Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Two-thirds of world population will live in cities by 2050: UN report
Towns and cities become larger as more people move in from rural areas. The UN estimated that about half of the world’s population lived in urban areas a decade ago. It is predicted that figure will grow to about 68% by the middle of the century with additional three billion new city residents. In other words, two out of three people live in cities by 2050.
There used to be only 10 mega-cities with populations over 10 million in 1990. Now there are 33 similar sized urban centers and will be 43 by 2030. These rapid urbanizations will be seen in Asia and Africa.
Though urbanization boosts the economy, brings modern life and well-being, and improves efficiency, it also creates distinct inequality of incomes and environmental challenges, such as traffic congestions, air pollution, and waste. Also, as more people move in urban areas, demands for housing also increase. As a result, the housing market has already skyrocketed in growing cities like Sydney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada. Good news for those who own properties but bad news for those who want to own or rent a house.
Enjoy reading the article and learn new challenges the world is facing in the next few decades.
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