Urban development in the world dryland regions: Inventory and prospects

Interest in the social, technical and demographic problems involved in the development of the world's dryland regions has increased greatly in the recent past. This paper examines the location, size differentiation and growth of urban agglomerations with 100,000 or more inhabitants situated in the extremely arid, arid and and semi-arid regions. A total of 355 such major urban settlements are identified and their distribution and size characteristics are examined. Subsequently, the growth rates recorded by these urban areas in the period 1950–1970 are analyzed at the global, continental and national levels and according to city size. It is estimated that 26.1% of all dryland denizens reside in urban areas with populations of 100,000 or more. In conclusion, the future prospects and planning implications of such dryland urban agglomerations are discussed.