Today, population growth largely means urban population growth. United Nation (UN) (0. PROJECT)_projections___ show the world’s rural population has already stopped growing, but the world can expect to add close to 1.5 billion (1. URBAN)__urbanites__ in the next 15 years, and 3 billion by 2050. How the world meets the challenge of sustainable development will be (2. INTIMACY)_intimately__ tied to this process.
For many people, cities represent a world of new opportunities, including jobs. There is a powerful link between urbanization and economic growth. Around the world, tows and cities are responsible for over 80 per cent of the gross national product. While urban poverty is growing around the world, this is largely because many people – including the poor – are moving to urban areas.
The opportunities there extend beyond just jobs. Cities also offer greater opportunities for (3. SOCIETY)_social___ mobilization and women’s empowerment. Many young people, especially young women, regard the move to cities as an opportunity to escape traditional patriarchy and experience new freedoms. Urban areas also offer greater access to education and health services, including sexual and reproductive health care, further (4. PROMOTE)__promoting__ women’s empowerment and the realization of their reproductive right. This contributes to significantly reduces (5. FERTILE)_fertility__ in urban areas changing the trajectory of overall population growth.
This process, which is particularly (6. PRONUNCIATION)__pronounced__ in Africa and Asia, where much of the world’s population growth is taking place, is also an enormous opportunity for sustainability if the right policies are put in place. Urban living has the potential to use resources more (7. EFFICIENCY)_efficiently__, to create more sustainable land use and to protect the (8. DIVERSE) _biodiversity__ of natural ecosystems.
Still, the face of (9. EQUAL)_inequality__ is increasingly an urban one. Too many urban residents grapple with extreme poverty, (10. EXCLUDE)__exclusion___, vulnerability and marginalization.