The
growth of
cities in Asia is unparalleled. In 1996, one in every five Asians lived in the cities.
City residents reached 1.2
billion. Today, one in every three Asians lives in cities and a lot of them live in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. City
population continues to
rise at the rate of 60
million each year in Asia, enabling cities to grow more than four percent each year.
Megacity refers to a big city with a population of more than 10 million. The United Nations says there are 24 megacities throughout the world today. Fourteen of these cities are found in Asia. These include Beijing and Shanghai in China; New Delhi, Calcutta, and Bombay in India; Karachi, Pakistan; Tokyo and Osaka in Japan; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Seoul, South Korea; Dacca, Bangladesh; Tehran, Iran; and Metro Manila in the Philippines. In 1995, there were nine megacities in Asia. By 2025, the number shall have reached 20 including the cities of Labore, Yangon, Madras, Shenyang, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.
According to the United Nations Development Program, there will have been more Asians living in cities than in rural areas by 2025. In 1965, about 1.5 billion Asians lived in the countryside and 430 million in urban centers. By 2025, there will have been 2.3 billion. As a result, government will have felt the burdens that come with a burgeoning city population.
Cities contribute to overall national economic growth. It is from the cities that income in Asian countries is derived. Asian Development Bank data show that about 80 percent growth in newly industrialized countries has been recorded cities. People flock to cities in the belief that their lives will improve. But economic growth of only a few cities is alarming. Take for example Dacca in Bangladesh. In 1990, it was already the 28th most populous city in the world with a population of 6.2 million. By 2015, Dacca will have been the fifth most populous city with a population of 19.5 million.
To meet the growing needs of the city population, Asian governments have launched several development projects. Because of the rise of land value and lack of residential and commercial land, high-rise buildings and skyscrapers have been developed. Asia is home to some of the tallest buildings in the world, one of them is the Petronas Towers, which has 88 storeys and is 450 meters high. The building cost $1.6 billion and is the second tallest building in the world. Hong Kong, on the other hand, did large-scale reclamation projects to add to its small land area.
More summaries about the Congestion in Cities