Big cities – big challenges
As towns and cities of the world grow at unprecedented rates, sustainable urbanisation is one of the most pressing challenges facing the global community in the 21st century.
In 1950, one-third of the world’s people lived in cities. Just 50 years later, this proportion has risen to one-half and will continue to grow to two-thirds, or 6 billion people, by 2050. Cities are now home to half of humankind and tare the hub for much national production and consumption – economic and social processes that generate wealth and opportunity.
But they also provide the basis for disease, crime, pollution and poverty. In many cities, especially in developing countries, slum dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water, and sanitation.
The World Urban Forum (19-23 June in Vancouver, Canada) is a key United Nations event designed to highlight the problems and possibilities of cities. Organized by UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Human Settlement Programme, and held every two years, the forum is intended to help the world community meet one of the main challenges of the new millennium – sustainable urbanization.
Forum discussions involve governments, local authorities, civil society and non-governmental organizations and experts in every sphere of urban life and focus on helping governments, cities, and their residents understand the nature of the challenges they face.
The occasion is marked by a series of events ranging from a global youth forum to an exhibition looking back at the forum history. The youth forum takes place two days before the World Urban Forum from 16-18 June 2006. It brings together hundreds of youth and their leaders from around the world to share best practices around youth-led projects and programs. It provides a chance for young people meet, share perspectives, showcase their projects, build networks and prepare for their participation in the World Urban Forum.
Among the winners of the Mondialogo Engineering Award 2004/05 are two project proposals promoting important aspects of sustainable urbanisation:
- Leapfrogging Urban Transportation Systems in Shanghai, China
You live in one of the world’s big cities? Use the Mondialogo Community Forum to describe the problems your city is facing and how you think people or organisations could contribute to solving them.