'Half of humanity is now living in cities, but this dramatic transition is far from over. According to the new UN-HABITAT report
State of the World’s Cities 2008/9: Harmonious Cities, globally urbanization levels will rise dramatically in the next 40 years
to reach 70 percent by 2050.
Though more than 70 per cent of the populations of Europe, North America and Latin America are already urban, Asia and
Africa which are predominately rural, with 41 per cent and 39 per cent of their populatio more...

Good Practice Transfer networking event
UN-HABITAT/ROLAC, Fundación Hábitat Colombia and the Building and Social Housing Foundation, with the support of members of the Ibero-American and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices, will be hosting an event on the Transfer of Best Practices at the World Urban Forum 4.
The World Urban Forum is a biennial gathering that brings together a wide range of partners from non-governmental and community-based organisations, urban practitioners, academia, govern more...

Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen awarded the 'European Destinations of Excellence' (EDEN) to this year's twenty best destinations in tourism and intangible heritage at the European Annual Tourism Forum in Bordeaux on 18th of September. EDEN, launched in 2006, promotes the specific characteristics of European destinations and offers particular support to those where a competitive tourism is developed as to ensure social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism. It offers a more...

'The trend is inescapable: more and more people in the developing world are living in the cities. By 2020, the number of people living in developing countries will grow from 4.9 billion to 6.8 billion. Ninety percent of this increase will be in rapidly expanding cities and towns. More than half the population of
Africa and Asia will live in urban areas by 2020. Growth in urban poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition and a shift in their concentration from rural to urban areas will acompany u more...

The goal of the Global Mayors Forum (GMF) is to have mayors from six continents learn from one another and collaborate to establish viable models for establishing 'sustainable cities' while gaining exposure to effective policies, case studies, business opportunities, and the most recent advancements in sustainable technologies. The theme of the inaugural Global Mayors Forum is High Growth Cities - Meeting the Challenges for Sustainability. The Forum will address various aspects of urban sustaina more...

The citizens of San Diego, California, USA, and Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Afghanistan, desiring friendship and goodwill, agree to collaborate for the mutual benefit of their communities by exploring educational, cultural, humanitarian and economic opportunities. Citizens, educational and healthcare institutions, businesses, and civic organizations in both San Diego and Jalalabad support this Sister City relationship.
The citizens of Jalalabad have not enjoyed the same access to educational, health more...

The Urban Design Compendium was published by English Partnerships in partnership with The Housing Corporation and examines the factors that make neighbourhoods stimulating and active places in which residents feel comfortable and safe. It aims to provide accessible advice to developers, funding agencies and partners on the achievement and assessment of the quality of urban design for the development and regeneration of urban areas. It is written to provide a source of best practice to all those more...

2003 , Publishers - Routledge. By Paul Chatterton and Robert Hollands. 'Much attention has been paid to the way urban areas have restructured as a consequence of global forces, however, changes emanating from local powers have been largely overlooked. Chatterton and Hollands help rectify this one-sidedness with their first rate study of nightscapes, the increasing use of space for youth oriented consumer activities. Their empirically based and theoretically informed discussion of playscapes, inc more...

Giora Rahav, Tel-Aviv University. Giora Rahav received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University in 1974. He tought criminology at Tel Aviv University and Florida State University. He has recently joined the School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University. 'Society is not static; rather, it changes over time, and for this reason, the concept of social control takes on dynamic properties. At a most basic level, the intention of social control is to maintain coherence within the social order. Some more...

By Lim Siew Wai, William. Published: 2004, Singapore, 1st Edition. 'This preliminary study by Singapore architect and urbanist William Lim attempts to keep up with the continual and drastic transformations of Shanghai in recent years. By offering a bold, sweeping view of lifestyles, cultures and the urban phenomenon of Shanghai, the author attempts to give readers a captivating whiff of a highly contemporary force currently emerging in China's most vibrant city. One might also come to realize t more...