Why is london a megacity

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Close drawer menu Financial Times International Edition. But today they are far from alone in their size. In there were 33 megacities across the planet — from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Lagos, Nigeria and London, England to Shanghai, China — and all major global regions except Oceania are marked with megacities. Most of the cities that have reached the 10 million marker in recent years are located in Asia and Africa.

These regions are also home to the fastest growing megacities. The population of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has doubled roughly every 5 years since The population is outpacing almost all support structures in the city where the threat of food shortages, traffic congestion, and insufficient education facilities have become a stark reality.

A large urban population may seem environmentally troublesome with cities viewed as a disruption to the natural world. But environmentalism and urbanization are not incompatible. Dense urban areas have a much smaller ecological footprint — many people live in apartments or smaller connected houses rather than ranch-style homes in sprawling neighborhoods. Multifamily dwellings have the added benefit of being more energy efficient and they require less resources per person.

Cities are also walkable and have public transportation options that can make cars less of a necessity. London is the quintessential megacity: densely populated; intensely connected at regional, national and international levels; and exceptionally productive compared with other cities and regions in the United Kingdom. Chartbook: tmsnrt. London is at the heart of two enormous circulations, exchanging population with other regions of the United Kingdom especially adjacent regions in Southeast and East England , as well as internationally.

Every year, the British capital sees a large net outflow of adults aged 30 years and over to other regions of the country, which is partially replenished by a large net inflow of adults aged years.

In the 12 months to June , London saw a net outflow of almost 88, adults aged over 30, partially offset by a net inflow of 46, adults aged from other regions. London is the only major region of Britain that sees a net outflow of overs, and one of only two regions that see a net inflow of year olds the other being the Northwest , confirming the distinctiveness of its population and economy.

Overall, however, London has lost population to the rest of the country every year for the last decade, relying on international migration to replenish its population and achieve growth. In the year to June , London saw an outflow of , people to other regions of the United Kingdom, which was more than replaced by an inflow of , from other countries. Like other megacities, London is overwhelmingly young, relying on inward migration of the young from other regions and international recruitment to replace its loss of older inhabitants.

You need to do lots of bits of things. Opportunity is also found at the site of the Olympics. Half of the units rent for market rate, half qualify as affordable, many with enough bedrooms to hold a family. There were tires burning in the center, where the Olympic stadium was built.

The borough has been a beachhead for newly arrived immigrants for three centuries. The borough also takes in Canary Wharf, the third largest contributor to the U. Among the tall buildings going up across London, 84 are being built in Tower Hamlets, more than any other borough. Many are part of an expansion to transform Canary Wharf into a livable community instead of just a workplace. Some construction has paused. Some banking jobs have shifted to Paris or Frankfurt. Last summer, worried borough leaders set up a Brexit commission to deal with the consequences should jobs disappear and immigration limits be set.

If the U. And yet, despite Brexit anxieties, optimism about this ancient trading city persists. If you pass through, take time to go all the way up to the roof. I paused in the center, at the dividing line where the hemispheres meet. A replica is drawn here, between the bamboo in the east and the ferns in the west, and serves as a reminder: No matter what else befalls it, London remains at the center of the world.

All rights reserved. How London became the center of the world Three decades of growth reinvented the urban landscape in London—and transformed it into the preeminent global city. Reigning over London, the Shard is its tallest building, dwarfing earlier icons such as Tower Bridge. More than 70 skyscrapers are under way, promising to redraw the cityscape even further. This story appears in the August issue of National Geographic magazine. Laura Parker wrote about plastic pollution in the May issue.

Luca Locatelli photographed stories on Dubai and innovations in Dutch agriculture for the September and October issues. This story was updated to reflect how it appeared in the August issue of National Geographic magazine.

Share Tweet Email. More from this issue As wolverines battle to survive, warming poses a new threat. Magazine As wolverines battle to survive, warming poses a new threat By the end of the century, the small, fierce carnivores of the north could lose most of their habitat south of Canada because of climate change. A storyteller chronicles the mass migrations that define our age. Studying them now may yield ideas for mitigating future warming.

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