Global Cities Becoming Global Mega-Regions

A new report from the United Nations says that world cities are increasingly becoming mega-regions of developed areas, and governing these regions must become a new focus of governments.

1 minute read

March 23, 2010, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


These emerging megaregions pose challenges to governments, according to UN-Habitat's bi-annual State of World Cities report.

"The largest of these, says the report - launched today at the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro - is the Hong Kong-Shenhzen-Guangzhou region in China, home to about 120 million people. Other mega-regions have formed in Japan and Brazil and are developing in India, west Africa and elsewhere.

The trend helped the world pass a tipping point in the last year, with more than half the world's people now living in cities.

The UN said that urbanisation is now 'unstoppable'."

Monday, March 22, 2010 in Guardian

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