Public space loses weight in expanding cities

Public spaces have less and less weight in cities that are expanding, according to the UN Habitat agency alerted in its Thematic Meeting on Public Spaces, which took place this week at the University of Barcelona, ​​as reported by The Country. Something worrying, considering that it is estimated that in 2050 the urban population will reach 70% of the world population. Preliminary data from a study by the agency reveal that only 21% of the surface of expanding cities is dedicated to public space, while only 37% of new urban developments are carried out based on urban plans.

The disorder of urban growth is reflected in the size of the blocks: those that are being built cover an average area of ​​5 hectares – in New York they measure an average of 2.2 hectares-. The study, which analyzes the growth of 200 world cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants from 1990 to 2015, indicates that urban planning is closely related to the economic wealth of the corresponding area of ​​the planet: the lower the GDP per capita, the more disorderly is the growth and less is the area dedicated to public spaces, the provision of services, etc. Thus, in sub-Saharan Africa, planning accounts for only 10% of development.

The Thematic Meeting on Public Space was a preparatory meeting for the Habitat III United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development which will be held in Quito, Ecuador from October 17 to 20, 2016.