Table of Contents

Introduction1

Urban Growth Rates1

Urbanization and urban poverty in Developing countries2

Food Insecurity3

Informal Employment And Settlement4

Informal Settlement5

Lack Of Social Services6

Policies and programs6

Future Of Urban Growth7

Conclusion7

Works Cited9

Urban Development

Introduction

Rapid urbanization is on the rise all over the world and is expected to continue in the coming decades characterized by high growth rate particularly in the developing countries. Managing urbanization has become a nightmare for planners and decision makers not only in the developing countries but also in the developed nations.

Urban Growth Rates

The fundamental question that has not yet been answered is whether urban expansion should be resisted or accepted. At one extreme, there have been those who advocate the need for limiting the growth of cities by any and all means. On the other hand, there are those who welcome it as a means for absorbing the oncoming waves of new migrants. Figures provided by academics, researchers and organizations dealing with urban studies have portrayed the future of urbanization as staggering particularly with regard to developments in the developing countries. According to UNCHS indicated that the urban population in the developing nations has increased from less than 300 million in 1950 to 1.1 billion in 1985, which is projected to reach 4 billion in 2025 (UNFPA p. 5). The average density of the built-up area is 8,000 persons per square kilometer and this is envisaged to grow to more than 600,000 square kilometers by 2030. This means urbanization will continue to grow and the encroachment to non-urban or (rural-agriculture) areas will increase dramatically causing socio-economic and ecological problems. According to UNESC (2007), over 70 per cent of the population in the Pacific sub-region already lives in urban areas whereas the urban population of East and South-East Asia is expected to reach the level of 50 per cent before 2015. The annual change in the developed and developing countries over the period between 1990 and 2000 was 0.6% and 1.8% for urban population and 2.9% and 3.6% for built-up areas respectively. Under a situation of such a high speed of urban expansion, it is too hard for places like Developing countries to fulfill the requirements for of urbanization such as provision of services, infrastructures, job opportunities and housing unless serious practical measures are resorted to (UNFPA p. 12).

Urbanization and urban poverty in Developing countries

Due to the disparity in regional development and the inequality in the distribution of social services that are compounded by the collapse of traditional economy, large group of rural people have been forced to migrate towards the urban areas. As a result, unplanned urbanization or urban growth has expanded rapidly in Developing countries. According to CBS (2008), around one third of the total population in Developing countries is now living in the urban centers compared to the only 8 per cent on the eve of independence in 1956. Most of what was considered as sub-urban or rural land in the past has been completely absorbed by the rapid encroachment of the cities. The expansion of creeping urbanization into the rural areas entailed huge constraints on the infrastructure, agricultural production, housing demand, and provision of social services and pushed the poor further to settle and work on more marginal plots. Currently, there are seventy five urban centers in ...