Urban Problems in Puerto Rico, Part 2
In this unit, you will complete your Puerto Rico research paper. You will add a minimum of two additional pages to the first half of the paper that was submitted in Unit V (attached). The final research paper draft you complete in this unit should contain the following:
§ Step 1: Make any needed revisions to the Unit V submission and use this as the first half of your Unit VII paper.
§ Step 2: Add at least two additional pages of content about solutions to address the problems you presented in the first two pages of the paper in Unit V. You must include at leasttwodifferent solutions. Make sure to include both source material and your own analysis regarding the solutions. Additionally, discuss the following topics in your paper:
o Analyze sustainability as an approach to addressing social problems in Puerto Rico. Do you think this would help alleviate social problems?
o Discuss if you support or do not support statehood for Puerto Rico. Discuss how that would or would not be a positive step in helping to fix the urban problem(s) you presented.
In this final draft, include the sources from your first draft and at least one additional source. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying APA citations.
1 UNIT V RESEARCH PAPER 2 UNIT V RESEARCH PAPER Unit V Research Paper About Puerto Rico Puerto Rico, formally known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Caribbean Island with a population of 3.195 million people as of 2018. San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico, and the weather is characteristic of a tropical environment with plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures. Puerto Rico is known for its stunning landscape and vistas, particularly its beaches. Puerto Rico's culture is a mix of Spanish, American, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Tropical rainforests dominate part of the island, while mountain ranges, including the country's tallest, the Cordillera Central, cover the rest. In Puerto Rico, both Spanish and English are official languages, with Spanish being the most widely spoken on the island. The freedom of religion is guaranteed in Puerto Rico's constitution, and the most popular faith is Roman Catholic, which is drawn from the island's Spanish past. Puerto Rico's political position is that of a freely affiliated state within the United States of America. Despite its ties to the United States, Puerto Ricans are not permitted to vote in presidential elections. The US Navy maintains a significant facility on the island, making it a popular strategic location for US military personnel. In Puerto Rico, there is a relatively high dropout rate for children in school; nevertheless, schooling is free until the age of 16, and most students finish eight years of schooling. The culture of the United States is continuously influencing Puerto Rico, particularly the cuisine offered and the popularity of growing new varieties of food. While traditional Puerto Rican cuisine of pig, beans, and rice remains popular, prominent fast-food franchises from the United States are becoming more prevalent. Urban Problems Faced in Puerto Rico One urban issue that Puerto Rico is dealing with is the shrinking quantity of land available owing to the increasing number of housing complexes that are springing up all across the island (Lloréns & Stanchich, 2019). Because of its suburbanization, the culture and appearance of the United States have inspired many new housing projects in Puerto Rico with greater acreage surrounding houses to create a more suburban feel for homes and take away the urban slums that lived and worked in Puerto Rico City. When Puerto Rico was a tiny island to, begin with, these projects took up too much ground, and the home developments were also too expensive for most Puerto Ricans to afford, turning these developments into a waste of space and taken over regions. Globalization is linked to this urban challenge due to the United States' influence and cultural impact on the development efforts in Puerto Rico. The housing complexes' goals were to build more urban areas, modernize Puerto Rico, and begin to transform the island into a more beautiful place with less swampy, congested regions. Connection to Globalization Globalization made it possible for cultures and ideas to flow across boundaries, influencing how Puerto Ricans attempted to improve their land and development. Because of Puerto Rico's proximity to the United States and therefore its influence on our culture and beliefs, geography ties the urban challenges. Geography also influenced the notion of urbanization in Puerto Rico by allowing people of either Puerto Rico or the United States to easily visit the other to view or exchange diverse influencing ideas that led to the idea of urbanization (Delilah et., al., 2020). Connection to Geography One possible solution to the housing development problem would be to demolish either new or old projects so that there is only one location to live in, reducing the amount of space wasted by new housing complexes that aren't even being used. People will be obliged to reside in only one location if new projects or existing housing areas are demolished, and this will create an entirely new area that can be open to whatever development is needed to enable Puerto Rico to continue to thrive. Another option for addressing the housing development problem is to reduce the cost of living in the new development area so that families and people can afford to live there. This would result in a flow of people moving from existing living areas to new housing projects, allowing further developments to be developed to match the new housing development's design and style. I believe that ensuring Puerto Rico's sustainability will assist to reduce tensions throughout the island, resulting in fewer social difficulties and challenges. For more than a decade, Puerto Rico's economy has been in decline, resulting in a financial and economic catastrophe. Establishing a viable economy for Puerto Rico would imply that it would no longer be reliant on others for funding, such as the United States. The United States paid for many things, such as education and educational endeavors, for Puerto Rico and would not have to rely on the United States if Puerto Rico could become financially separate. By becoming a state, Puerto Rico would become more accessible to people of the United States, since they would no longer require a passport to visit the island. This would be a major pull factor, resulting in more tourism and additional economic revenue. If Puerto Rico were to become a state, its residents would be able to benefit from improved healthcare as well as emergency assistance such as food stamps. This would also provide Puerto Rico with the chance to participate in elections and electoral votes, allowing them to participate in votes that impact their island. By improving Puerto Rico's economic viability and allowing them to have more financial resources to adjust and create new areas or make changes to existing projects, becoming a state will assist the island in addressing the urban problem of housing developments (Greiner, 2018). As the economy improves, residents may be able to afford to live in new and improved housing complexes, allowing Puerto Rico to make updated improvements that will improve the ambiance and appearance of their island. Statehood is also the most popular alternative among Puerto Ricans; the majority desire and are willing to join the United States of America, and having a majority of residents in favor of joining the United States of America shows that it would have a significant impact on the island of Puerto Rico. References Delilah Roque, A., Pijawka, D., & Wutich, A. (2020). The role of social capital in resiliency: Disaster recovery in Puerto Rico. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 11(2), 204-235. Retried from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/rhc3.12187 Greiner, A. L. (2018). Visualizing human geography: At home in a diverse world (3rd ed.). Wiley. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781119321149 Lloréns, H., & Stanchich, M. (2019). Water is life, but the colony is a necropolis: Environmental terrains of struggle in Puerto Rico. Cultural Dynamics, 31(1-2), 81-101. 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