Slum Hordes? World at Urban Crossroads, Warns Report

[marmar]

from OneWorld.net, via CommonDreams:


Published on Thursday, January 11, 2007 by OneWorld.net
Slum Hordes? World at Urban Crossroads, Warns Report
by Aaron Glantz

SAN FRANCISCO - Over half the 1.1 billion people projected to join the world's population over the next quarter century could live in under-served urban slums, warns a report released today by an environmental and social policy think tank. But a little creative leadership could still harness the positive aspects of urbanization to brighten the world's economic and environmental future.

"The scale of urbanization is unprecedented," the Worldwatch Institute's Molly Sheehan told OneWorld as the group prepared to launch its flagship annual report "State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future."

"We've gone from approximately 10 percent of the world's people living in cities in 1900 to half today--and if we continue on this course we're expected to top 70 percent in the next 20 or 30 years."

The highest rates of urban growth are expected in Asia and Africa, the report notes. Unlike previous periods of urban growth, however, this one is not necessarily tied to improved conditions for the poor.

"You don't see people going from cities to rural areas that much in search of economic opportunities," Sheehan said. "People who are moving to cities believe there's a better future for them there. However, poverty has been increasing in urban areas."

What this means, the report says, is that more urban denizens are living in slums that lack adequate sewage and sanitation and where health care is unavailable and schools are few and far between.

According to the report, 1 billion urbanites--or approximately one sixth of the world's total population--currently live in "slums," defined as areas where people cannot secure key necessities such as clean water, a nearby toilet, or durable housing. An estimated 1.6 million urbanites die each year due to the lack of clean water and sanitation, the report said. .....(more)

The rest of the article is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0111-06.htm

[cap]

1. some of those slums will be here in the US

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