Week 7: Types of wicked problems that faced by people who live in modern cities experinces

 Wicked Problems faced by modern cities people

Problem 1 - Traffic Congestion (Alvin Ting Sing Ngie TP070429)

Traffic congestion remains a common problem in modern cities, severely impacting residents’ daily lives. Residents often report longer commutes, increased stress, and a lower overall quality of life due to increased traffic volume. Many city dwellers are frustrated by the inadequacy and inefficiency of public transportation systems, which often fail to meet the needs of growing populations(Petit, 2021). Surveys and interviews highlight the impact of this congestion on the environment, noting that the large number of vehicles on the road contributes to high pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, urban sprawl exacerbates the problem, as the expansion of urban areas forces more residents to rely on cars for their daily transportation needs. This reliance on private cars further exacerbates traffic congestion and environmental degradation (Rodrigue, 2024). Feedback from city residents highlights the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to improve public transportation, reduce traffic volume, and mitigate environmental harms.

User Persona 

Name: Danny Ling

Age: 24

Occupation: Programmer

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Income: RM4500/month

Family: Single

Storyboard - User 1 

Danny is a programmer. He wakes up early everyday but still gets stuck in traffic jams every morning on his way to work and every evening on his way home from work, which makes he feel irritated and tired. Over time, he becomes increasingly stressed because sometimes traffic jams make his late for work.

Solution of Problem 1

For the problem of traffic congestion, I think public transportation needs to be improved. That's because improving public transportation means increasing the frequency of buses, subways and trams, and then ensuring their reliability and coverage throughout the city. This includes more frequent services, punctual timetables and routes that cover all areas. Upgrading vehicles, integrating different modes of transportation, providing convenient connections and unified ticketing can make public transportation more attractive. By providing efficient and affordable alternatives to driving, we can reduce the number of private cars on the road. It will also ease congestion and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars (Jones, 2023). This will not only improve traffic flow, but also benefit the environment and community safety.

PROBLEM 2-TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES(Matthew qua jin chuan TP079471

Technological issues are faced by a lot of people but mainly the senior citizens as they grew up without technology. Learning such complex machine could take time and a lot effort since learning at such old age could be difficult. Not only that but having the right security or caution to protect ourselves from scammers daily also seem to be a problem as many people still fall for their scams.These scammers also tend to learn newer and better ways to trick their victims.Technology grows everyday and if we don’t keep ourselves updated with the current trend there could be serious problems faced in the future.

User persona

Name: Angie low

Age: 60

Occupation: retired

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Income: -

Family: married

Storyboard 

Angie is a senior citizen who has struggles grasping simple technology. She finds it difficult to fit into society as now society has updated their lives revolving around technology such as online payment, google maps and communications.This makes Angie feel stranded and lost.

 

Solution for problem 2

Angie could perhaps ask her grandchildren on how to use technology to improve her daily life. Besides that, she could also get the simplest tool such as a handphone so that she does not have to learn such complicated things. Finding YouTube videos is also another way she could gain some input so that she understands how to use the mobile phone to her benefit. With this Angie could fit into society and make her daily life more convenient for her.

Problem 4 – Environmental sustainability ( Chew Wei Bin TP078770)

Environmental is a crucial part of modern cities development and yet many of the modern cities cannot take a balance between developing and environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability refers to the capabilities and responsibilities of maintaining current natural resources and environmental while obtaining the needs of society and ensure it can be last for the next generation (Nicholas, 2024). Many of the issues related to environmental sustainability in the cities are already happening such as climate changes, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

User Persona

Name: Jason Lee 

Age: 29 

Occupation: Graphic Designer 

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Income: RM8000/month

Family: Married, no children 

Interests: Hiking, eco-friendly living, community gardening 

Storyboard

Jason Lee thinks that environmental sustainability is very important because he had faced several problems related to these issues in his daily life. Jason Lee is staying in the same area with his office, and this makes him prefer public transport or cycling or even walking to the office. However, the public transport and cycling facilities in his city have been very limited and causing him to have trouble getting to the office on time while reducing his own carbon footprint. The area of Jason Lee is staying has very few parks and this has reduced the chance of him connecting with nature. Jason Lee also complained as his neighborhood has no recycling and compositing facilities when he wants to recycle some unwanted items.

Solution for problem 4 

For the poor public transportation and cycling facilities, the government and the developer have to work together to implement a better facility in the cities and neighborhoods. For example, public transportation can add more busses to increase the frequency of the service meanwhile the developer can build some cycling track or pedestrian walkway in the neighborhood. For the park issue, authorities also can work together to build more parks and implement more green sceneries in the cities as this will greatly help the cities to reduce existing carbon in the cities. On the other hand, government should also build more recycling and compositing facilities in the cities to encourage citizen to recycle and composite trash and unwanted item in the proper way to prevent pollution. 

Problem 5 - Public Safety (Braxton Choo Ying Shun TP079069)

-        What is Public Safety

The term public safety is a measurement of safety concern in protecting people and property from harm, crime and disaster. It is a complex topic that’s frequently discussed in the context of law enforcement and crime prevention, yet it also includes public health, emergency response, safety education, and infrastructure.  It is a necessary component of any community, and its significance cannot be overstated (Glen, 2023).

-        Problem Definition

Public safety remains a major concern for urban people, impacting their overall quality of life. Key problems discovered through surveys and interviews include a general sense of being unsafe, with 50% of respondents avoid specific places after dark. There have been reports of rising crime such as theft, assault and vandalism. Furthermore, many locals believe there is a lack of visible security officers, which contributes to a general sense of fear.

-        User Persona: Jason Chan

Name: Jason Chan

Age: 30

Occupation: Interior designer

Status: Single

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Goals: Feel comfortable while walking home at night and have secure neighbourhood

Frustration: Dark, poorly lit streets, infrequent police presence, recent break-ins in his building.

-        Storyboard

One day, when Jason going back to his home after he finishes his work late, he feels anxious when walking through poorly lit streets, which making him constantly looking over his shoulder. Later, he hears about another break-in nearby, which increases his anxiety and makes him reconsider his safety measures. While at home, despite installing extra locks, Jason still feels uneasy due to the lack of visible security officers in his neighbourhood.

-        Solutions

The Enhanced Public Safety Initiative addresses concerns through several measures. Firstly, smart streetlights that brighten with movement can improve the visibility of pedestrian and deter crime. Moreover, CCTV can be installed in high-risk areas, integrated with local security systems, will allow real-time monitoring and faster responses. Increased security officers and neighbourhood watch programs will foster community vigilance. Additionally, implement an emergency response app with a panic button can link directly to the nearest police station, while real-time alerts will inform residents of nearby incidents and provide safety tips. These measures aim to enhance public safety and reassure residents like Jason.

Problem 6 - Urban medical facilities (Liang Wei Hern TP079373)

Medical services are fundamentally significant to the public and closely related to people’s health and survival. As the basis of peoples’ health and life safety, medical facilities provide necessary medical services and resources for the public (Min Cheng, Li Tao, Yue jiao Lian, Weiwei Huang, 2021).The shortage of urban facilities and medical services usually occurs in underdeveloped cities, but in some developed cities, because of the large population base and other problems, medical services may also not be able to keep up with the needs of urban residents. This can lead to a variety of medical problems, which greatly reduce the public's experience of health care, and in serious cases, may not even be able to get timely treatment.

User Persona 

Name: Ye Zhang Yan

Age: 21

Occupation: a student from a university in Shanghai

Location: Shanghai

Storyboard 

Student Ye said that because of China's healthcare policy, people in Shanghai usually go to large government hospitals for medical treatment, and there are very few private clinics, and even when there are private clinics, they are usually only for dentistry or cosmetology, etc. There are a lot of patients waiting in these large government hospitals. These large government hospitals are filled with all kinds of patients, and there are many people waiting to see a doctor. As a result, he has to wait for a long time in the queue whenever he goes to the hospital to see a doctor.

Solution of Problem 6 

To address healthcare challenges in cities like Shanghai, enhancing the healthcare infrastructure is crucial. This involves expanding the number and size of public hospitals, particularly in densely populated areas. This can be achieved through constructing new hospitals, expanding existing ones, or upgrading their facilities. Simultaneously, promoting the development of private healthcare facilities, especially in primary care and chronic disease management, helps alleviate the burden on public hospitals.

Improving efficiency in healthcare delivery is essential. Implementing intelligent queuing and appointment systems can streamline consultations, reducing patient waiting times significantly. Furthermore, it's vital to strengthen the allocation and management of healthcare resources to ensure they are distributed effectively. This approach enhances operational efficiency and elevates the overall service quality of hospitals, ultimately improving healthcare accessibility and patient satisfaction in urban settings.

 

References

Glen. (2023, March 6). Public Safety: A comprehensive overview. BPS Security. https://bpssecuritysa.com/2023/03/06/public-safety-a-comprehensive-overview/

Jones, B. (2023, January 3). The role of public transportation in reducing traffic congestion. Street Solutions UK. https://streetsolutionsuk.co.uk/blogs/news/the-role-of-public-transportation-in-reducing-traffic-congestion

Petit, F. (2021, October 5). The causes of traffic congestion in cities and their solutions. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/causes-traffic-congestion-cities-solutions-florian-petit

Rodrigue, J. P. (2024, January 6). 8.4 – urban transport challenges: The Geography of Transport Systems. The Geography of Transport Systems | The spatial organization of transportation and mobility. https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter8/urban-transport-challenges/

Min Cheng, Li Tao, Yuejiao Lian, Weiwei Huang (2021, September 18). Measuring                     Spatial Accessibility of Urban Medical Facilities: A Case Study in Changning                     District of Shanghai in China. (PDF) Measuring Spatial Accessibility of Urban Medical Facilities: A Case Study in Changning District of Shanghai in China (researchgate.net)

Nicholas Patterson (2024). What is Environmental Sustainability? Goals with Examples. https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/stem/what-is-environmental-sustainability