The Urban Challenge

Since the early 1960s, urbanization and industrialization have been one of the main engines of economic and social change in developed and developing countries alike. Even though the growth rate of cities has somewhat declined during the past decades, the spread and speed of urbanization remains unprecedented. Cities grow basically because they generate favourable conditions for economic development. With growing decentralization, the political role of cities has also gained in importance in many areas compared to the nation state.