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GLOBALIZATION THROUGH GLOCALIZATION
(or How To Get Johnny To Participate)
United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements--Habitat (2001), Cities in A Globalizing
World--Global Report on Human Settlements. London and Sterling VA:
Earthscan Publications.
<earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk>
Fax: 44(0) 20 7278 1142) ISBN 1-85383-805-5 (hardback), 1-85383-806-3 (pbk).
Review by
Dr. Mit Mitropoulos
Greece
m.mitropoulos.planetinternet.bmitnet@hol.gr
For the last 25
years, everytime I return from a work trip to a tiny isolated island human
settlement in the Aegean Sea, as the ship approaches Piraeus, the port of
Athens, I find myself preparing to breathe smog, and asking two questions:
"Why do people come together to form cities?", and "Why do they keep being
attracted to specific cities even when these urban environments are no
longer desirable?".
Athens population has
been steadily growing over the 3m mark, although with a diminishing share
in the country's urban population: 52.5% in 1985,48.7% in 2000,and an
expected 46.4% for year 2015.This is today similar to San Salvador's (El
Salvador) 48.1%,Riga's (Latvia) 47.7%,and Abidjan's (Cote d'Ivoire)
48.2%.It is worth noting that for the island city-state of Singapore, at
least since 1985,the figure is 100%,whilst both Brussels and Barcelona
have a steady population estimate and projection from 1995 to 2015, and
will both have a slightly diminishing share in their country's respective
urban population. On the other hand, we are faced with Lagos' (Nigeria)
13.427.000 inhabitants--5.287.000 in 1985,then 23.173.000 for 2015.And
Mumbai's (India) 18.066.000 --9.907.000 in 1985,then 26.138.000 for
2015.And Dhaka's (Bangladesh) 12.317.000 --4.652.000 in 1985,then
21.119.000 for 2015.And Jakarta's (Indonesia) 11.018.00 --6.778.00 in
1985,then 17.256.000 for 2015.And Istanbul's (Turkey) 9.451.000
--5.408.000 in 1985,then 12.492.000 for 2015.And Sao Paulo's (Brazil)
17.755.00 --13.758.000 in 1985,then 20.397.00 for 2015.Tokyo will be
having 26.444.000 in 2015,but so it does today. And I still have to check
at least for Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, BsAs, Mexico, and Shanghai. Not to add
that these are only figures, however staggering. Photographic records give
a better feeling, not to mention going there, even not to earn a living as
a resident.
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