ARTICLE 5
“Urbanisation and its Rapid Global Expansion: Pathways to Environmentally Sustainable Urbanisation
A. CORE THESIS: URBANISATION IS INEVITABLE; UNSUSTAINABLE URBANISATION IS NOT
1) Central argument: manage “how”, not “whether”
- Urbanisation is among the most powerful forces reshaping:
- Economies (jobs, productivity, GDP concentration)
- Societies (migration, lifestyle changes, service access)
- Environment (land conversion, emissions, waste)
- Policy question is not stopping urbanisation, but shaping it so cities remain:
- Liveable
- Productive
- Inclusive
- Ecologically sustainable
- Urban growth is a dual reality:
- Opportunity: jobs, innovation, services, investment
- Risk: pollution, inequality, ecosystem loss, climate vulnerability
- Bottom line: environmentally sustainable urbanisation is the only viable pathway.
B. URBANISATION AS A GLOBAL MEGATREND
2) Urbanisation as a long-term global transition
- Urban populations and economic activity are increasingly concentrated in cities.
- Acceleration is sharper in the developing world due to:
- Structural transformation of economies