The Road to Rio and the Right to the City

For the first time in global history, more than half of the total world population – over 3.3 billion people – lives in urban areas, and that number will grow to two-thirds of the earth’s population by 2050. Most of this rapid urban growth is occurring in megacities and secondary cities throughout the developing world. More alarming than the sheer numbers of new urban residents is the accelerating rate of urban poverty. Rather than focusing on the challenges of urban growth in general, this report focuses on strategies to improve the lives of the urban poor.