Increasing urbanisation

More megacities
One of the biggest movements of people taking place around the world is that in which people leave rural areas for the cities, seeking work and a better way of life. This movement has been happening for centuries, and now means that almost 50% of the world’s population – more than six billion people – live in urban areas. The urban population is increasing at two and a half times than of rural areas, so cities will continue to expand leading to more megacities – they are cities with more than 10 million inhabitants.

Image versus reality
Needless to say, for many within these cities, life is difficult and unhealthy. Despite the image of gleaming buildings, clean streets, comfortable homes and plentiful work, for many this is simply a dream. More than 300 million people live in shantytowns or slums. Called by various names around the world - Favelas, Kampungs, Tugurios, - they share the same living conditions. They have no running water, sanitation or energy facilities. They are built up by their inhabitants, using whatever materials are to hand, and are often situated on wasteland, marsh or are next to rubbish or sewerage disposal sites.

Why move?
Many people leave their rural homelands in search of a better life in the city. For some, there is no alternative as their land has been taken away, or can no longer sustain them. For others, they chose to leave in order to seek work that will allow them to save some money and perhaps one-day return to their original home. Yet for many of those who do find employment, the work is hard, unregulated and poorly paid. This makes it impossible to break out of the cycle of poverty they sought to escape.

Working for change
Meanwhile, the development of these shantytowns cause city authorities enormous headaches, as they grow up with no respect for town planners, and without any infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals. Yet they are not always free – the residents in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro pay taxes like all other city dwellers. Increasingly, governments together with NGOs and other voluntary agencies are trying to ensure that their residents receive essential services, and there are many projects in different areas which try to empower local inhabitants to improve their living environment.