ABSTRACT
In 2007 the world crossed a signifi cant milestone – namely, for the fi rst time in human history the urban population exceeded the rural. According to the UNFP (United Nations Fund for Population Activities, 2007) more than half the world’s population – 3.3 billion people – would be living in urban areas in 2008. The fi gure is expected to swell to almost 5 billion, or 60 per cent of the world’s population, by 2030. At that point, towns and cities in the developing world will make up 81 per cent of urban humanity. ‘Many of the new urbanites will be poor’ according to the report. Alarmingly, one in every three city residents will live in inadequate housing with no or few basic services (UN-Habitat, 2007).
