In 2000 there were 18 megacities - conurbations such as Tokyo, New York City, Mexico City, Bombay, Sao Paulo, and Karachi, that have populations in excess of 10 million inhabitants. The UN forecasts that today's urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when three out of five people will live in cities.
Meanwhile, today's slums are unprecedented in their sheer magnitude, rapidity of growth, and worldwide distribution. They represent a fundamental transformation of the physical and social environment of urban life and human health. In fact, one billion people, one-sixth of the world's population, now live in shanty towns, which are seen as "breeding grounds" for social problems such as crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, poverty and unemployment, and a third of the world's population, and more than three-fourths of the least developed countries' urban population, live in slums.
What are the global pressures impacting urban governance? What innovations are currently taking place in urban government? What strategies might lead to prosperous, innovative multi-cultural cities -- cities that enhance global equity and the quality of life for all citizens? In this course we will explore how the shape of our cities affects the future of our planet and the lives of over three billion urban dwellers.
