Urbanization and Slums

Rather ironically, the positive aspects of urbanization as mentioned in wikipedia is so,"Urbanization is often viewed as a negative trend, but in fact, it occurs naturally from individual and corporate efforts to reduce expense in commuting and transportation while improving opportunities for jobs, education, housing, and transportation. Living in cities permits individuals and families to take advantage of the opportunities of proximity, diversity, and marketplace competition."

This reinforces the statement made by Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of the UN Habitat agency, "People move to the cities not because they will be better off but because they expect to be better off."

The population of people living in slums is increasing rapidly, reaching a predicted high of 6 billion in 2050(2/3 of total human population).

Urbanization offers the illusion of a better life- of mass consumption, of material comfort, of a stable future. Designers are in a dilemma here: whether they should inform people that it is only the illusion of a better life that is offered, or help to make the illusion a reality?

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/5078654.stm