Big national economic centers, or refuges from poor countrysides. And generally speaking, not very pleasant places to live.
That pretty much tells the story of the world’s densest cities, where people living on top of each other scramble for their share of local resources and, in most cases, put up with poor transportation systems and a lack of gentrification.
Where are cities most dense? Look no further than Asia, where concentrated economic growth has spawned 16 of the 20 densest urban areas in the world, according to 2007 statistics from citymayors.com. Leading the way are Mumbia and Kolkata, both in India, each of which pack in over 23,000 people per square kilometer. Both cities, along with those close behind like Karachi, Pakistan, Lagos, Nigeria and Shenzhen, China, hold about as many people within a handful of square blocks as live in U.S. metros like Charleston, S.C., Green Bay, Wis., or Berkeley, Calif.
The two most represented countries, India and China, combine for nine spots on the Top 20 list.
The bulk of these big population centers don’t offer high living quality, at least not yet. Rapid growth makes it nearly impossible for local infrastructure to keep pace, making for a lot of congestion and slow movement around town. Densification without gentrification generally means a lower quality of life, points out urban expert Joel Kotkin, author of the book The City, a Global History.
“By definition they are tough places to live,” Kotkin says. “To be a dense country and live well takes a lot of money.” Longtime urban powerhouses like Tokyo and New York fit that bill. Of course, dense is a relative term. A Mumbai native visiting New York is bound to feel like a New Yorker vacationing on a Wyoming dude ranch.
There’s a clear distinction to be drawn between heavily populated cities of relative wealth, like Seoul, South Korea or Taipei, Taiwan and Third World cities like Lima, Peru and Kinsaha, in the African Congo. Over the past 30 years, some poor countries have seen a mass migration of people from the countryside into cities, hoping to improve their lives. Many have to some degree–as things go from worse to bad. There’s occasional work to be found, which offers a glimmer of hope.
“At least you have a better chance of getting fed,” Kotkin says.
In Seoul and Taipei, the dense conditions can be chalked up to the concentrated economies of South Korea and Taiwan. While much of the land in those countries remains sparse, those seeking business success flock to that rare urban center to make their fortunes. The same is true in China, where big, growing cities like Beijing and Shanghai contrast with poor rural areas in the rest of the country. Office high rises are going up at a record pace in Asia, but only in certain spots.
Meanwhile Mumbai, the former Bombay, is a financial center and coastal city that is home to many multinational companies while taking in loads of freight traffic by boat. Old transportation networks prevent much of the activity from spreading to the rest of India. For now, economic growth in Asia may be limited to those willing to live on top of each other. But that’s how it started in the west, too.