A coherent paragraph does more than simply lay down the facts--it organizes them, creating a logical argument that makes sense from idea to idea. Coherent paragraphs have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Elements that contribute to coherence, such as transitional devices, linking pronouns, and repetition of key words, are discussed in the following sections.
Limited investment in the housing sector makes it practically impossible
to allocate sufficient resources for urban dwellers' housing needs. A high rate
of urban population growth has increased the country's needs for housing. A
small group of city officials has laid out a new plan to combat the crisis. A
solution to the housing-shortage problem is a vital policy issue here. The
housing problem has grown in the last twenty years.
[Although related by
topic (housing shortage), each sentence makes its own separate point with no link
to the sentences before or after. The result is a group of related yet separate
ideas instead of one coherent paragraph.]
Limited investment in the housing sector makes it practically impossible
to allocate sufficient resources for urban dwellers' housing needs. In
fact, the problem has grown in the last twenty years.
Because a high rate of urban population growth has increased
the country's needs for housing, a solution to the
housing-shortage problem is a vital policy issue here. A small group of city
officials has laid out a new plan to combat the crisis.
[Each separate
fact now flows into the next, creating a coherent whole.]
--Samuel Nunn, "Role of Local Infrastructure Policies and Economic Development Incentives in Metropolitan Interjurisdictional Cooperation," Journal of Urban Planning and Development