Before long, more than 550 cities worldwide will have a population of more than one million people. By 2030, 80 percent of the world's population will live in cities. Whereas megacities have traditionally served as economic and political power centers, many of today’s fastest growing cities are in developing nations.

With such rapid and unplanned growth, many of these cities lack the planning and infrastructure to accommodate this population boom. New models of city planning are needed to prevent collapses under such dramatic social, economic, and environmental pressures. Cities on Speed shows how four metropolises are rising to this challenge. What are the visions for solving their deepest issues, and will they be successful?


Cairo

When Cairo’s population remained at twelve million people, the city was neat and tidy. Today, Cairo has mushroomed to an estimated twenty million inhabitants. To keep up with the waste of the growing populace, six giant garbage villages have evolved into towns within the city. As the issues—and the garbage piles—visibly mount, officials struggle to determine how to keep the city’s trash in check.

Middle East Studies Association, 2011