Mega Cities

Mega-cities have captured the world's attention since the 1980s by their growing number and the
weight they carry in global development. Over time, more mega-cities have emerged in the developing
world. Mega-cities are conceptually different from world cities or global cities because they are defined
by population size rather than global functions. Planning and managing mega-cities are challenging
tasks, requiring resources, technologies, and experience that are often in short supply in the relevant
cities and countries. Yet the urban challenge, which is also heavily influenced by globalization, is one
that must be faced.

The age of megacities

More than half of Earth's population lives in cities—and many of them reside in megacities, the world's
largest urban aggregations. The world is a crowded place, with human population expected to reach 9
billion by mid-century. Over half of us now live in urban areas, the largest of which have swelled into
giant urban agglomerations, sometimes called megacities—metropolitan areas with 10 million people or
more

In 2020 the world will have 34 megacities, according to the United Nations, and that figure is projected
to increase. Scroll down to explore the historic growth of 10 of today’s largest cities.

Megacity

The term ‘megacity’ refers to metropolitan areas with a total population of more than 10 million people.
The definition of what constitutes a megacity generally refers to the population of an urban
agglomeration, that is, it includes people living in the immediate suburbs outside of the established
border of the city.

Urban- City
Megacities - A Megacity is an urban area with over 10 million people living there.
Rural- Country Side

Example Countries:

Tokyo 37.39 million

Delhi 30.29 million
Shanghai 27.05 million
São Paulo 22.04 million
Ciudad de México (Mexico City) 21.78 million

(Megacities are a distinctly modern phenomenon, the proliferation of which has spread with the large-
scale urbanization that has occurred in many countries around the world. Whereas only 3% of the global
population lived in cities in 1800, by the end of the 20th century that figure had risen to 47%. This figure
is predicted to rise to more than 70% by the second half of the 21st century, a number made even more
startling by the fact that the human population is expected to have increased by two billion by that
point. Historically, the growth of big cities first occurred during the industrial revolution, when large
numbers of people moved to cities in order to find work - a trend broadly associated with developed
nations. In contrast, contemporary megacity development is predominantly focused in areas of the
world that are the least developed, such as Mumbai.)
Types of megacities:

Slow growing- South East Asia, Europe and North America

Features:

70%+ urban population

No squatter settlements

Examples:

Tokyo
Moscow
LA

Growing- South America and South East Asia

Features:

40-50% urban population

Under 20% in squatter settlement

Examples:

Rio de Janeiro
Beijing
Mexico City

Rapid Growing- South/South East Asia and Africa

Features:

Under 50% urban population

Over 20% in squatter settlements

Examples:

Jakarta
Mumbai
Lagos

Facts about megacities;

Higher rates of urbanization are leading to the growth of megacities

New megacities are expected to emerge in Asia and Africa by 2030.
There are now 34 megacities in the world.
To be a megacity, the population must be over 10 million people