australia. This population is good as it will mean there will be no severe housing and unemployment issues. Rating: 4/5
Addis Ababa is the 7th most populated city in Africa, with an average of 5165 people per square meter. This number seems extreme when compared to Perth’s meagre average of 318. Addis Ababa’s figure however, is an estimate. This is because the last census was held in 2007. This is because there has been concern over security issues over the census over previous years. The cities estimated population is approximately 4 million, as the city has seen large increases in immigration from neighbouring countries. This makes it the largest landlocked city. Population density is a huge issue in the city, with most of the population living on the outside of the city, in slums. This leads to many problems regarding hygiene. There has been little to no improvements in the quality of plumbing, this leads to serious problems with sanitation. As people are living in such close proximity makes it easier for diseases to spread ant turn into epidemics. Rating: 2/5
Infrastructure:
Perth is undergoing massive transformations, with billion-dollar infrastructure projects in development. Some of these projects include new bridges, stadiums, museums and train lines. In addition, Perth’s hotel market is also expanding fast and will continue to do so over the next five years as multiple hotels enter the market. All these projects are happening to ‘Enhance Perth’s reputation as one of the world’s most livable cities. With all of the new building, over the next few years, the skyline in going to drastically change. Rating: 4/5
With increasing migration into Addis Ababa, the planning of new infrastructure projects becomes even more important. Greater efforts have been made to provide better housing and better public transport around Addis Ababa. Although there has been progress throughout the last few years, it has not been enough. There nowhere near the needed amount of appropriate buildings to support Addis Ababa’s rapidly expanding population at this current time. Once all of the planned buildings are completed there will be less strain on the struggling housing system. Planning departments have already run into the issue of space. Cities aren’t endless, there only a certain amount of space that a city has, and because of previous bad planning, Addis Ababa is running out of space. As it is surrounded by mountains, there is now way for the city to expand. The way the government has combated this problem however, is not the most considerate of the poor.To make more space, slums are bulldozed and their inhabitants are expected to find a new place to live. Traffic is a huge problem in Addis Ababa, there are only a few working traffic lights in the whole city. Traffic is conducted by police officers. Rating: 1.5/5
Economy:
Peth has the second highest wages in Australia (with the highest being the Australian Capital Territory) with the average yearly pay being $90,496 for a full-time job. This figure does not include other investments and sources of income such as investments in companies and property. With the average expenses for a person living alone with a low to moderate expensive lifestyle is $27,687. This is not including medical problems and there will always be unexpected expenses. Overall, the economy of Perth is relatively stable. Rating :4/5
Ethiopia’s economy is growing at 10 percent a year and that figure is expected to double within the next decade. According to the World Bank, in 2025 Ethiopia will have reached the status of a middle-income nation. The country has the second highest growing economy and predicted to grow by 8.2 percent this year. Despite the major improvement that has happened over the last decade, there is still a huge gap between the rich and the poor. According to the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in 2011, the Gini Coefficient (a way of measuring the gap between the rich and poor) is 33. What is particularly concerning is the fact that it has gotten worse throughout the years. In 2016, the Gini Coefficient was 39. There is hope with the increasing economy, the Gini Coefficient will improve. Rating: 2/5
Health Services:
Perth has many hospitals, with the main one being the Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). The RPH is Western Australia’s longest serving hospital. It is a 450-bed hospital that provides a wide range of treatments. The main ambulance service is the Saint John’s ambulance, which has 30 ambulance depots serviced by more than 720 paramedics. St Johns attended 685 cases on the 25th of November (date while writing). The ambulances arrive before their target time 93.8% of the time. Western Australian aged pensioners also entitled to free ambulance services. Their work has, and will continue to save lives. Rating: 4/5
The health status of Ethiopia is poor, even when compared to other low-income countries. The population suffers from a many diseases, that, with modern technology, could be easily prevented. Small improvements have been made, but not fast enough. Health sector reviews show that patients suffering from HIV/AIDS-related conditions can occupy more than 50% of hospital beds at any given time.
Education Opportunities:
Education is one of the most important parts of growing up. Schools prepare children for jobs as well as the necessary life skills.
According to the Australian Census, 55.5% of residents in Perth are in some form of education. This includes government and private schools, as well as universities and further education. This information may not be reliable however, as 46% of people who are receiving education did not specify what type of school they go to. Perth, like the rest of Australia, has many rules focused on education. It is encouraged that children start off in kindergarten, but it is not a legal requirement. Children do however have to start school in pre-primary (Prep). It is a requirement to start Pre-Primary that year is the child will be 5 years old by the 30th of June. This education system means everybody has the opportunity to learn. Rating: 5/5
Addis has a 3-8-2-2 education structure. When children are four, they start pre-primary (more commonly referred to as kindergarten). After 3 years, children move on to Primary school for the next 8 years of their education. Secondary school is split up into two sections: upper and lower secondary. Both sections last two years. Recent progress has made it so they primary school is free. This increases children’s opportunities to learn. Sadly, less than one fifth of children in Addis Ababa reach year eight without any interruptions in their education. Rating: 2.5/5
Safety:
Safety is an important part of any environment. There should be no need to be scared when walking hope at night, but in some countries where this is not the case.
According to the Western Australia police force the numbers of offences against other people and property has gone down, but there has also been an increase in family related offences and a 10.5% increase in drug related offences. However, this increase is not just seen in Perth. The whole of Australia is facing a ‘Drug epidemic’. The Western Australian government has many websites and plans to help people in emergencies and in events such as a power outage, as well as giving advice on how to stay safe every day. There has been a slow decrease of ‘against person’ offences.
Safety has been a concern of many people when visiting Addis Ababa. Violent crime in Addis Ababa is fortunately rare, but petty theft is still something to watch out for. Most of the crimes, however, are directed towards foreigners, as the locals are aware of common tactics used by the con artist. It is advisable to not bring valuables when in a crowded area as they may be stolen. Addis Ababa is very safe compared with many other African capitals. Blackouts are also frequent, it is advisable to carry a torch. Safety: 3/5
Bibliography
https://tradingeconomics.com/ethiopia/gini-index-wb-data.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/ethiopia/overview
https://urbanisation.econ.ox.ac.uk/blog/blog-title
http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC51218#cultural
https://www.citypopulation.de/Ethiopia.html
https://www.globalpartnership.org/country/ethiopia
http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC51218