Today is World Habitat Day. In 2050, six billion people will live in urban areas. That's two-thirds of the projected population. In 1950, one-third of us lived in urban areas. Wow.
While slum upgrading is important, we must ramp up efforts to prevent them in the first place as the developing world prepares for ever more megacities (with more than 10 million inhabitants). The status quo in water and sanitation delivery, housing finance, public transportation and environmental standards in developing countries will not be able to withstand this exodus from the countryside.
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