Cities are no longer isolated and responding
only to local and regional influences. Mega-cities are exploding in size and growth,
for the most part in newly developing regions of the globe. The impact of this
growth, however, is not isolated. The urban explosion is international in its
origins and in its influences, affecting every continent and country, as a
result of globalization, multinational political affiliations, telecommunications,
transport and commerce
Cities have shaped mankind. They now
shape the quality of life for the entire biosphere of earth. But today, city
building is subject to the unplanned and often chaotic flow of humankind
undergoing unprecedented growth, migration, and an attendant diminution of
natural resources, beyond the limits of sustainable life.
From the beginning of history,
civilization has been founded around great cities. Ancient Sumerians,
Egyptians, Mayans, Chinese and inhabitants of the Indus Valley lived in urban
settlements with amenities such as stone and brick construction and urban water
and drainage systems. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
Europe and North America became increasingly urbanized and city and country
more separated into disparate zones, impelled by the Industrial Revolution,
London, Paris and New York were historic population magnets with the promises of
wealth and a good life.
 |
| old city of toronto |
In 1900, only 160 million people lived in
cities. In 2000, half of the population of the world are urban dwellers. In the
last hundred years, world population has grown from about 1.6 billion to 6
billion.
Comments
Post a Comment