(The theme of the conference is “Urban Equity in Development-Cities for Life.”) The decision to focus on that issue comes not a moment too soon. The World Urban Forum 7 is the major annual United Nations conference on urban development, and this year it will bring together more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries to examine the uneven effects of such development. This week (April 5-11), the World Urban Forum 7 is meeting in Medellin, Colombia. Too often, however, those benefits accrue only to the wealthiest and most powerful residents of a city. Municipal leaders pursue this “world-class” vision to attract investment, to cultivate their cities’ integration into the global economy, and to improve the quality of living standards. It’s a model-exemplified by cities such as Singapore and Dubai-in which the defining characteristics are a modern skyline, a high level of efficiency, and an absence of visible signs of poverty. This separation is a reflection of the increasingly prevalent vision among city governments in the developing world to become “world-class.” From Accra to Jakarta, cities across the globe seek to model themselves after their perception of what a world-class city should look like. But a closer look reveals the many slums that dot the Mumbai landscape-slums that are stacked alongside highways, nestled under bridges, and even strewn across sidewalks.ĭespite inhabiting the same expanse of 200 square miles, the poor and the wealthy in Mumbai face each other across a deepening physical and social chasm. From this glamorous rooftop bar, five-star hotels, gleaming condominium towers, and other elements of the modern Mumbai skyline are visible, and that view is a testament to the city’s growing wealth. Atop the gleaming Four Seasons Hotel in Worli, Mumbai, wealthy locals and affluent tourists sit on plush couches and sip $18 cocktails.
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