Towards an urban world.

December 5, 2006 is the date when the world will become predominantly urban according to Carl Haub, a US demographer, and the trend is towards an urban population is still just as significant as the change from hunter gather to settled agriculturalist.

Abstract

December 5, 2006 is the date when the world will become predominantly urban according to Carl Haub, a US demographer. The date is based on current UN population projections and will likely change over the next 15 years, but the trend is towards an urban population is still just as significant as the change from hunter gather to settled agriculturalist. The urban growth rate is currently 3.6% in less developed countries (LDC) which accounts for 9/10 of the total urban growth. Out of the 28 cities that the UN projects will have populations over 10 million people by the end of the decade, only 4 are in more developed nations: Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, and Tokyo. People are attracted to urban areas because of increased opportunity. 60% of GNP in LDCs is generated in urban areas, this figure is projected to grown to 80% by the end of the century. The quality of life for urban dwellers in LDCs is quite low. The 3 main areas of environmental degradation are: air pollution, waste management, and drinking water contamination. In many urban areas, the fuel used to power industries as well as the fuel used by urban dwellers to cook and heat often results in excessive air pollution. According to WHO less than 60% of LDC urban dwellers have access to sanitation and only 30% of the buildings are connected to sewer lines, and 90% of the sewage that is collected is discharged untreated. Untreated drinking water contains diseases which infect the poorest urban dwellers. In Bombay, the death rate in the slums is twice as high as in the suburbs. In Manilia the infant mortality rate is 3 times higher in the squatter communities than in the rest of the capital.