ABSTRACT
The daily migration from rural to urban areas throughout the third world is one of the historic changes of our times. The impact of urbanization is complicated by the generally weak condition of most local governments in developing countries. The differential between rural and urban incomes is the single most important factor; migration can be stemmed either by keeping urban incomes low or by improving rural incomes. The reality of institutional and political life in many third world countries is that local city councils and executives have little authority even as they have overwhelming responsibilities. The management of urban development requires a high degree of coordination between central government ministries and local councils and authorities. Urban areas in developing nations, with their vast concentrations of people, are simultaneously a storehouse of energy and resources and a center of poverty and misery.
