For the first time in human history, more than one-half of the world's population lives in cities. The global urban population growth rate averages 2 percent annually (compared to an annual rural growth rate of 0.3 percent), and the number of megacities - those with populations in excess of 10 million people - has quadrupled in the past two decades. These trends are expected to continue, dominated by demographic shifts in the developing world. The United Nations predicts that more than 80 percent of population growth in the next ten years will occur in the urban areas of developing countries.
A major prerequisite for both economic growth and human welfare in all urban areas is sustainable transport: the development of clean, safe, reliable, and affordable systems for delivering goods and moving people. However, in many developing countries, pollution, congestion, and questionable safety are resulting in serious environmental, economic, and social consequences for the fastest-growing regions of the world. Some of these consequences are discussed below.
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