ABSTRACT
The common use of the term “Third World” reflects a lingering effect of cold war politics on underdeveloped countries. As the cold war ended more than 15 years ago, the term has become irrelevant and largely replaced by less politically charged terms, such as the developing or less developed world, emerging markets and the Global South. However, when addressing large cities in developing countries, the term “third world urbanization” comes in handy. It is still used widely in academic writings to conceptualize various urban issues in those mega cities, ranging from squatters and overpopulation to street vendors and the informal sector to polluted rivers and environmental sustainability.
