Architectural Record: More than 50 percent of the world's population now lives in urban areas. Will this migration to cities continue?
There is no doubt that urbanization will continue, but it is progressing at different rates in different parts of the world. Asia and Africa are experiencing exponential growth rates in their cities. Lagos, Dhakka, and Mumbai gain over 40 new residents every hour, while urbanization in South America is slowing down. Many cities in the Global North, especially the old industrial heartlands of the U.S. and Eastern Europe are, in fact, losing population. Climate change will accelerate this process of urban migration, with more and more people leaving rural areas that have become arid or prone to flooding. The irony is that the cities these climate-change refugees will flock to are often the ones most at risk from rises in the sea level and other hazards.
What are some of the lessons we can learn from what is happening now?
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