Nusrat Azeema
The world is experiencing the most significant wave of urbanization in history. More than half of the world’s population today lives in towns and cities, which is expected to rise to almost 5 billion by 2030. Much of this urbanization will occur in Africa and Asia, resulting in social, economic, and environmental changes. The world’s urbanization has the potential to usher in a new era of well-being, resource efficiency, and economic progress. Cities, however, have substantial concentrations of poverty. Nowhere is the rise of inequality more visible than in cities, where wealthy communities coexist separately from slums and informal settlements. UNFPA collaborates with the government, UN system, and civil society partners to advocate for the well-being and sustainability of rapidly urbanizing populations. The work of UNFPA includes assuring people’s access to essential services, particularly sexual and reproductive health care, as they move to and live in cities.
Today, most of the world’s population growth is concentrated in cities. According to UN estimates, rural populations worldwide have already plateaued, but urban populations are projected to expand by 1.5 billion people in the next 15 years and 3 billion by 2050. This approach will have a significant impact on how the globe responds to the problem of sustainable development.
Numerous new possibilities, including employment, await in cities for many people. Economic development and urbanization are inextricably linked. More than 80% of the world’s GDP is generated in towns and cities around the globe. As the population of cities increases, so does the number of people living in poverty, and this is partly to blame for the rise in urban poverty around the world. Urbanization, urban growth, suburbanization, and anti-urbanism relate to the proportion of the total national population residing in urban areas.
In contrast, urban development refers to the absolute number of people living in those areas. It is expected that by 2050, approximately 64% of the developing world and 86% of the developed world will be urbanized. This equates to nearly 3 billion urbanites by 2050, most of whom live in Africa and Asia. Notably, the United Nations recently forecasted that cities will account for almost all global population growth from 2017 to 2030, with around 1.1 billion more urbanites over the next ten years. Between 8% and 13% of Europeans were urban dwellers in 1800. In the middle of the eighteenth century, the human population began to urbanize quickly.
On the other hand, metropolitan regions house almost 2.5 billion people or around 45% of the world’s total populace. 37% of the developing world’s population lived in cities, with a third of that number residing in shanty towns and other urban slums. Urbanization in South America peaked in 1990, when 75% of South Americans lived in cities, the most significant percentage in the world. Moreover, 73% of the people in Europe live in urban areas, making it the second-most populous continent in the world. Between 1960 and 1990, Africa had the most significant urban growth rate, at 4.9 percent, compared to a global yearly growth rate of 2.8 percent.
Islamabad is rapidly becoming a congested metropolis. In the town, traffic bottlenecks have become the norm. Services including water, health, roads, and security are also under strain. To extend the city’s highways, the government must take down trees and damage the natural landscape. One of the city’s most pressing problems is environmental degradation. For the first time, smog has begun to develop. To end the saga, new economic centers are now being built in various parts of the city. For example, the current administration has begun selling the space next to the F-9 Park as a new commercial district, and development has already started. Natural resources are being replaced by concrete. The concentration of economic and livelihood prospects will be facilitated by the development of new financial centers in Islamabad. Moving for the sake of better economic opportunities is a well-known truth. Because of this, a fresh wave of migrants is projected to arrive after the projects are completed to meet the demands of the new businesses.
Pakistan’s urbanization pattern suggests the same. The facts on urbanization in Pakistan show that one of the most important causes of the unplanned growth of cities is the concentration of employment prospects, which is closely followed by improved public services such as education, training, and healthcare, among others. Land developers will have a fresh opportunity to expand their communities due to the influx of new residents. As many low-skilled laborers move to Islamabad, Kachi Abadis will also grow. As a result, the services sector will also be affected. As a result, we are already seeing the first signs of a breakdown in service. For example, the city’s health care facilities and hospitals can’t keep up with the city’s population.
In the same way, educational facilities are no exception. There is a lot of money being spent by the government on improving transportation infrastructure. However, the metropolis is on the verge of exceeding its carrying capacity as many worries. Islamabad’s urban management strategy will no longer work if its population exceeds its carrying capacity.
As a result, action must be taken immediately and wisely. Wisdom can help the government escape further decline. If the city government emerges from Twitter or social media management, it can play a prominent role. They need to get their hands dirty. The solution is right in front of us; we only need to follow the guidance of our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).