Module 1 — Introduction to Urbanization: Growth of World Cities
Lesson 5 of 11Demands on Infrastructure

Urbanization requires building houses, roads, energy systems, and water and wastewater networks, among many other supporting infrastructure.  The demand for these types of infrastructure has far reaching implications for sustainable growth. The implications of this rapid urbanization on sustainable development in Africa particularly have both benefits and shortcomings. The following video puts in perspective the nature of this need to increase infrastructure in Africa and highlights the magnitude of this infrastructure growth. 

© Course Author(s) and University of Waterloo.

Nadine Ibrahim. (2019, June 6). Demands on Infrastructure. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxF4egEdY-k

The growing populations in Africa will likely result in an increase in the demand for infrastructure. This demand will result in building more services for residents of African cities, which at present only meet the requirements of a small fraction of the population in urban areas, and an even smaller fraction in rural settings. This infrastructure growth will increase rapidly in the foreseeable future, but for the time being lags behind urban counterparts in other cities in developing countries.