Contemporary Geographies of Urbanisation

About the lecture

In this module, we think about geographical patterns of urbanisation in the 21st century, and particularly the shift to the Global South as the source of most urban growth. We focus on: (i) the overall global trend towards urbanisation since the 1950s - the world became majority urban in 2007 and this is expected to grow to two thirds by 2050; (ii) the shift in location of the most rapid urban growth from East Asia and Latin America to China, South Asia and Africa in recent decades; (iii) the centrality of China and India in contemporary urbanisation trends, with India for example holding 25 of the world’s 100 fastest growing cities; (iv) the growing roles of Pakistan and Central Africa as major sites of urban growth; (v) how the major challenges facing cities differ between the Global North and the Global South.

About the lecturer

Dr Mara Nogueira is a Lecturer in Urban Geography at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on patterns of socio-spatial inequality in Brazilian cities, as well as urban policy and politics.