Construction World January 2016

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2016
such as providing sufficient jobs and housing for
inhabitants, basic sanitation, energy, healthcare,
education and transport services.
Megacities in especially the developed world
(America and Europe) are faced with a stagnant
(or negative growth rate) while those in Asia and
Africa grow extremely fast, which will have its
own challenges.
Wilhelm du Plessis
Editor
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COMMENT
EDITOR
Wilhelm du Plessis
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Most massive cities are in Northern America,
Latin America and Europe while Asia and Africa
have some of the fastest growing cities in the
world. Cities with 10 million or more inhabitants
are called ‘mega-cities’ (Johannesburg, with a
population of 9,7 million, is close to being called
a mega-city – it will have a projected population
of 11,9 million by 2030).
The report states that by 2030 a new kind of
city will emerge: gigacities. These cities, albeit
almost unimaginable, will have 50million inhab-
itants. In China such cities will soon become a
reality. The Chinese government is planning to
connect multiple cities in five urban conurba-
tions that will see the greater Shangai having
a population (in theory) of 170 million by 2020.
In 1950, there were just two cities that, in
today’s terms, were deemed megacities (New
York and Tokyo). In 2015 there were 29 (of which
16 were in Asia).
By 2030 there will be 41 – Johannesburg one
of them. Tokyo (38 million), Delhi (25,7 million)
and Shanghai (23,7 million) are currently the
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The Chinese government is planning to connect multiple cities. Greater
Shanghai will then theoretically have a population of 170 million.
Today, more than half of the world’s
population lives in cities. At the
current rate of urbanisation, this will
increase to two thirds by 2030. This
is according to Allianz’s report ‘The
megacity state: the world’s biggest
cities shaping our future’.
largest megacities and will remain so through
2030. By that time 12 new megacities will have
emerged – 10 of these will be in Asia and Africa.
Cairo will then be the biggest African city (24,5
million inhabitants), followed by Lagos (24,2
million), Kinshasa (20 million), Johannesburg
(11,9 million) and Luanda (10,4 million).
A challenge for sustainability
The gigantic concentration of people in cities will
have huge challenges for sustainable develop-
ment – especially given the fact that cities, even
though they make up only 2% of the world’s land
area, are responsible for 70% of the greenhouse
gases produces.
Questions that will need answering are how
to find a balance between growth, quality of
life and climate protection. The report provides
some solutions as to the structure such cities
could have: these include green roofs, solar
film on building fronts, waste-to-power plants,
smart-city grids and many more.
The challenge for such cities are also wider