[World Urban Forum 3] Cities to replace rural areas as centres of poverty –UN

from African News Dimension

A United Nations report on State of the World’s cities, 2006/2007, has projected that by next year, for the first time in human history, the majority of people will live in the cities.

Lagos, according to the report would remain the largest growing city in Africa and would habour even the largest population next to India by 2030, it added.

The UN report, which was released at the weekend also indicated that even at that, nearly a billion people will still be stuck in slums.

The world report added a warning that if care is not taken, cities would replace rural areas as the world's centres of poverty.

According to the "State of the World's Cities 2006/7" report from the U.N. Human Settlements Programme, an estimated 3.7 billion people will live in urban areas this year out of a world population of 6.45 billion . The UN Human Settlement Programme which seeks to promote better living condition for the human race also states that with cities growing and rural populations shrinking, especially in Africa and Asia, the likelihood of a shift in the urban-rural balance next year is quite imminent.

Eroding with the shift is the assumption that countries' urban populations are healthier and better off, said Anna Tibaijuka, the director of the U.N. program in her note to the report.