cities around the world
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Why Cities Matter...
THE growth and development of cities and urbanization is one of the most significant processes in human society over the past century, the shift from a mainly rural society to an urbanized world has had a major impact and an effect on every aspect of our lives.
In 1950 less than one third of the world's citizens were living in cities, but by 2025 - just twenty years away - this will have risen to two thirds; and 90% of those people will be living in cities in developing countries.
Indeed, of the three people born each second in the world, two are born in cities of one form or another. In 1975 only five cities worldwide had 10 million or more inhabitants but in ten years time it is estimated that 23 cities across the globe will boast such high concentrations of people.
In 2015, it is estimated that 25 of the world's biggest cities will be in developing countries. And by that year, an estimated 564 cities around the world will have one million or more residents; more than 400 of them will be in developing countries.
It is further estimated that the world?s urban population will double in just over 30 years time, at which point four out of five urban residents will be living in cities, mostly in developing countries.
In 1950, Metropolitan New York was the only place on earth with a population of more than 10 million. There are now 20 cities of that size.
The importance and fast growth of cities is now recognized as a demographic inevitability, with those such as Mexico City, Shanghai, and Bombay already heading for populations of over 20 million people.