looking towards the future of world urban development, cities of the global south will: urp 3001

Noncommunicable diseases are also growing rapidly in the global South, linked to changes in living conditions and lifestyle associated with urbanization. Infectious diseases have continued at high levels due to poor environmental conditions in many parts of cities, particularly in informal settlements and other types of slums. Urbanization processes in the global South have contributed to the growth and complexity of the burden of disease. There has been much debate about the nature of cities and urban life in the global South, giving rise to a body of literature on “southern urbanism,” characterized by case studies of everyday life. Although urbanization processes vary considerably across different countries in the global South (e.g., between different regions and between middle-income and low-income countries), there are a number of broad common trends: a rapid increase in the number of megacities (urban agglomerations with a population of more than 10 million), ongoing strong urban–rural linkages and increased blurring of “urban” and “rural,” increased urban sprawl and fragmentation, and growing intra-urban inequalities. Most of this urbanization is as a result of urban areas having higher natural population growth rates than rural areas, but migration to urban areas also plays a significant role.

It is projected that by 2025, the urban population of the global South will be 3.75 billion (54.3% of the total population of the global South). Since about 2015, more than 75% of the world’s urban population lives in the global South.

The global South is the most rapidly urbanizing part of the world. Urbanization, in its narrow sense, refers to an increase in the proportion of the population living in urban areas in its wider sense it refers to all the social, economic, biophysical, and institutional changes that result from and accompany urban growth, many of which have a profound impact on human health and well-being. The term global South has widely replaced other, similar, terms such as the Third World, developing countries, and low- and middle-income countries.

The term “global South” (or just “South” or “south”) refers to the diverse range of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that have a colonial past and are usually characterized by high levels of poverty and informality.

Looking towards the future of world urban development, cities of the global south will: urp 3001