Seeing Pressures but Also Possibilities in Urban Growth　(1/2)

Soon, more of us will be living in cities than in rural areas. Population experts at the United Nations had thought that would happen by this year. Lately their estimate is that in 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world population will be in urban areas.

The United Nations Population Fund just released its yearly "State of World Population" report. Researchers say three-and-a-third billion people will be living in urban areas next year. By 2030, the estimate is almost 5 billion. The fastest growth will be in Asia and Africa.

Poor people will make up most of the urban growth. And natural increase will be the main cause of that growth, not migration from rural areas. The report says mega-cities of more than 10 million people have not grown to the sizes once expected. Most growth is expected instead in smaller towns and cities.

The experts urge governments to improve social services and city planning policies. For example, the report calls for better land use so poor people do not have to live in slums. Today, an estimated one billion live in these often polluted and dangerous environments. 90% of the people are in developing countries.