The fastest growing city in Africa is Bujumbura, in Burundi. In 2020, this city had an estimated population of about one million. By 2035, the population of Bujumbura could increase by 123 percent and reach roughly 2.3 million people. Zinder, in Niger, had about half million inhabitants in 2020 and, with a growth rate of 118 percent, is Africa's second fastest growing city. In 2035, Zinder could have over one million residents.

As of 2021, the largest city in whole Africa is Lagos, in Nigeria. Other highly populated cities in Africa are Kinshasa, in Congo, Cairo, and Alexandria, both located in Egypt.

Cities ranking and mega citiesTokyo is the world’s largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million, Shanghai with 26 million, and Mexico City and São Paulo, each with around 22 million inhabitants. Today, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. By 2020, Tokyo’s population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028.By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa. While one in eight people live in 33 megacities worldwide, close to half of the world’s urban dwellers reside in much smaller settlements with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants.About the dataThe 2018 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects is published by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). It has been issued regularly since 1988 with revised estimates and projections of the urban and rural populations for all countries of the world, and of their major urban agglomerations. The data set and related materials are available at: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global smart city platforms market size will be USD 192541.2 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.00% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 77016.48 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 57762.36 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 44284.48 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.0% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 9627.06 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 3850.82 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2024 to 2031.
The data management platform is the fastest growing segment of the smart city platforms industry

Market Dynamics of Smart city platforms Market

Key Drivers for Smart city platforms Market

Urbanization and population growth to drive market growth

Urbanization and population growth are key drivers of the Smart City Platforms Market, as they create the need for more efficient urban management solutions. Rapid migration to cities places immense pressure on infrastructure, transportation, energy, and public services. To address these challenges, smart city platforms enable cities to optimize resource allocation, improve traffic management, and enhance public safety through data-driven decision-making. As urban populations grow, the demand for sustainable and scalable solutions increases, leading to investments in technologies like IoT, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. These platforms allow city administrators to manage services in real time, ensuring smoother operations and better living conditions. Furthermore, governments worldwide are supporting smart city initiatives to handle the socio-economic impacts of urbanization, boosting the market's expansion.

Increased demand for efficient public services to boost market growth

The increased demand for efficient public services is a major driver of growth in the Smart City Platforms Market. As urban populations expand, cities face pressure to improve the efficiency and quality of essential services such as transportation, healthcare, energy management, and waste disposal. Smart city platforms provide a solution by integrating various urban services through the use of IoT devices, big data, and real-time analytics. By leveraging these technologies, cities can streamline operations, reduce costs, and respond more effectively to residents' needs. For example, smart traffic systems can alleviate congestion, while intelligent energy grids optimize power consumption. Citizens also expect more responsive and transparent services, pushing governments to adopt smart platforms to enhance service delivery and public engagement. This rising demand for smarter, more efficient services is a key factor driving market growth.

Restraint Factor for the Smart city platforms Market

Data privacy and security concerns to limit market growth

Data privacy and security concerns pose significant challenges to the growth of the Smart City Platforms Market. As these platforms rely on massive amounts of data collected from IoT devices, sensors, and city infrastructure, they become potential targets for cyberattacks and unauthorized access. Breaches in public data can compromise critical systems, including transportation, healthcare, and public safety, leading to severe consequences. Citizens are increasingly concerned about how their personal information is being used and protected, which raises issues around trust and transparency. Furthermore, stringent regulations like GDPR and other regional data protection laws require cities to ensure robust security measures, which can increase implementation costs and complexity. The fear of potential data misuse or leaks can slow down the adoption of smart city technologies, limiting market growth despite their benefits.

Impact of Covid-19 on the ...

This collection contains two datasets: one, data used in TI-City model to predict future urban expansion in Accra, Ghana; and two, residential electricity consumption data used to map intra-urban living standards in Karachi, Pakistan. The TI-City model data are ASCII files of infrastructure and amenities that affect location decisions of households and developers. The residential electricity consumption data consist of average kilowatt hours (kw/h) of electricity consumed per month by ~ 2 million households in Karachi. The electricity consumption data is aggregated into 30m grid cells (count = 193050), with centroids and consumption values provided. The values of the points (centroids), captured under the field "Avg_Avg_Cs", represents the median of average monthly consumption of households within the 30m grid cells.

Our project addresses a critical gap in social research methodology that has important implications for combating urban poverty and promoting sustainable development in low and middle-income countries. Simply put, we're creating a low-cost tool for gathering critical information about urban population dynamics in cities experiencing rapid spatial-demographic and socioeconomic change. Such information is vital to the success of urban planning and development initiatives, as well as disaster relief efforts. By improving the information base of the actors involved in such activities we aim to improve the lives of urban dwellers across the developing world, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable. The key output for the project will be a freely available 'City Sampling Toolkit' that provides detailed instructions and opensource software tools for replicating the approach at various spatial scales.

Our research is motivated by the growing recognition that cities are critical arenas for action in global efforts to tackle poverty and transition towards more environmentally sustainable economic growth. Between now and 2050 the global urban population is projected to grow by over 2 billion, with the overwhelming majority of this growth taking place in low and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Developing evidence-based policies for managing this growth is an urgent task. As UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has observed: "Cities are increasingly the home of humanity. They are central to climate action, global prosperity, peace and human rights...To transform our world, we must transform its cities."

Unfortunately, even basic data about urban populations are lacking in many of the fastest growing cities of the world. Existing methods for gathering vital information, including censuses and sample surveys, have critical limitations in urban areas experiencing rapid change. And 'big data' approaches are not an adequate substitute for representative population data when it comes to urban planning and policymaking. We will overcome these limitations through a combination of conceptual innovation and creative integration of novel tools and techniques that have been developed for sampling, surveying and estimating the characteristics of populations that are difficult to enumerate. This, in turn, will help us capture the large (and sometimes uniquely vulnerable) 'hidden populations' in cities missed by traditional approaches.

By using freely available satellite imagery, we can get an idea of the current shape of a rapidly changing city and create a 'sampling frame' from which we then identify respondents for our survey. Importantly, and in contrast with previous approaches, we aren't simply going to count official city residents. We are interested in understanding the characteristics of the actually present population, including recent migrants, temporary residents, and those living in informal or illegal settlements, who are often not considered formal residents in official enumeration exercises. In other words, our 'inclusion criterion' for the survey exercise is presence not residence. By adopting this approach, we hope to capture a more accurate picture of city populations. We will also limit the length of our survey questionnaire to maximise responses and then use novel statistical techniques to reconstruct a rich statistical portrait that reflects a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic information.

We will pilot our methodology in a city in Pakistan, which recently completed a national census exercise that has generated some controversy with regard to the accuracy of urban population counts. To our knowledge this would be the first project ever to pilot and validate a new sampling and survey methodology at the city scale in a developing country.

In 2025, the degree of urbanization worldwide was at 58 percent. North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean were the regions with the highest level of urbanization, with over four-fifths of the population residing in urban areas. The degree of urbanization defines the share of the population living in areas defined as "cities". On the other hand, less than half of Africa's population lives in urban settlements. Globally, China accounts for over one-quarter of the built-up areas of more than 500,000 inhabitants. The definition of a city differs across various world regions - some countries count settlements with 100 houses or more as urban, while others only include the capital of a country or provincial capitals in their count. Largest agglomerations worldwideThough North America is the most urbanized continent, no U.S. city was among the top ten urban agglomerations worldwide in 2023. Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan was the largest urban area in the world that year, with 37.7 million inhabitants. New York ranked 13th, with 21.4 million inhabitants. Eight of the 10 most populous cities are located in Asia. ConnectivityIt may be hard to imagine how the reality will look in 2050, with 70 percent of the global population living in cities, but some statistics illustrate the ways urban living differs from suburban and rural living. American urbanites may lead more “connected” (i.e., internet-connected) lives than their rural and/or suburban counterparts. As of 2021, around 89 percent of people living in urban areas owned a smartphone. Internet usage was also higher in cities than in rural areas. On the other hand, rural areas always have, and always will, attract those who want to escape the rush of the city.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2024, the country counted over 232.6 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 132 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 116 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranks seventh, while Mauritius has the highest population density on the whole African continent. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

In 2023, Gabon had the highest urbanization rate in Africa, with over 90 percent of the population living in urban areas. Libya and Djibouti followed at around 82 percent and 79 percent, respectively. On the other hand, many countries on the continent had the majority of the population residing in rural areas. As of 2023, urbanization in Malawi, Rwanda, Niger, and Burundi was below 20 percent. A growing urban population On average, the African urbanization rate stood at approximately 45 percent in 2023. The number of people living in urban areas has been growing steadily since 2000 and is forecast to increase further in the coming years. The urbanization process is being particularly rapid in Burundi, Uganda, Niger, and Tanzania. In these countries, the urban population grew by over 4.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The most populous cities in Africa Africa’s largest city is Lagos in Nigeria, counting around nine million people. It is followed by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cairo in Egypt, each with over seven million inhabitants. Moreover, other cities on the continent are growing rapidly. The population of Bujumbura in Burundi will increase by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, registering the highest growth rate on the continent. Other fast-growing cities are Zinder in Niger, Kampala in Uganda, and Kabinda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2025, the country counted over 237.5 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 135.5 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 118.4 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranked seventh, while Mauritius had the highest population density on the whole African continent in 2023. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

City Surveillance Equipment Market Outlook

The global city surveillance equipment market size was valued at approximately USD 10 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around USD 25 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5% during the forecast period. This remarkable growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for enhanced public safety measures, rapid urbanization, and advancements in surveillance technology.

One of the primary growth factors driving the city surveillance equipment market is the escalating need for public safety and security across urban areas. With the rise in crime rates and terrorist activities, cities around the world are increasingly investing in advanced surveillance systems to monitor and secure public spaces. Governments are also implementing stringent regulations requiring the deployment of surveillance equipment in public areas, which further fuels market growth.

Technological advancements in surveillance equipment are another significant driver of market growth. The advent of high-definition cameras, IP-based surveillance systems, and advanced video management software has revolutionized the way city surveillance is conducted. These innovations provide better image clarity, remote accessibility, and improved storage solutions, making them indispensable for modern city surveillance. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in surveillance systems has also enhanced their capabilities, allowing for real-time threat detection and response.

The rapid pace of urbanization, particularly in emerging economies, is also contributing to the growth of the city surveillance equipment market. As cities expand and populations increase, the need for robust surveillance systems becomes more critical. Urban development projects often include the installation of comprehensive surveillance networks to ensure the safety and security of residents. Additionally, the increasing adoption of smart city initiatives, which integrate various technologies for efficient city management, is driving the demand for advanced surveillance solutions.

The demand for Video Surveillance Equipment And Services is witnessing a significant surge as cities strive to enhance their security infrastructure. This trend is driven by the increasing need for comprehensive surveillance solutions that not only capture high-quality video footage but also offer advanced analytics and real-time monitoring capabilities. The integration of AI and machine learning technologies in video surveillance systems has further amplified their effectiveness, enabling proactive threat detection and response. As urban areas continue to expand, the requirement for robust surveillance services becomes more critical, ensuring the safety and security of public spaces and residents. This growing demand is encouraging both public and private sectors to invest in state-of-the-art video surveillance equipment and services, fostering a safer urban environment.

Regionally, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing market for city surveillance equipment during the forecast period. The region's rapid urbanization, coupled with substantial government investments in public safety infrastructure, is driving this growth. Countries such as China, India, and Japan are leading the way with extensive surveillance projects to enhance urban security. North America and Europe also represent significant markets due to their advanced technological infrastructure and stringent security regulations.

Product Type Analysis

The city surveillance equipment market is segmented by product type into cameras, video management systems, storage solutions, and others. Cameras are the most critical component of surveillance systems, providing the necessary visual data for monitoring and security purposes. The advancement in camera technology, such as high-resolution imaging, night vision, and panoramic views, has significantly enhanced their efficiency and reliability. IP-based cameras, in particular, are gaining popularity due to their ability to transmit data over networks, offering remote accessibility and scalability.

Video management systems (VMS) play an essential role in city surveillance by managing and analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by surveillance cameras. VMS solutions enable operators to monitor multiple camera feeds simultaneously, detect anoma

Global IoT in Smart Cities Market has valued at USD 10.43 Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to project robust growth in the forecast period with a CAGR of 18.46% through 2028.

In Seoul, luxury home prices surged by over **** percent between December 2023 and December 2024, making it the fastest growing luxury real estate market worldwide. In the United States, Orange County was the market where prices rose the most during that period. Manila was the Asia-Pacific (APAC) city that experienced the most price growth in the luxury market, amounting to **** percent.

The global smart city landscaping market is expected to grow from USD XX million in 2025 to USD XX million by 2033, at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. The market is driven by the increasing demand for smart city solutions to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and livability of urban areas. Growing urbanization and the need for efficient management of urban resources are also contributing to the market growth. The market is segmented by application into municipal, enterprise, personal, and others. The municipal segment is expected to hold the largest market share due to the increasing adoption of smart city solutions by local governments. The global smart city landscaping market is expected to be dominated by North America and Europe in the coming years. These regions have been at the forefront of smart city development and have invested heavily in smart city initiatives. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the smart city landscaping market due to the rapid urbanization and economic growth in the region. The key players in the global smart city landscaping market include Chengdu Xiaobu Chuangxiang, Oriental Smart City (Beijing), Jiangsu Yutu Information Technology, Xiamen Chenglian Technology, Xi'an Lvyun Zhitong Ecological Engineering, Shenzhen Topevery Technology, Hangzhou Crossover Science and Technology, and Hunan Zhixuan Information Technology. These companies are offering a wide range of smart city solutions, including software, hardware, and services.

Cities conjure a sense of commotion. They can be hives of economic activity and interaction or centres of congestion and crime. Today, the majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Before the industrial age, cities as we think of them today were less common. There were hubs for commercial trade and administration, but people resided in rural areas, engaging in subsistence agriculture. Advances in technology from the industrial era created a highly productive sector: manufacturing. Higher paying manufacturing jobs drew labour out of the countryside, and modern cities were born. As they grew, the focus shifted to meeting the needs of modern life: the services sector took centre stage. Cities have tremendous economic potential because they cluster people and activity. Firms and workers can more easily find each other. Transaction costs are lower, with inputs for production never far away. Dense networks spread ideas and technologies, promoting innovation. The outcomes reach beyond economics; the concentration of people allows an inclusive and democratic society to emerge. For a city to blossom these interactions must occur frequently and effectively. The result is higher productivity and a higher quality of life — but only if cities are well-managed. Myanmar’s rapidly growing urban centres makes this a pertinent area for research.

Smart Cities Market By Size, Trends, Opportunity, Forecast 2028, By Smart Utilities, By Smart Governance, By Smart Transportation, By Smart Citizens Service, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities

Intra-City Express Service Market Outlook

The global intra-city express service market size was valued at approximately USD 42 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around USD 75 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% during the forecast period. This market's robust growth is driven primarily by the burgeoning e-commerce sector and the increasing consumer demand for fast and reliable delivery services. Urbanization and the growth of smart city initiatives have further bolstered the need for efficient intra-city logistics, allowing service providers to streamline operations and enhance delivery efficiency. The demand for quick and reliable delivery services has become paramount in today's fast-paced world, urging companies to invest in advanced technologies and innovative logistics solutions to maintain competitive edge.

One of the primary growth factors of the intra-city express service market is the rapid expansion of e-commerce. As online shopping becomes increasingly prevalent, consumers expect fast and reliable delivery services. This demand has been met with a surge in intra-city express services, which have proven themselves indispensable in fulfilling the last-mile delivery needs of urban populations. Technological advancements, such as real-time tracking and advanced route optimization, have significantly improved service efficiency, further driving market growth. Companies are also investing in innovative technologies like drones and autonomous vehicles, which promise to revolutionize the logistics landscape by reducing delivery times and operational costs.

Another significant factor contributing to the market's growth is urbanization and the development of smart cities. As more people move to urban areas, the demand for quick and efficient logistics solutions has intensified. Intra-city express services have become crucial in managing the complex logistics networks of these densely populated regions. Additionally, governments worldwide are investing in smart city initiatives, focusing on sustainable and efficient urban logistics solutions. These initiatives create a conducive environment for the growth of intra-city express services, enabling service providers to enhance their delivery capabilities while minimizing environmental impact.

The proliferation of digital technologies also plays a critical role in the expansion of the intra-city express service market. The integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT), has improved operational efficiency and customer experience. These technologies enable real-time tracking, predictive analytics, and smarter inventory management, allowing service providers to optimize their delivery processes. Furthermore, the increasing adoption of mobile applications has made it more convenient for consumers to access express delivery services, contributing significantly to market growth.

Courier and Local Delivery Services have become increasingly vital in the landscape of intra-city express services. These services cater to the growing demand for swift and efficient deliveries within urban areas, where traffic congestion and logistical challenges are prevalent. The rise of e-commerce has significantly boosted the need for reliable courier services, as consumers expect their purchases to be delivered promptly and without hassle. Local delivery services are particularly crucial for small businesses and retailers, enabling them to compete with larger enterprises by offering quick and convenient delivery options. The integration of technology, such as GPS tracking and automated dispatch systems, has further enhanced the efficiency and reliability of courier services, making them an indispensable component of the modern logistics ecosystem.

Regionally, the Asia Pacific region holds the largest share of the intra-city express service market, driven by the rapid economic growth and urbanization in countries such as China and India. The North American and European markets are also significant, benefiting from well-established e-commerce sectors and advanced logistics infrastructures. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa regions are expected to witness substantial growth, fueled by rising e-commerce penetration and improving logistics capabilities. The competitive landscape in these regions is becoming increasingly dynamic, with local and international players vying for market share.

Service Type Analysis

The increasing demand for goods and services in cities around the world due to a rapidly growing urban population is pushing the socioecological systems that support them to their limits. The complexity of urban socioeconomic and environmental systems and their interactions generate a challenging multidimensional decision problem. In response, governments around the world are currently generating a variety of measurements that aim to portrait the main factors that are related to the level of sustainability that a city shows. While the objective of these efforts is to help in the process of urban policy making, these measures are often hard to interpret and do not lend to discover underlying characteristics that may be common among a group of cities. Moreover, these measures are typically focused on describing the current state and omit future challenges such as climate change, which may significantly affect any evaluation of urban sustainability. Recently, the Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) of Mexico produced a dataset of 36 sustainability related variables for over 100 cities that has the objective of helping federal and state level governments defining sustainable urban strategies. Here we use multivariate statistical techniques to (1) decrease the dimensionality of the dataset and find indices that could be more useful to decision makers; (2) find commonalities among cities include in the dataset in order to help in designing urban strategies for cities with similar characteristics; (3) cities are ranked in terms of their sustainability and characteristics and; (4) the sustainability ranking is compared to estimates of how much the current climate in each of these cities is expected to change during this century, which would add further challenges to maintain or improve urban sustainability.

The global market for climate-resilient city solutions is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing urbanization, escalating climate change impacts, and a growing awareness of the need for sustainable infrastructure. The market, currently valued at approximately $500 billion in 2025 (a logical estimate considering the scale of infrastructure projects involved), is projected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8% from 2025 to 2033. This growth is fueled by several key drivers, including the escalating frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (floods, droughts, heatwaves), stringent government regulations promoting sustainable development, and rising investments in green infrastructure projects. Key segments like resilient building materials and stormwater management are witnessing significant traction, while urban microclimate management and drought resistance solutions are emerging as promising growth areas. The adoption of smart city technologies and advanced data analytics is further accelerating market expansion. North America and Europe currently hold substantial market share, reflecting higher levels of investment and technological advancement in these regions. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to experience the fastest growth due to rapid urbanization and increasing government initiatives focused on climate resilience. While significant opportunities exist, the market faces certain challenges. High initial investment costs associated with implementing climate-resilient infrastructure can be a barrier to entry for some municipalities and developing nations. Technological limitations in certain areas, as well as a lack of awareness and public education regarding the long-term benefits of climate-resilient infrastructure, also pose restraints. Nevertheless, the long-term economic and social benefits of reducing climate change vulnerability far outweigh the challenges. The continued development and refinement of innovative technologies, coupled with supportive government policies and private sector investment, are crucial for sustaining market growth and ensuring that cities worldwide are adequately prepared for the challenges of a changing climate. The involvement of major players such as Unilever, Panasonic, Siemens, and Tesla indicates a high level of commitment to developing effective climate-resilient solutions.

The West Africa Coastal Vulnerability Mapping: Population Projections, 2030 and 2050 data set is based on an unreleased working version of the Gridded Population of the World (GPW), Version 4, year 2010 population count raster but at a coarser 5 arc-minute resolution. Bryan Jones of Baruch College produced country-level projections based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 4 (SSP4). SSP4 reflects a divided world where cities that have relatively high standards of living, are attractive to internal and international migrants. In low income countries, rapidly growing rural populations live on shrinking areas of arable land due to both high population pressure and expansion of large-scale mechanized farming by international agricultural firms. This pressure induces large migration flow to the cities, contributing to fast urbanization, although urban areas do not provide many opportUnities for the poor and there is a massive expansion of slums and squatter settlements. This scenario may not be the most likely for the West Africa region, but it has internal coherence and is at least plausible.

"The Temporary Megacity: Lessons from the Kumbh Mela on Faith, Society, and Urbanization" Through A Sociological Lense Description: The Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest and most transient gathering, transforms humble riverbanks into a bustling, temporary megacity. Drawing millions of pilgrims from across the globe, this extraordinary event is a microcosm of faith, society, and human organization. But beyond its spiritual grandeur lies a sociological marvel: how do millions coexist, interact, and sustain themselves in a city that emerges and dissolves in a matter of weeks? In The Temporary Megacity: Lessons from the Kumbh Mela on Faith, Society, and Urbanization Through a Sociological Lens, this book unpacks the profound lessons the Kumbh Mela offers about human behavior, collective faith, and the challenges of modern urbanization. It explores how faith-driven societies create order amidst chaos, manage resources, and foster community cohesion in a temporary urban setting. Through rich sociological insights, historical analysis, and field studies, the book delves into themes such as cultural identity, social stratification, infrastructure challenges, and environmental sustainability. It highlights the event’s relevance in addressing contemporary urban challenges, offering inspiration for city planning, resource management, and the preservation of cultural heritage in rapidly growing cities worldwide. Key Themes Explored: The sociological foundations of the Kumbh Mela: faith, community, and ritual. Temporary urbanization: planning, infrastructure, and governance of the megacity. Social dynamics: caste, class, and the collective ethos of harmony. Lessons for urbanization in the face of globalization and climate change. Blending sociology, anthropology, and environmental studies, The Temporary Megacity is both an academic inquiry and a thought-provoking narrative. It offers valuable insights for sociologists, urban planners, policymakers, and anyone intrigued by the interplay of faith, society, and urban life. Discover how one of humanity’s oldest traditions holds the blueprint for navigating the complexities of modern urbanization and sustaining cultural identity in an ever-changing world.

Turkey experienced the highest annual change in house prices in 2024, followed by Bulgaria and Russia. In the fourth quarter of the year, the nominal house price in Turkey grew by **** percent, while in Bulgaria and Russia, the increase was ** and ** percent, respectively. Meanwhile, many countries saw prices fall throughout the year. That has to do with an overall cooling of the global housing market that started in 2022. When accounting for inflation, house price growth was slower, and even more countries saw the market shrink.