Jaime LERNER

Issue / Urban Sprawl

The industrial revolution of the previous centuries vastly accelerated urban development worldwide. While only 3% of the global population lived in cities in 1880, that number had grown to 50% by the beginning of the 21st century. At this rate, many experts believe that in another twenty years, more than 80% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, an unprecedented development that worries many people.

Although city life seems to attract many people for economic reasons, it also causes considerable social and ecological consequences. Large urban zones now face major practical management challenges and need to work hard to ensure that their continued rapid development does not result in too many negative impacts on the environment or on the quality of life of their inhabitants.