More than one million people are added to the world's cities each week and by the year 2000 over a half of the total world population will be urban. There are now 22 megacities—urban centres with more than 8 million people—versus two in 1950. Growing urban populations require infrastructure-housing, sanitation, transportation and reliable water supply—to ensure an adequate quality of life. In developing countries rapid urbanization over the past 15 years has had severe environmental, human health and economic impacts. In Manila, for example, the estimated 1 million cars clogging city streets (and accounting for an annual $51 million in wasted fuel because of gridlock) is expected to double by 2002. In high-income urban societies, congestion, sprawl, the growth of urban ghettos and feelings of alienation are common.

Consider also the immense pressure put on the environment. Researchers Bill Rees and Mathis Wackernagel have developed the ecological footprint concept—the area of land needed to provide the necessary resources and absorb the wastes generated by a community—to highlight the impact of cities on the environment. London, UK serves as a good example: the ecological footprint of that city is 120 times the area of the city itself. They estimate that a typical North American city with a population of 650,000 would require 30,000 square kilometres of land—an area roughly the size of Vancouver Island, Canada—to meet domestic needs alone without even including the environmental demands of industry. In comparison, a similar size city in India would require 2,800 square kilometres.

Planners are faced with enormous challenges in providing a secure environment that meets the needs of both people and natural systems. And cities are not self-contained entities. Their problems and solutions are part of and impinge on those in other jurisdictions, putting even more pressure on already over-burdened local governments.

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In Depth
	United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. An urbanizing world: Global report on human settlements 1996. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. 557 p.
Virtual Ideas
	International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) OneWorld Guide: The City

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