Coming to Grips with Global Urbanization

By the year 2050, Earth's population will grow to over nine billion people. Most of this growth is happening in cities. Not only is the global population growing; human settlements are also changing. At present, the number of people living in rural areas is greater than those living in urban areas. By 2007 this will be reversed, and for the first time in history, urbanites will outnumber rural dwellers. In fact, the majority of the projected population growth will occur in the urban areas of the world's poorest countries, such that they will have to build the equivalent of a city of more than one million people each week for the next 45 years.

Unlike the migration patterns of the developed world, which were relatively gradual, migration in the developing world is occurring rapidly and on a much larger scale. Millions of people are moving from subsistence-based living in the countryside to developing cities, with the hope of improving their lives. This will put an enormous strain on many of the world's already crowded urban centres. The global community faces many challenges to make this transition sustainable. The challenges will surround issues such as adequate food supply, affordable shelter, employment opportunities, water and waste management, public transportation, pollution control, and many other pressing matters.

From June 19 - 23, 2006, over 10,000 participants converged on Vancouver for the UN-HABITAT's 3rd World Urban Forum (WUF3); in recognition of the fact that we, the global community, all have a stake in ensuring that global urbanization is sustainable. WUF3 was a gathering of government leaders, local authorities, city planners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), experts in sustainability, academics, youth, and the private sector. The discussions and networking sessions at WUF3 revolved around the theme Our Future: Sustainable Cities - Turning Ideas Into Action.

As more than half the world's population will soon live in urban areas, sustainable cities are becoming increasingly important to the future health of the planet. Cities around the globe are united by their similar economic and cultural benefits, and struggle with common problems of pollution, waste management, and a lack of affordable housing. Addressing the problems associated with rapid urbanization and sharing best practices in urban sustainability was the starting point for international collaboration at WUF3.

Global crises such as climate change, pollution, pandemics, and natural disasters are affecting more people in cities than ever before. The challenges associated with creating and maintaining a solid infrastructure to deal with these problems needs to be addressed on an international level. WUF3 brought together key stakeholders from all areas of the urban agenda to share ideas, which can be implemented in their home countries.