Impact of globalization, urbanization and economic changes on construction and experience of children in childhood and adolescent age.

Abstract

Over the past two decades the world has seen urbanisation reach a scale that has permanently changed the physical, social and economic landscape of many low- and middle-income countries. In 2011 an estimated 3.63 billion people lived in cities, compared to 3.34 billion in rural areas. Of the 3.63 billion people in cities, 2.67 billion were in cities in less-developed regions. Urbanisation proceeded fastest in the developing world, growing by 3.3 per cent a year from 1970 to 2011, compared to 0.89 per cent in more developed areas.1 Over the 20 years from 1990 to 2010, in 139 low- and middle-income countries, the population of small urban areas (less than one million people) grew by 65.7 per cent, large urban areas (one million or more) by 71.8 per cent, and rural areas by just 14.0 per cent.