The United Nations marked World Population Day last July 11. A critical issue that has been raised is the rapid growth of urban population worldwide. The UN-Habitat 2006 Annual Report refers to this as the arrival of the "Urban Millennium". By 2008, it is predicted that more than half of the world's population, or an estimated 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. Estimates show that 93% of urban growth will occur in Asia and Africa . By 2050 over 6 billion people, two thirds of humanity, will be living in towns and cities.
The Philippines follows the global trend of urban growth, with a steady growth observed in the percentage of urban population since the 1950s. A report shows that in 2000, the country had 46 million urban dwellers compared to 35 million who lived in rural areas. Based on National Census figures, an estimated 12.9 percent of the total population or 11 million currently live in the National Capital Region. This is expected to grow steadily at an average 1.1% annually.
Surprisingly, unlike its doomsday predictions on environment and depletion of the world's natural resource, the United Nations actually discusses urban growth with a positive note because it fosters development and economic growth. After all, people are the greatest resource a nation can have. On the other hand, the ills of urban growth cannot be denied. This compounds the problem of insufficient facilities and lack of basic services like water, housing and unemployment. Slum areas also continue to grow. There are still 210 municipalities in Metro Manila alone and 400 rural municipalities that have less than 50% water supply coverage or no access to clean water at all.
Urbanization is good if total economic growth is achieved and benefits both rural and urban areas. The world is now a global village and with all modes of transportation, people can easily travel to and fro. People commonly migrate to urban areas in the search for employment opportunities. They willingly abandon the simple living and fresh air in the countryside and choose to live in polluted and overcrowded surroundings in the metropolis for better opportunities. Despite the phenomenal improvement in infrastructure and livelihood in many rural areas resulting from OFW remittances, there are still many areas where poverty and malnutrition must be addressed. Our government must provide more opportunities for countryside development to flourish. We laud efforts to promote entrepreneurship among rural dwellers, but we must also think of how to provide more capital to encourage livelihood opportunities. More support must be given to agriculture and we must continue harnessing the vast lands for more efficient food production. We must think of ways to generate income in the rural areas and provide the same attraction there that cities have on people. Let us strive to create an equitable distribution of opportunities in the whole country to achieve real economic growth.
