One feature of today’s urbanization is the continuing trend of ever larger metropolitan areas. The number of megacities (cities with at least 8 million inhabitants) rose from just 2 in 1950 (New York and London) to 23 in 1995, with 17 of them in the developing world. By 2015, the number is projected to grow to 36; 23 of these megacities will be located in Asia (4). (See Megacities)
As described at length in the 1996-97 volume of World Resources, urbanization presents both opportunties and challenges. The current pace and scale of change—over 60 million people are added to urban populations each year (5)—often strain the capacity of local and national governments to provide even the most basic services to urban residents. An estimated 25 to 50 percent of urban inhabitants in developing countries live in impoverished slums and squatter settlements, with little or no access to adequate water, sanitation, or refuse collection (6). In such situations, both environmental quality and human health and well-being are at risk. (See Improving Health Through Environmental Action.)
Many countries are developing policies that try to address the new demands created by the increasing concentration of people in cities while capitalizing on the benefits of urbanization, such as economic growth and efficient delivery of services. Indonesia is a case in point. During the 1980s, Indonesian cities expanded at the rate of 5.4 percent per year, fueled by declining prospects for agriculture in the outer islands and high levels of foreign direct investment in export-oriented manufacturing on the island of Java. Indeed, Indonesia’s 10 largest metropolitan areas – each with more than 1 million inhabitants – are all on Java; 60 percent of Java’s population now lives in urban corridor developments along the northern coast. Although basic infrastructure and services are lacking in many areas, urban migration is expected to continue. In 1992, the government of Indonesia introduced the Spatial Use Management Act, one of a suite of laws intended to ensure the provision of adequate public services and to minimize adverse effects on surrounding communities and ecosystems. Among other reforms, the act provides for the identification of environmentally sensitive areas, where development activities would be restricted, and for improved planning for the location and support of activities such as industrial development (7).
References and notes
4. Op. cit. 1, pp. 66-71.
5. United Nations (U.N.) Population Division, Concise Report on the World Population Situation in 1995 (U.N., New York, 1995), p. 26.
6. United Nations General Assembly, Fourth Review and Appraisal of the World Population Plan of Action, A/CONF.171/PC/3, March 1, 1994 (Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development, Third Session, Item 4), p. 19. For further discussion of the social and environmental implications of urbanization, see World Resources Institute in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank, World Resources Report 1996-97 (Oxford University Press, New York, 1996), Chapters 1-6.
7. Arie D. Djoekardi, “Urban Land Use Planning Policy in Indonesia,” paper presented at the International Workshop on Policy Measures for Changing Consumption Patterns, Seoul, Republic of Korea, August 30-September 1, 1995, pp. 3-4, 12-13.
