ABSTRACT
As their urban populations continue to grow, poor countries will come under mounting pressure to rethink their development strategies and set priorities with both rural and urban interests in mind. Ideally, the demographic research community would assist in setting priorities by providing countries and international aid agencies with informative urban population estimates and scientifically credible forecasts of the pace and distribution of future growth. Although the urban transition has been in the making for decades, much remains to be done if demographers are to supply planners and policymakers with useful guidance, especially where the spatial dimensions of city growth are concerned.
