1. Urbanization — An Emerging Humanitarian Disaster.
- Author
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Patel, Ronak B. and Burke, Thomas F.
- Subjects
- *
URBANIZATION , *HUMANITARIANISM , *DISASTER relief , *CITY dwellers , *HUMAN settlements , *INFRASTRUCTURE (Economics) - Abstract
The article focuses on urbanization which is described as a demographic shift which threatens to create a humanitarian disaster. It is estimated that the urban population will grow to 4.9 billion by 2030, an increase by 1.6 billion, and it is believed that the said transition will result in a disorganized urban landscape. It is cited that there are many poor people who relocate to cities in search of employment but they end up in illegal and unplanned dense settlements lacking basic public infrastructure. According to a report by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), 43% of urban residents in countries like Kenya, Brazil and India live in such slums.
- Published
- 2009
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