The twentieth century has seen a large shift in the population in urban and rural areas in almost all countries. The industrialization and subsequent rise in opportunities has given rise to migration of large number of people from rural areas where agriculture used to be the dominant industry to urban areas in search of jobs. It is estimated that more than half of world population now lives in urban areas compared to just 14% in 1900 and 30% in 1950.
Now the rise of urban population brings with it challenges that some of the cities may not be ready for. The need to access and mobility rises with the population as well as crimes and poverty. Many of the cities in the developing countries are not prepare to handle such a large influx of people. They just do not have the infrastructure required to move so many people and the vehicles that come with that. This has created significant challenges for city planners in terms of traffic jams, pollution and resulting loss of productivity. How can city planners deal with such challenges?
