Chicago, Illinois, fits the definition of an overpopulated city due to the lack of resources available to its citizens. According to the United States Census Bureau, a 2012 estimate of the Illinois population is about 12,868,192 people. Although Chicago accounts for about 21% of the total population, there is still a high crime rate in Chicago, lack of libraries, and lack of healthcare available for people (Chicago QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” 2014). For example, according to Time magazine, the murder rate for Chicago is about 43 homicides per 100,000 residents while in New York is four per 100,000 and New York has a population of about 19,651,127 people which in terms of the homicide rate: “Chicago still outpaced every other major metropolis in the U.S” (Sanburn, 2014 and “New York QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” 2014) By having such a high crime rate in the city, there will be less people living in Chicago due to the sense of insecurity as a result there will be poorer neighborhoods in peoples’ communities. Migrating Chicagoans who can afford to leave may solve the numerical problem, but do not solve the resource problem as the people who leave most often are the ones with more resources. Thus, those remaining in the city are segregated strictly into high poverty areas.
Additionally, Chicago lacks the resource of libraries compared to total population need. According to National Public Radio’s “Chicago's lack of school libraries sparks dispute” (2010), “Nearly one in four Chicago public elementary schools and more than fifty high schools don't have staffed, in-school libraries.” This means that with less libraries available to students in school will lead them to have a lower literacy rate, higher chance at failing their classes, and such; thus, contributing to poverty in their neighborhoods when students drop out or fail their education.
Moreover, there is lack of healthcare for people in Chicago. According to Progress Illinois’s article, “South siders march to University of Chicago hospital in demand of a trauma center” (2013), “Currently, South Sides residents that need treatment for traumatic injuries have to travel long distances to a hospital on the North or West Sides of the city or the suburbs… the hospital treats trauma children under the age of 16, but adults in need of such care are sent to other area hospitals.” This means that people who don’t have access to hospitals when they are injured from a certain incident will have to travel far distances to obtain medical attention which can be deadly. “…Dr. Marie Crandall of Northwestern University, who last year published research showing the link between mortality rates and travel times, said gunshot victims more than five miles away from a trauma center have a 21 percent higher mortality rate” (Cynic, 2013).
If there were more resources available to the millions of people living in Chicago, then there wouldn't be these issues occurring; however, there isn't and so people will continue to suffer from these problems. These examples also show the relationship to population and resources. Numbers are important in overpopulation studies, but so is the ratio of resources to people.
Additionally, Chicago lacks the resource of libraries compared to total population need. According to National Public Radio’s “Chicago's lack of school libraries sparks dispute” (2010), “Nearly one in four Chicago public elementary schools and more than fifty high schools don't have staffed, in-school libraries.” This means that with less libraries available to students in school will lead them to have a lower literacy rate, higher chance at failing their classes, and such; thus, contributing to poverty in their neighborhoods when students drop out or fail their education.
Moreover, there is lack of healthcare for people in Chicago. According to Progress Illinois’s article, “South siders march to University of Chicago hospital in demand of a trauma center” (2013), “Currently, South Sides residents that need treatment for traumatic injuries have to travel long distances to a hospital on the North or West Sides of the city or the suburbs… the hospital treats trauma children under the age of 16, but adults in need of such care are sent to other area hospitals.” This means that people who don’t have access to hospitals when they are injured from a certain incident will have to travel far distances to obtain medical attention which can be deadly. “…Dr. Marie Crandall of Northwestern University, who last year published research showing the link between mortality rates and travel times, said gunshot victims more than five miles away from a trauma center have a 21 percent higher mortality rate” (Cynic, 2013).
If there were more resources available to the millions of people living in Chicago, then there wouldn't be these issues occurring; however, there isn't and so people will continue to suffer from these problems. These examples also show the relationship to population and resources. Numbers are important in overpopulation studies, but so is the ratio of resources to people.