![]() In general, shi refers to a municipality that satisfies the following conditions: (1) 50,000 inhabitants or more (2) 60 per cent or more of the houses located in the main built-up areas (3) 60 per cent or more of the population (including their dependents) engaged in manufacturing, trade or other urban type of business. Localities with 2,000 inhabitants or more.īuilt-up areas with 200 inhabitants or more and where houses are at most 200 metres apart.Ĭities defined as shi. Sweden and Denmark set this threshold at only 200 inhabitants Japan at 50,000 (a 250-fold difference). However, the variation across countries was vast. 20 inhabitants were jointly the most frequently-adopted threshold. In the chart here we have mapped the minimum population threshold for countries who adopt this within their definition of ‘urban’. And since the reported global figure is simply the sum of nationally-reported shares, the lack of a universal definition is also problematic for these aggregated figures.Įven if we could define a single metric to use - such as a minimum population threshold in a settlement - countries adopt very different thresholds. The table illustrates the broad range of definitions between countries which compromises cross-country comparisons. The UN World Urbanization Prospects database also provides the full downloadable list of statistical definitions for each country. In the table, we highlight the varied definitions across a selection of countries. Some countries use minimum population thresholds, others use population density, infrastructure development, employment type, or simply the population of pre-defined cities. Not only do the thresholds of urban versus rural vary, but the types of metrics used also differ. The problem, however, is that countries adopt very different definitions of urbanization. The UN reports figures based on nationally-defined urban shares. There is currently no universal definition of what ‘urban’ means. ![]() ‘What defines an urban area?’ lies at the center of these debates. Let’s, therefore, look at the conflicting estimates of how urban our world is, and where these differences come from. If our aim is to develop resource-efficient, inclusive cities, understanding how many people they must provide for is essential for urban planning. The UN’s 11th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to “ make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable“. Understanding the distribution of people in a given country is essential to make sure the appropriate resources and services are available where they’re needed. The allocation and distribution of resources - ranging from housing and transport access to healthcare, education, and employment opportunities - should all be dependent on where people live. Whilst disagreement on the numbers can seem irrelevant, understanding cities, urbanization rates, the distribution, and the density of people matters.
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