The New Global Frontier: Urbanization, Poverty and Environment in the 21st Century - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844075591 ISBN 13: 9781844075591

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

The worlds developing countries will be experiencing massive increases in their urban populations over the 21st century. If managed intelligently and humanely, this growth can pave the way to sustainable development; otherwise, it will favour higher levels of poverty and environmental stress. The outcome depends on decisions being made now. The principal theme that runs through this volume is the need to transform urbanization into a positive force for development. Part I of this book reviews the demography of the urban transition, stressing the importance of benefi cial rural-urban connections and challenging commonly held misconceptions. Part II asks how urban housing, land and service provision can be improved in the face of rapid urban expansion, drawing lessons from experiences around the world. Part III analyses the challenges and opportunities that urbanization presents for improving living environments and reducing pressures on local and global ecosystems. These social and environmental challenges must be met in the context of fast-changing demographic circumstances; Part IV explores the range of opportunities that these transformations represent. These challenges and opportunities vary greatly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, as detailed in Part V. Published with IIED and UNFPA

About this title

Review

'This remarkable book convincingly challenges urban misconceptions about such issues as growth, poverty and the environment, and uses compelling evidence-based arguments to demonstrate why urbanization is the most important 21st century priority. Its ambitious, comprehensive scope ... ensures that it will become an indispensable classic for policymakers, practitioners and academics.' Caroline Moser, Director, Global Urban Research Centre, Manchester University 'Too many policymakers fear our urban future, seeing only slums and strife. With the help of this excellent and timely volume, they should look again, and they may see a fast-disappearing historic opportunity: well-managed urban growth has the potential to provide more solutions than problems.' Billy Cobbett, Manager of Cities Alliance 'We need to recognize the centrality of urbanization's challenges and their overwhelming impacts, especially in poorer countries ... This book helps overcome national and international resistance to this agenda and, more importantly, indicates alternative approaches that serve to dispel our puzzlement at this gigantic challenge.' Erminia Maricato, Former Undersecretary, Ministry of Cities, Brazil

Synopsis

Massive urban growth can either help pave the way to sustainable development or greatly exacerbate poverty and environmental stress. The outcome depends on decisions being made now. The first part of this book takes a critical look at the forecasting of population growth and migration using the UN Population Division's cities databases. The second part looks specifically at urbanization and poverty, focusing attention on the critical issues of urban shelter, land and service provision and the socioeconomic and demographic information needed for improving governance and social programmes. Part three looks at social difference, equity and urban demography, pointing out the potential advantages of urbanization for poverty reduction, the empowerment of women and youths, and even the reduction of HIV/AIDS. The final part of the book examines social and sustainable use of urban space including coping with urban expansion, urban sprawl, global environmental change and urbanization.There is also special treatment China, and the critical case of urbanization in low elevation coastal zones in the context of global climate change and rising sea levels.

The world is now mostly urban and city populations are set to explode by another 3-4 billion this century just as sea levels start to rise - how can we make the right decisions now to avoid disaster and promote sustainable development? This book provides comprehensive coverage of all the key issues of urban sustainability and solutions to poverty and environmental degradation and is an essential reading for everyone working on urban issues world-wide in any context.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1844075591
• ISBN 13: 9781844075591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400
• Editor: Martine George, McGranahan Gordon, Montgomery Mark, Fernandez-Castilla Rogelio