Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation
Publication year
Resource type
UNCCD Library
Material Type
Book
European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira and Secretary-General of the OECD, Angel Gurría jointly launched the report “Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation” on June 16th.
The “Cities in the World”- report, shows that city residents worldwide record a higher life satisfaction than people in towns and semi-dense areas or rural areas. This is due to higher incomes, greater employment opportunities, access to services, modern technology and education. However, city residents are more exposed to challenges such as air pollution, certain health problems and crimes. Cities are also more exposed to floods and storm surges, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Ahead of the publication, Commissioner Ferreira said: “This report shows what issues need to be tackled in cities, in towns and in rural areas to make sure we leave no one behind. It shows the importance of regionally and locally targeted policies, as every type of territory has its own challenges. We need to continue to invest in all these different types of territories and the connections between them so that citizens achieve a high standard of living, no matter where they live.”
The Commission's proposal for a long-term budget including Next Generation EU will tackle challenges faced by cities, towns and rural areas through a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area. Based on the definitions, the report presents new evidence of recent and future urbanisation trends and sheds light on the evolution of metropolitan areas around the globe. It examines whether and why quality of life differs between cities and other types of settlements. It analyses the relationship between economic development and the metropolitan system in countries around the world. Finally, it presents new evidence on the changing shape of cities and its impact on sustainability. The report demonstrates how globally consistent definitions of cities and metropolitan areas can contribute to more effective policy design.
The “Cities in the World”- report, shows that city residents worldwide record a higher life satisfaction than people in towns and semi-dense areas or rural areas. This is due to higher incomes, greater employment opportunities, access to services, modern technology and education. However, city residents are more exposed to challenges such as air pollution, certain health problems and crimes. Cities are also more exposed to floods and storm surges, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Ahead of the publication, Commissioner Ferreira said: “This report shows what issues need to be tackled in cities, in towns and in rural areas to make sure we leave no one behind. It shows the importance of regionally and locally targeted policies, as every type of territory has its own challenges. We need to continue to invest in all these different types of territories and the connections between them so that citizens achieve a high standard of living, no matter where they live.”
The Commission's proposal for a long-term budget including Next Generation EU will tackle challenges faced by cities, towns and rural areas through a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area. Based on the definitions, the report presents new evidence of recent and future urbanisation trends and sheds light on the evolution of metropolitan areas around the globe. It examines whether and why quality of life differs between cities and other types of settlements. It analyses the relationship between economic development and the metropolitan system in countries around the world. Finally, it presents new evidence on the changing shape of cities and its impact on sustainability. The report demonstrates how globally consistent definitions of cities and metropolitan areas can contribute to more effective policy design.
Keywords
land use
urbanization
land cover
population growth
population density
climate change adaptation