Wickes problems of people who live in modern cities.
Traffic Congestion
A classic example of a wicked problem is urban traffic congestion. It is a complex problem, with no clear solution and influenced by numerous factors. This issue impacts daily life, leading to increased pollution, wasted time, and economic costs.
One effective solution involves implementing an integrated approach using smart city technology. This includes the use of adaptive traffic signals that adjust in real-time based on traffic flow data, collected via sensors and cameras throughout the city (Guo et al., 2020). Additionally, promoting public transportation and non-motorized transit options, like biking and walking, can reduce the number of vehicles on the road (Jain et al., 2023). A successful example is the implementation of congestion pricing in cities like London and Singapore, which charges drivers a fee to enter the busiest areas during peak times, thus reducing traffic volume (Aung et al., 2021).
These strategies require collaboration across various sectors and continuous adaptation, embodying the principles of systems thinking necessary to address such wicked problems (Babu, 2023).
Education Improvement
Education improvement is arguably a wicked problem. It is impossible to fully solve, and the essence of the problem and plausible solutions to it, appear differently to every beholder (White, 2019).
That's why teaching is such a challenging and engaging thing to do. It's much more complex than writing a book, which is a long and complicated process, but it's also generally interpretable and static in the process of writing a book. In teaching and learning, every student in the classroom has the potential to throw a wrench into what was thought to be working (Warner, 2023).
With regard to solutions, we can take the following actions: for example, implementing a fair funding model to ensure that all schools are adequately resourced. Reduce class sizes to allow students to receive more individualised attention. Provide strong professional development and mentorship programmes. Provide training for teachers on the effective use of technology in the classroom, etc (Warner, 2023).
High Living Cost
In modern cities in Malaysia, one of the significant challenges people face is the high cost of living. This issue is primarily driven by inflation, soaring housing costs, taxes on goods and services, reduced subsidies, and expensive education and healthcare (Ping, 2022).
According to Malaysia's 2019 Household Expenditure Survey, the average monthly household spending totaled RM4,033, with food alone accounting for RM737 monthly. A 2020 consumer sentiment index survey by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) highlighted that 75.3% of respondents expressed concerns about the escalating cost of living, with 80.5% fearing its impact on their future finances (Musa, 2024).
To tackle the high cost of living, the government should implement targeted subsidies for essential goods, increase the availability of affordable housing, and enhance public transportation to reduce commuting costs. Furthermore, initiatives to bolster food security through support for local agriculture and policies promoting fair wages are imperative. These measures aim to provide immediate relief while fostering long-term economic stability and growth (Lee, 2024).
As responsible citizens, we must also learn effective strategies to manage rising living expenses in Malaysia. This includes regularly revising budgets to identify and reduce unnecessary expenditures such as dining out and subscription services. Moreover, it's crucial to scrutinize financial products like credit cards for hidden fees by carefully reading terms and conditions. Lastly, maximizing income potential through additional work opportunities, especially in sectors paying in foreign currencies like the Singapore Dollar, can directly mitigate the impact of high living costs.
Poverty
One of the wicked problems in cities is poverty. Poverty is considered a wicked problem because there is no simple approach or solution that can solve poverty. Poverty can have many causes like education, crime, unfortunate events, inability to find jobs, and many more (Hall, 2018).
There are many solutions that might help in reducing poverty. Firstly, educating children with basic education will open many opportunities for the children to escape poverty in the future (Sawhill, 2007). Next, affordable basic healthcare is also important in reducing poverty and should be available when families need it as many people are pushed into extreme poverty due to the high prices on healthcare.
Other than that, rebuilding the economy is also important as it creates new job opportunities for people in the cities. This will give a stable income to the poor people to support their daily needs. Lastly, the minimum wage should also be increased as the daily expenses are becoming higher which can be a heavy burden for the poor (Pathak & Ross, 2021).
Sustainability
The concept of sustainability strives to balance present demands, without compromising future generations’ ability to fulfil their own requirements (United Nations Brundtland Commission, 1987). Achieving sustainability in modern cities is a complex process, requiring an understanding of the interconnected nature of the systems in place, and making decisions based on that awareness (Radeljak, 2021). It is this complexity that allows us to define sustainability as a wicked problem.
With this being the case, sustainability has long been the topic of extensive research and experimentation. South Africa’s Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (SA-LEDS) provides valuable insights into this. The plan aims to drive South Africa’s economy towards net-zero emissions by 2050. The National Energy Efficiency Strategy, alongside other nationwide initiatives, incentivises and enables the adoption of clean energy technologies. For example, low-income families are provided access to solar water heaters in many of their core urban centres (Godfrey et al., 2021).
New York City, Seoul, and cities in China are also involved in similar projects, focused on restoring natural features of their surroundings to be preserved for future generations. China’s “sponge cities” rely on natural infrastructure to enhance not only flood management, but to provide recreational opportunities, and support biodiversity (Bansard, 2022).
References
Warner, J. (2023, September 27). Yes, Let’s Improve Teaching. Inside Higher Ed.
White, B. (2019, July 11). The ‘Wicked’ Problem of School Improvement. Teaching Times.
https://www.teachingtimes.com/the-wicked-problem-of-school-improvement/
Aung, N., Zhang, W., Sultan, K., Dhelim, S., & Ai, Y. (2021). Dynamic traffic congestion pricing and electric vehicle charging management system for the internet of vehicles in smart cities. Digital Communications and Networks, 7(4), 492–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcan.2021.01.002
Babu, Dr. A. M. (2023). Smart Cities and Intelligent Transport Systems. International Journal of Applied and Structural Mechanics(IJASM) ISSN: 2799-127X, 3(01), Article 01. https://doi.org/10.55529/ijasm.31.22.25
Guo, Y., Tang, Z., & Guo, J. (2020). Could a Smart City Ameliorate Urban Traffic Congestion? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on a Smart City Pilot Program in China. Sustainability, 12(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062291
Jain, N., Parwanda, R., & Chauhan, A. (2023). Real-Time Smart Traffic Control and Simulation: An Approach for Urban Congestion Management. 2023 IEEE IAS Global Conference on Emerging Technologies (GlobConET), 1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1109/GlobConET56651.2023.10150057
Ping, T. T. (2022, July 19). The 22 Most Important Issues Facing Malaysia in 2022. NewNaratif. https://newnaratif.com/the-22-most-important-issues-facing-malaysia-in-2022/
Musa, N. M. (2024, January 31). LETTER| Lack of feasibility studies in tackling cost of living issues. Malaysiakini. https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/694833
Lee, M. K. (2024, January 25). Reducing cost of living a national priority. Freemalaysiatoday. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/01/25/reducing-cost-of-living-a-national-priority/
Hall, D. (2018, August 24). Poverty is Wicked. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/poverty-wicked-dylan-hall/
Sawhill, I. V. (2007, April 26). Solutions to poverty. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/solutions-to-poverty/
Pathak, A. & Ross, K. (2021, June 30). The Top 12 Solutions To Cut Poverty in the United States. CAP 20. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/top-12-solutions-cut-poverty-united-states/
United Nations Brundtland Commission. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf
Radeljak, L. (2021, May 20). Why sustainable issues are wicked problems?. Terra Institute. https://terra-institute.eu/en/why-sustainable-issues-are-wicked-problems/
Godfrey, N., King, R., & Stanley-Price, F. (2021, March 22). 6 ways that cities across the world can become more sustainable. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/6-ways-that-cities-across-the-world-can-become-more-sustainable/
Bansard, J. (2022, April 28). Pathways to Sustainable Cities. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/pathways-sustainable-cities
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