The Mass Urbanization of the World’s Population

The Mass Urbanization of the World’s Population
    Good morning and welcome to today’s lecture. Today we’re going to discuss the mass urbanization of the world’s population, which is an unprecedented (空前的，前所未有的) trend worldwide. First, I’ll focus on two major reasons why people are moving to cities. Well, the first reason is economic. People are moving to the cities because that’s where they can find jobs and earn money. Jobs now are being created in information technology, manufacturing (生产，制造) and service areas, such as tourism and financing. And all of these new jobs are in or around major cities. The second reason for the move to cities has to do with the quality of life; comfort and convenience. For example, most of us would like our children to receive a good education, and cities often offer better schools. And then for many, city life is just more comfortable. There are transportation networks, shops, and places of entertainment.
    Now I’d like to identify three key changes in our cities. First of all, they’re getting bigger and bigger. For the first time in history, there will soon be more people living in urban areas than in rural environments. Most cities are bigger now than ever before. For the first time in the history of society, we now have many cities with populations of over ten million people—what we call mega-cities (超级都市). And experts say that the number of mega-cities will increase in the future. C@ities are not just getting bigger; they’re also changing their shapes. They’re getting taller, because land is getting more and more expensive. So instead of having a few big houses on a piece of land, we can have a tall apartment building that a thousand people can live in. All of you can probably think of buildings or parks or stores that have been torn down to make room for bigger, taller, or more modern buildings. Skyscrapers (摩天大楼) have become a symbol of modern cities. The third change is that our cities are breaking up into smaller communities, often by ethnic groups or income levels. Of course, many cities do have a kind of identity or personality, but a city is not homogeneous (由同种族人组成的). For example, migrants to the cities often want to live in their own communities or with people from a similar cultural background. Another example is that if you are moving from a smaller community to a city, you will be most likely to move close to friends or family members, who will help you get a job or give you support. However, this often means that people stay within their community and do not come into contact with others from different backgrounds.
    The biggest challenge facing us now is to improve the quality of life in cities, because sadly, they don’t always offer the economic security, the safety, or the comfort they promise. Many cities have slum areas or ghettos (贫民区), where people live in dangerous or poverty-stricken (非常贫穷的) conditions. The beautiful architecture and vibrant nightlife are one face of the city. But cities also have problems of inequality, crowdedness, and poverty.
    OK, that’s all for today’s lecture. See you next week.