The urban jungle keeps getting bigger

1. Study the phrases with the word urban and look them up in a dictionary.
Make sure you understand all of them.
jungle

sprawl

URBAN renewal

decay

development

2. Complete the sentences below with the correct phrases from the previous
exercise.
a) Let’s hope this unique place won’t be spoiled by urban ………………….. and its
natural beauty won’t be damaged.
b) Continuous and unplanned urban ………………….. gives rise to various
economic, social, and political problems.
c) Traffic noise, pollution, huge concrete buildings – how can city dwellers
survive in the urban …………………..?
d) The residents of this city are really happy with the special programs aimed at
urban ………………….. and improving their living standards.
e) In some places, urban ………………….. is manifested in the peripheral slums
on the outskirts of a city.

3. Read the statistics below and match the underlined words and phrases to
their meanings.
a) Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas, with 55 % of the
world’s population residing in urban areas in 2018. By 2050, 68 % of the
world’s population is projected to be urban.
b) The urban population of the world has surged since 1950, from 751 million to
4.2 billion in 2018.
c) Just three countries combined – India, China and Nigeria – are expected to
account for 35 % of the growth in the world’s urban population between 2018
and 2050. India is projected to add 416 million urban dwellers, China – 255
million and Nigeria – 189 million.

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 The urban jungle keeps getting bigger

d) Close to half of the world’s urban dwellers reside in places with fewer than
500,000 people, while around one in eight live in 33 metropolises with more
than 10 million inhabitants.
Adapted from: World Urbanization Prospectus: The 2018 Revision, United Nations

MEANINGS:
1) form part of a total
2) live in a particular place
3) someone who lives in a particular type of place
4) estimate or forecast (something) on the basis of present trends or data
5) a very large city, often the most important city in a large area or country
6) increase suddenly and strongly

4. Discuss the questions.

• Can you describe the place you live in?
Do you think you would ever change it
for another?
• What are the advantages of residing in
the most central district of a city?
• What are the pros and cons of living in a
metropolis?
• Why are so many people drawn to the urban jungle? What might be the
consequences of more and more urban dwellers?

5. Look at the list of cities and rank them in order of population (from the
largest one). Then, check your answers with the teacher. Which cities
surprised you the most?
• London, UK • Moscow, Russia
• Tokyo, Japan • Manila, Philippines
• Kinshasa, Congo • New York, USA
• Shenzhen, China • Paris, France
• Mexico City, Mexico • Beijing, China

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 The urban jungle keeps getting bigger

6. Match the halves to create phrases.

a) give 1) policies
b) take 2) the lead
c) roll out 3) the gap between the rich and poor
d) raise 4) scarce resources
e) battle over 5) living standards
f) widen 6) rise to a new term

7. Watch a short video [https://youtu.be/dCouGORTIjs] and check your

answers in the previous exercise. Then, in your own words explain what
these phrases mean.

8. Watch the video again and answer the questions below.

a) What is a megacity?
………………………………………………………………………………………………...…
b) Where are the majority of megacities located according to the video?
………………………………………………………………………………………………...…
c) What are the key factors for urban development in megacities?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...
d) What might be the consequences of megacities developing rapidly?
………………………………………………………………………………………………...…

9. In pairs, decide which three of the problems of megacities below are the
most serious and think of possible solutions to them.
• traffic congestion • homelessness
• shortage of affordable housing • scarce resources (water,
• air pollution electricity, etc.)
• longer commuting time • increasing crime rates
• slums • access to public education
• population density

10. Share your ideas with other pairs.

Copyrights by ESL Brains