Planning challenges Of Emerging Urban Nigeria

The urban population in both developed and developing countries has been forecast to double from some 2.3 billion in 1990 to some 4.6 billion in 2020, by which time more than half of the population in the developing world will be living in urban areas (United Nations, 1989).
 

A prime cause of such urbanization is the economic efficiencies inherent in cities: currently some 60 percent of GDP of developing countries is generated there and it is forecast that some 80 percent of future growth will come from urban economics in highly urbanized countries in Latin America and Asia (World Bank, 1991).
 Ominously, these rapid rates of city growth are being accompanied by an "urbanization of poverty" with a forecast of  over half the world's absolute poor living in urban areas by the year 2000 (World Bank, 1989). The fundamental challenge of urbanization therefore is not to contain urban growth, but how to mobilize human, financial and technical resource to meet the needs of such growth.
 In parallel with this growth and in recognition of the growth environmental impact of urbanization, issues of sustainability and sustainable development as they affect cities are now of increasing concerns, sign posted by the World " Commission of Environment and Development Report (Brundtland Report, 1987) and the 1992 UNCED "Earth Summit".

To be continued next week...

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