The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history and in 2008 more than half of the world’s population was living in towns and cities which would be swelled to almost five billion by 2030.
According to the 2012-13 economic survey, Pakistan’s urban population is expanding rapidly and the population in urban areas increased from 58.74 million in 2008 to 69.87 million in 2013.
If the current pattern of urbanisation continues, the urban population of the country will cross the figure of 122 million in 2030 which is 50 percent of the total population of the country.
The document said the major contributor of urbanization was migration which was a process of movement of people in search of social and economic opportunities.
It said the population growth together with rural urban migration increased density and created higher urban agglomeration, adding that it was a phenomenon which was critical to achieving sustainable growth as large urban centres allowed for innovation and increased economics of scale.
With good governance, the survey said, cities generated jobs and could deliver education, health care and other services more efficiently than less densely settled areas because of their advantages of scale and proximity.