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What are some high level trends around urbanization/ruralization globally? In Japan? Can you please provide numbers?
Hello! Thanks for your question about high level, global trends in urbanization and ruralization, and for an equivalent request concerning Japan and the US. The short version is that urbanization around the world has seen higher levels of inequality, rising urban insecurity and uneven patterns of urbanization. In the US, people have moved from the suburbs to urban centers in search of careers, culture, and an urban lifestyle. In Tokyo, Japan, overcrowding in public places is a major concern. Other concerns are high volumes of waste and a need for water. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
--GLOBAL URBANIZATION TRENDS
According to the World Cities Report 2016, the past twenty years have seen the emergence of trends that will shape the development of urban areas for years to come. The following are eight key trends that define urban growth.
UNEVEN URBANIZATION
Today Africa is the most rapidly urbanizing region in the world. In contrast, European cities are growing the least. Globally, there has been an increase in the number of megacities (cities with a population of at least 10 million people) in the world. In 1995, there were 14 megacities, and in 2015, there were 29. Today, there are 31 megacities, and 24 of these are located in the "global south." However, these economic powerhouses do not represent the vast majority of urban citizens. In reality, small and medium cities hold 59 percent of the world’s population, and these are growing at the fastest rate.
An important trend is that as cities grow, fertility rates decrease. The reason for this is attributed to greater levels of employment and education for women in urban settings. Although, the number of women having children has decreased, infant mortality rates have gone down. For this reason many areas have a large and growing population of people in the age range of 15 to 24.
Asia and Africa are the least urbanized of the developing regions with an urbanization rate of 38% each. In many African countries the path of urban growth is following outdated models that rely exclusively on industrialized forms of transportation, limited public space and sprawl.
Latin America and the Caribbean are both 75% urbanized, and this is somewhat close to Europe, North America and Japan, which have urbanization rates between 75% and 79%
GROWING DECENTRALIZATION
Since the 1990s, cities have seen a wider use of less-centralized governance systems. This has improved governance and democracy at the local level. This trend has increased the role of local administrators, mayors and even local systems of finance.
Fiscal decentralization is a redistribution of resources from central to sub-national governments. Genuine accountability and administrative power are important for decentralization to help economic development in local areas.
EXPANDING INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
Slums and informal settlements have become a central policy concern due to the massive rural-to-urban migration of the last two decades. Data shows that many people who moved into slums did not stay there for long. The movement out of informal settlements and into serviced neighborhoods has been significant. Even though in recent years the proportion of people living in slums has decreased, the overall population of slums has increased.
ACCESS TO URBAN SERVICES
Regions in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have not been able to keep up with the growing demand for services and infrastructure. In contrast to this northern and southern Africa and Latin America have made considerable improvements in this aspect. A second trend is that basic services like garbage removal and running water remain unavailable to a considerable amount of people living in slums and informal settlements.
LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION IS BEHIND
Because cities produce 60 to 80 percent of global energy consumption, they are important in resisting climate change.
In addition to this, many of the world’s largest cities are located in precarious, low-lying coastal areas that are prone to natural disasters. Efforts to fix this problem at the international level have not been met with the adequate efforts at the local level.
RECORD-HIGH INEQUALITY
Recently, the UN-Habitat stated that in most countries, the gap between the rich and the poor is at its highest level in three decades, and this includes countries like the United States. New York, Washington and Miami have significant levels of inequality.
In the case of New York, the report states as a cause the lopsided recovery from the 2008 recession. Increasingly, cities are promoting urban inclusiveness to ensure that various groups-- religious, tribal, sectarian, ideological, gender and racial identities--can live together without conflict. They want for people to know that they provide resources in a fair and equal way.
FORCED MIGRATION
There has been an increase in forced migration in recent years. In 2014, Europe received 280,000 people. This number went up to over 1 million a year later. Regions like Europe, who have a growing aging population, benefit economically from this migration. Cities like Leipzig, Germany now have an opportunity for revitalization due to the influx of migrants, which can help alleviate skill shortages.
RISING URBAN INSECURITY
The rise of terrorist attacks in cities has contributed to weaken infrastructural capacity and development. Also, increased travel between global cities has allowed diseases to spread more widely and quickly. In just six months, SARS spread from the Guangdong province in China to over 30 countries. Cybersecurity has also become a concern in recent times, as cities increasingly rely on technology that is vulnerable to attacks.
THE U.S. AND JAPAN
The 34 members of the OECD--which includes Japan and the US--are mostly industrialized, developed countries. In these countries conurbations--the union of two or more cities into a single, metropolitan area--are prevalent. Conurbations in the US include the San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida.
In the US, people once moved to the suburbs in search of a better future, but today Americans are moving to cities to pursue careers, culture, and an urban lifestyle. Millennials prefer to live downtown and closer to work. In addition to this, communities that attract young people have a myriad of transportation options.
As Americans decide between location and access, the countries largest urban centers look like a patchwork of urban spots. This can lead to more polycentric areas with urban mini pockets that are connected by better public transit options.
According to data from 2016, Tokyo has a population of 13.5 million people. It is the most populous city in the world. For this reason Tokyo faces challenges with overcrowding. The cities roadways, public spaces, and pedestrian lanes are packed during peak hours. As the Capital Tokyo Metropolitan Area grows, there is a greater demand for domestic and industrial water. In addition to this, waste is a big concern. In Tokyo, a person produces 1.1 to 1.3 kg of waste per person daily. Two-thirds of the cities waste is burnt, and the rest is used for landfill in the Tokyo bay. A possible solution for Tokyo is the decentralization of jobs, since most people choose to live in the city for this reason.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, urbanization around the world has seen higher levels of inequality, rising urban insecurity and uneven patterns of urbanization. In the US, people have moved from the suburbs to urban centers in search of careers, culture, and an urban lifestyle. In Tokyo, Japan, overcrowding in public places is a major concern. Other concerns are high volumes of waste and a need for water. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!