Urbanization can benefit people if well planned, says Rwanda’s president

Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame says urbanization, if planned, can benefit the people. He was speaking at the opening session of a three day discussion on the future of cities in New York on Tuesday (27 May). The sustainable urbanization meeting has been organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Mr. Kagame said the choice is not whether to urbanize or not, but whether it's managed in such a way that citizens obtain the maximum benefits possible.

By 2050, about 70 per cent of the world’s population or 6.3 billion people are expected to live in urban areas, and more than 60 per cent of the land projected to become urban by 2030 is yet to be developed. Ninety-five per cent of urban expansion will take place in developing countries. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the gathering that urban areas are at the heart of many great challenges, opportunities and promise.