Building a new urban order.

In the early 1900s 10% of the population lived in rural areas but today almost 50% live in cities. Many people move to cities in hopes of finding employment. An overloaded infrastructure rapid population growth rural-urban migration and pollution do not allow cities to support their citizens however. Even though these problems are more serious for cities in developing countries they also exist in the US. For example inadequate sewer systems spill billions of gallons of untreated waste into streams annually. Some US cities lose up to 30% of their daily drinking water through pipes in disrepair. In developed countries much of destruction of cities is a result of planning or lack of planning centered around the automobile e.g. rapid suburbanization. Environmental pollution in cities adversely affect the health of residents e.g. exacerbating asthma in developed countries and diarrhea in developing countries. Since the 1970s Western European planners have incorporated compact development into their urban plans. They contain suburbanization by revitalizing inner cities and diverting growth into fully functioning satellite towns. Urban planning should emphasize intensive land use mass transit conservation of resources and energy efficiency. Some economists believe that urban poverty will be the most significant problem in the 2000s. In developing nations the poor live in shantytowns with no running water sanitation urban transport or adequate shelter. In these urban areas high birth rates play a bigger role in urban growth than does rural-urban migration. US federal policies during the 1980s have resulted in considerable decay inner cities. Recent riots in Los Angeles have alerted policymakers to the costs of neglect of inner cities. US citizens must discuss what needs to be done to transforms into vital living and cultural areas. Revitalization of the cities is a must.