Monday, 14 June 2010

Urban Growth, 1800 - 2030

28-06-2007
Throughout history, most human beings have lived in rural areas. But urbanization was rapid throughout the 20th Century.

This article is part of the Inspiring Cities open source campaign Help Us Write the 2008 UNFPA Culture Paragraph.


1800

By 2007, city dwellers will outnumber those in rural areas for the first time in history.In 1800, only 3 per cent of people lived in cities. London, with about a million habitants, was the largest city in the world.

By 1950, the world was urbanizing rapidly, 8 cities had populations of 5 million or more. Two were in the developing world.

2000
By 2000, 30 more cities had 5 million people or more. Most were in the developing world. 47 per cent of the world’s people lived in urban areas.
2015
By 2015, another 17 cities will have grown to 5 million or more. 23 will be “mega-cities” with 10 million people or more. Most will be in the developing world.

By 2030, 20 cities are projected to have 20 million people or more. Based on current trends, 1.5 billion people will live in slums.

No comments: