Future cities
Sociologists have made various predictions about urban communities of the future. They believe that metropolitan areas will continue to grow in both population and area. In 1990, about 2¼ billion people in different parts of the world lived in urban places. By the year 2010, the number is expected to rise to about 4 billion people. In the United States in 1990, about 187 million people lived in urban places as defined by the U.S. government. By the year 2010, the number is expected to reach about 225 million.
Some new urban communities have already been built in the 1900's, and more will be built in the future. Like today's suburbs, the new communities will provide living space and ease the overcrowding problem caused by the population explosion and implosion. City planners hope that--unlike most suburbs--the new communities will also provide jobs for most of their residents. If the communities do so, the overcrowding of cities will be eased even more.
Excerpt from the "City" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999