Population Reports' Q&As

Meeting the Urban Challenge

Impact on the Environment

What factors contribute to the environmental impact of urban settlements?

The extent of urban environmental impact increases as population grows as well as per capita demand for resources rises, both from industries and consumers (44, 132). As the populations of cities in developing countries have increased dramatically, so have levels of per capita resource consumption, water and air pollution, and soil degradation and contamination (132). In addition, the number of households has grown even faster than the population itself, reflecting a trend to smaller families and thus a decline in the average number of people per household. Analyzing data from141 countries, a recent study calculated that the annual growth in the number of households (at 3.1%) was much more rapid than population growth itself (at 1.8%) between 1985 and 2000. More households naturally require more housing units, which increases the amount of land and materials needed for housing construction (70).

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