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Cities of Today, Cities of Tomorrow

Unit 4: What Makes Cities Grow?
Objectives Summary Text Activities

Economic growth
To a large extent people move to cities because cities have become the hubs of economic activity. There are jobs in the city; a great variety of jobs and careers that fuel people's imaginations and feed their dreams. This is what makes cities attractive and "pulls" people to them: the prospect of employment, the promise of comfort and the possibility of fulfilling dreams.

Economic growth and urban growth go hand in hand. The world's largest cities are concentrated in the world's largest economies. Of the 281 "million cities", 70 percent are in 25 countries with the world's largest economies. The global urbanization of the past half century has much to do with two economic trends. Firstly, the globalization of the world economy has encouraged greater international trade and a greater role for cities worldwide. Secondly, the size of the world economy has tripled since 1960, in developing as well as developed countries.



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