The world's urban population now exceeds the world's rural population. What does this mean for the state of our cities, given the strain this global demographic shift is placing upon current urban infrastructures?

In our rapidly urbanizing global society, solid waste management will be a key challenge facing all the world's cities. Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities provides a fresh perspective and new data on one of the biggest issues in urban development.

The report throws new light on current issues and challenges which national and local governments, the business sector and organised civil society are facing. On top of putting forward a number of recommendations, this report testifies to the wealth of good, innovative practice that countries of all sizes and development stages have accumulated across the region.

Urbanization in the last 20 years has become one of the most important trends in human settlement development and the prospects of all developing countries continue to be deeply affected by rapid urban population growth. While Africa was 80% rural in the 1950s and 1960s, its rate of urbanization now stands on average at 50% and the trend is expected to continue over the coming years (UN-HABITAT, 1996).

International migration has long been an important feature of Senegalese society, and migrants’ remittances play a significant role in the livelihoods of rural households and the growth of small and intermediate urban centres.

Providing water and sanitation services to low-income communities is a key development challenge in urban areas.

In many large Asian cities, planners have begun to clear informal inner-city settlements and replace them with commercial and middle-class neighbourhoods, seeking to project an image of modernity and prosperity to foreign investors.

This paper specifically describes the urbanization experience of Brazil, by far the largest country in Latin America, and which has attained levels of urbanization that surpass those of most European countries.

A World of Sustainable Cities: Urban Challenges and Opportunities. The Urban Infrastructure Initiative (UII) envisions a world where cities provide a sustainable environment for people to live, work, move and play.

Small towns play a significant role in the economic growth and urbanization of China, attracting migrants from rural areas and other urban centres.

The purpose of this paper is to add to a deeper appreciation of the context, milestones, processes, learning and emerging directions of the HPFPI in its thrust to mobilize communities in finding and driving their solutions to disasters.

The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date global assessment of human settlements conditions and trends. It is an essential reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations all over the world.