The fourth World Urban Forum (WUF4) is underway in Nanjing, China this week. The theme of this event is Harmonious Urbanization: The Challenge of Balanced Territorial Development. With the fast pace of urbanization in the world, two-thirds of the world population could be in cities by 2030, according the UN.
In his opening address, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that the dramatic growth of cities could deepen poverty. To combat this issue there’s a need to improve the urban poor access to basic facilities such as shelter, clean water and sanitation. There’s also a strong emphasis on environmentally-friendly, sustainable urban growth and development.
