Cities in the 21st Century

In recent years and decades, we observe the reality of a new urban world: the percentage of the world population living in urban areas has increased from around 30 in 1950 to around 54 in 2015, and is expected to reach 66 by 2050. However, in most cases the focus of research has been on the dynamics of the developed world. By contrast, our understanding of regional and urban dynamics in the developing world remains very limited. Developing countries will by 2030 host more than 85% of the world population, and more than 90% of the new urban residents of the world will live in cities in the developing world according to the United Nations.

This special issue on "Cities in the 21st century: A view from the developing world" consists of an introductory editorial and four papers. They all study aspects of the reality of developing countries in the 21st century, always from a spatial perspective. Each paper focuses on a different topic, but they nicely complement each other. While three papers focus on Latin America and the fourth one on the reality of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, they all have broader implications for the developing world in general.