Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, often driven by economic motivations and access to the labor market. According to the latest UN data, more than half the global population currently live in urban areas and the proportion of urban residents is estimated to rise to 68% by 2050.(1) While North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Europe are currently the most the world’s most urbanized regions (with 82%, 81% and 74% of urban residents respectively), China, India and Nigeria are the countries with the fastest rates of urbanization. Together, Asia and Africa are expected to increase their urban populations by another 2.5 billion of people by 2050.(1) The accelerating rates of urbanization are linked with a series of interconnected environmental, social, cultural and economic issues. These include, but are not limited to, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and cropland, high energy use and CO2 emissions, health hazards resulting from heavy air pollution, noise pollution, accelerating consumption and waste generation, lack of access to adequate housing, social care and health care services, rising inequality, violence, well-being and mental health issues such as loneliness and depression. For example, in an effort to combat poverty and drive economic growth, rapid urbanization in China has led to the creation of world- leading megacities and urban areas of unprecedented scale, attracting millions of migrant workers and considerable foreign capital, yet at the same time grappling with all the above issues. The heavy smog in Beijing that has repeatedly brought the city to a standstill, has become a notorious example of the toll that local transport and industry take on the health of people and the environment. As global urban expansion is an ongoing project, with global cities already accounting for 70% of CO2 emissions(2), the climate emergency makes it imperative that urban growth is balanced with respect to its environmental and social costs.(1-9)
URBANIZATION
