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Urban population growth and environmental challenges
According to National Geographic, by 2050 the world's population is expected to reach 9.8 billion. Nearly 70 percent of this booming population—6.7 billion people—is projected to live in urban areas. According to the World Bank, cities generate 80% of global GDP but they also produce 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. That's why urban planners, policy makers, local political leaders and other experts are trying to rethink cities, to make them "greener" and "smarter".
Urban migration patterns in the USA
In the U.S.A. in the $20^{th}$ century, middle-class and upper middle-class families fled the inner cities, which often became crime-ridden pockets of poverty, and moved to the suburbs. Nowadays as a special report published in The Economist on September 26 2019, pointed out "American poverty is moving from the cities to the suburbs".
Gentrification phenomenon
Indeed, in many cities whole neighbourhoods have become gentrified. Gentrification "describes a process where wealthy, college-educated individuals begin to move into poor or working-class communities, often originally occupied by communities of color." (National Geographic, resource library).
Impact of gentrification
The impact of gentrification is manifold. People who lived in cheap housing have to move because rents and property prices rise, developers tear down old houses to replace them with luxurious condos or townhouses. Other people underline the benefits of gentrification : it brings new economic opportunities to old neighbourhoods. In a Guardian article published on 16 May 2015, the journalist wondered "What will happen when Harlem becomes white ?" He explains that even though Harlem may become white, many black residents "are thankful for the new amenities."
Resistance movements
Nonetheless, in the USA, a grassroots organisation called "Right to the City" was formed in 2007 "as a unified response to gentrification and a call to halt the displacement of low-income people, people of color, marginalized LGBTQ communities and youths of color from their historic urban neighborhoods." They draw their inspiration from a French book by Henri Lefebvre Le Droit à la Ville, published in 1968.
Urban transformation in the UK
The same phenomenon is happening in the UK where, according to an article in the Guardian on 4 May 2014 : "The term 'inner cities' disappeared because, at least in the biggest cities, the inner areas are no longer pockets of deprivation : they are where the rich people live."
Post-industrial city regeneration
Post-industrial cities, which developed around once flourishing manufacturing hubs, have been rejuvenated. For example Manchester is now described as a "miracle … the poster child for urban regeneration" (The New Statesman, September 2016). In 2019, Fortune magazine referred to Detroit as "a model for urban renewal". The same can be said about Cleveland, once described as an "underdog" city.
Sustainable urban development
Nowadays the emphasis for local leaders is to make cities greener and more sustainable. This involves limiting $CO_2$ emissions, relying on renewable sources of energy and reducing waste, among other things. On the overall sustainability index published in 2020, London comes in second position because according to the report it is "the best connected city in the world". Yet the report warns "London is starting to become a victim of its own success."
Covid-19 impact on cities
Of course, the Covid-19 also had an impact on city life. In an article published in The Guardian on 25 May 2020, a journalist wondered "Around the world, cities are cleaner and quieter. Can we reinvent them – and ensure that the changes forced upon them in the last few months are not squandered ?" Only time will tell.
