Foreword
D.E. van Gameren (TU Delft - Architecture)
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Abstract
By 2050, two out of three human beings will live in cities. In other words, over the next three decades, 2.5 billion people will be added to the world's urban population. The rate of urbanization will be particularly dramatic in today's low- and middle-income countries. Indeed, nearly 90 per cent of the increase in the world's urban population will be concentrated in Asia and Africa. A combined phenomenon of rapid urbanization coupled with widespread changing demographics brings with it many challenges to people's livelihoods, to the social ecology of urban communities, to the environment, to the physical and social infrastructure of the world we live in. In the middle- and high-income countries, there are also important societal challenges that should be urgently addressed such as how to keep cities accessible and affordable for all. A key role in all these developments is played by the need for socioculturally appropriate housing. [...]