![city overview city overview](https://www.fodors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-Ultimate-New-York-Hero.jpg)
It is impacting not only public health but also the economy and social fabric. Cities across the globe are currently being tested to the extreme with the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 90% of urban expansion in developing countries is near hazard-prone areas and built through informal and unplanned settlements.Ĭities are also in the frontline of combating epidemics. In the 136 biggest coastal cities, there are 100 million people – or 20% of their population – and $4.7 trillion in assets exposed to coastal floods.
![city overview city overview](https://www.urbangreenup.eu/imgpub/1884214/0/0/liverpool900x600.jpg)
Almost half a billion urban residents live in coastal areas, increasing their vulnerability to storm surges and sea level rise. Such sprawl puts pressure on land and natural resources, resulting in undesirable outcomes cities consume two thirds of global energy consumption and account for more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissionsĬities play an increasingly important role in tackling climate change, because their exposure to climate and disaster risk increases as they grow. The expansion of urban land consumption outpaces population growth by as much as 50%, which is expected to add 1.2 million km² of new urban built up area to the world in the three decades. Once a city is built, its physical form and land use patterns can be locked in for generations, leading to unsustainable sprawl.
![city overview city overview](https://www.urbangreenup.eu/imgpub/1884212/900/0/izmir900x600.jpg)
Conflicts are on the rise, resulting in 60% of forcibly displaced people living in urban areas. However, the speed and scale of urbanization brings challenges, including meeting accelerated demand for affordable housing, well-connected transport systems, and other infrastructure, basic services, as well as jobs, particularly for the nearly 1 billion urban poor who live in informal settlements to be near opportunities. With more than 80% of global GDP generated in cities, urbanization can contribute to sustainable growth if managed well by increasing productivity, allowing innovation and new ideas to emerge. By 2050, with the urban population more than doubling its current size, nearly 7 of 10 people in the world will live in cities. Today, some 56% of the world’s population – 4.4 billion inhabitants – live in cities.