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| The sheer speed of urban population growth is
startling. Even the best-run cities are having problems coping with such rapidly expanding
human numbers and escalating needs. Cities in developing countries are being overwhelmed
not only by natural growth but also as the result of migration from the countryside and
smaller towns. They flock to major cities in search of jobs and a better life for
themselves and their families. Cities in developing countries are growing on average by
over 3 per cent a year, and the growth is fastest in the poorest regions. In East, West
and Central Africa, for instance, cities are growing by 5 per cent a year, enough to
double their populations every 14 years. In the overwhelming majority of these cities,
population growth has far outpaced municipal services and up to 40 per cent of all urban
dwellers live in squatter settlements and slums. According to UN projections, 60 per cent of the world’s total population will be urbanized by 2025. The challenge of meeting the reproductive health needs of the urban poor cannot be met if services do not grow along with needs. |
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