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Growing Pains in Afghanistan's Cities

Posted by: Nate Berg

7 September 2009 - 7:00am

In Afghanistan, cities are changing. More and more people are leaving behind their agricultural past for city life, and the tide of new urbanites is stressing the fabric of the city.

The population of the country is nearly 50%, by some estimates.

"Some families live in comfort, even luxury, behind high walls, but the streets are filled with trash, unlit at night and often unpaved outside the main business district. An influx of uneducated villagers living in shantytowns or illegal construction strains the electrical grid and water supply, raises the price of housing and introduces a de-civilizing element. Even cities as advanced as Istanbul are experiencing a similar re-population, and this will likely continue over the next 20 years.

Today, Afghan cities have almost no public amenities."

Full Story: A Humane Afghan City?
Source: Forbes, September 3, 2009
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If hundreds of people in your community raised reasonable concerns about a planning program you developed, how would you respond? Perhaps you might call a community meeting, or ask community elected officials to reach out to community leaders.
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