Cities in the Developing World

Abstract

Whereas cities in Europe and the United States grew quite large after the Industrial Revolution, cities in the developing world have grown large primarily during the last half of the twentieth century. Countries in the developing world typically have one major city that attracts much of the rural-to-urban migration, a condition known as primacy. As migrants concentrate in the major city, population growth is rapid and outstrips the economy’s ability to absorb them—this is called overurbanization. In many such cities, the poor are located in districts of inadequate housing, few employment options, and little public infrastructure such as water. In these shanty towns, population densities can be extremely high. It would be a mistake, however, to associate only the problems found in such cities. Economic growth in those cities tends to be rapid, and such cities as Nairobi, Kenya attract considerable foreign investment. In districts away from the shanty towns, particularly in city centers, new construction and infrastructure often looks similar to that found in other cities throughout the world.

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