HUMAN SETILEMENTS

I 13

Table 10.2 : Largest Cities In the World · 1950, 2000

Rank City Population Rank City Popu!oJlon
(1950) (MLlllon) (2000) ( f ll&

1 New York 12.3 I Mextco City 31.0

2 London 10.4 2 Sao Paulo 25.8
3 Rhine -Ruhr 6.9 3 Shanghai 23.7
4 Tokyo 6.7 4 Tokyo 23.7
5 Shanghai 5.8 5 jl;ew York 22.4
6 Parts 5.5 6 Beijing 20.9
Rio de Janeiro 19.0
7 Buenos Alres 5.3 7
8 Chicago 4.9 8 Mu mbai 16.8
9 Moscow 4.8 9 Kolkata 16.4
10 Ca\culla (Kolkata) 4.6 10 Jakarta 15.7
Los Angele
\ 11 Los Angeles 4.0
3.8
11
12 Seoul
13.9
13.7
12 Osaka
13 Milan 3.6 13 Cairo 12.9
\ 14 Bombay (Mumbai) 3.0 14 New Delhi 12 .7
15 Mexico City 3.0 15 Buenos Aires 12.7
10 million and New York took 140
cou ntries. are experiencing high rates of years: by contrast. Mexico City. Sao
urbanisation a t an u n preceden ted rate. Paulo. Kolkata . Seoul and
Karach i In Pakistan. with l .l mlU lon
population In 1950 Ls estimated lo have
20.6 mllllon In2015.Ukewise,Calco.
Mumbai. Sao Paulo, Lagos, etc. are
projected to have popuJallons In excess of
20 million by 2015. It Is estimated t hat by
2015, 153 oflhe world's 358 ci ties wit h
more th an one million population wtll be
ln Asla. llls expected that of the 27 mega-
clUes (w1lh more than l 0 mllllon
populallon) of the world In 20 15. 15 will be
localed In Asia
Urban growth proccssr.s In the world"s
developing regions h ave been dUTercnl
from those In developed regions. In lhe
developed count.rte..'! urba n rowth wa9
accompanJed by lndu strlaltsallon. Jn
developing cou ntries demographic growth
has prrceded economic developmen t. The
u n pr<'reden ted u rban growth in these
regions has beendrtven by lack of
employment opportu nltles In rural areas
rather than thepull of prosper Jobe tn
towns
and clues. London look 190 yeani to grow
from a city of half a m llll on population to
Mumbai all took less than 75 years..a gro .
from hal f a million to 10 million. Over
urbanisation or uncontrolled u rbanisation ha<:.
given rise lo slums and squaller settler.ient
making u rban Ufe mJserable world onr. Over
600 mllllon people u,·e u nder life lhreatentn:::
slluaUons ln cities and 300 million h\·eIn
extreme poverty.
The emerging urban scenario In de,·clopm
countries has robbed the ru ral areas of \ls able
labour force. Ecological d<;e.rndallonand "-f'- >l
pollution has AAppcd t heir ene·.At the s,,,..
Ume.the u rban settlemen t too ha\'e SL .....,... - :I
from shortafte ofhousln.tmn:>port. health ancl
olht'r clvtr amcnlUt's. Doth t hc"C' place<:. arc
dt'Vold of quallty-llfe. In Afnca. onlv one-lhtrd of
all households arf' connr.ctl"d -to potnble
water.In Alita Pacific.only 38per centof u rban
householdsarcconnectl"d to srwerage s\·stem. In
many cities tn the d<'\Tloplnli! counuie... nn
Increasingproporuon ofthe populauon lh·es in
substandard houslngoron the streets. ln mot of
the mllUon plus cutes In lndta. one In four
lnhnbllnnts llve ln lllegalsettlements. which 15
growtng lwtcc as fast as the rest of the cll\cs.
n ln the Pacific Asta . which Is marked
wtth ttononuc successes. It wasestimated that