The last decade has been a time of rapid urbanization. Actually the last six decades have been a period of fast and massive change when it comes to cities. Nowadays more than half of the population of the world lives in the big cities, compared to over a third in 1955.
The numbers are expected to grow by two-thirds by 2050. According to experts there will be additional 2.5 billion people living in the cities and urban areas. The modern cities are quickly turning into mega-cities. Nowadays, the top 10 places in the rankings of the fastest growing cities are located in emerging economies like India, Mexico, Brazil, China, Egypt.
Let’s see which are the most important and fast developing cities in the last decade.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is not only the biggest city in the world by size and the largest capital city in the world, but also a place with massive urban area with more than 38 million people and several towns merged into one.
It has added 25 million people to its population in the last decade.
Delhi, India
Delhi has been called a technology city and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia compared only to the giants in China. It is expected that the economy of the city will grow with 50% till 2021.
Indian cities are expected to expand most within the Asian region.
Shanghai, China
Shanghai is the biggest city in China and also one of the fastest growing cities. It is among the symbols of Chinese rise and prosperity. This boom in population and growth has been made possible by the largest human migration in history, from the countryside to the city.
The physical footprint of this migration is huge.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sao Paulo is a typical example of city growth in an emerging economy. It has a population of more than 20 million people. This is roughly 10 percent of the total population of the country.
Sao Paulo has quickly climbed the rankings and is now among the biggest urban areas in the world.
Mumbai, India
Mumbai is another giant city in India that has seen rapid growth in the last decade. It is turning into a dense metropolis. The Mumbai metropolitan area is home to more than 21 million people and is second in size only to the capital of the country.
City growth levels are to remain strong by the standards of modern history. A common factor between these growing cities is their location. In places with economies and conditions that are attractive to millennials, young professionals and graduates who make up a large portion of the world movers. Although it is too soon to call this the “decade of urbanization” the persistence of big city growth is a fact.
