The Exploding Cities of the Developing World

Dear Mr. Tahir:

I am writing a book which includes information and statistics on the poor and needy. In your article ``The Exploding Cities of the Developing World`` I request permission to quote statistics on the poor. I will provide due credit for this and would appreciate permission to use these statisctis and a quote from your article regarding these statistics. Please email me at

yahweh@ix.netcom.com. Thanking you in advance.

Sincerly,

Jennifer Isberg

RE:SS ``... I, however, find leftist thought to be quite impotent ... and more large-scale leftist uplift schemes are bound to plateau out ... unless some active means of wealth generation takes root in the community ...``

Notwithstanding ``leftist`` or ``rightist`` pov,
an excellent example of grass-roots wealth generation can be found in the Nation of Islam communities here in these United States. Nation of Islam uplifted the economic status of ``exploding ghettos in a much and far advanced country``.

Re: Afrasiyab, Anita, Ayesha

Visit the Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi to see how some of these mega city ``slum-dwellers`` are preparing for the 21st century. There is SOME hope, though I agree, looks pretty bleak overall. I think the ``elite`` of these big cities really need to wake up and smell the garbage!

Well-written, Ayesha. Unfortunately, I can but agree with your pessimistic conclusions. Microbes, throughout history have been getting the better of us. Approximately half of the population of the Roman empire in Justinian`s time died of an acute pestilence (either small pox or plague). Almost twenty percent of the Old World`s population died in the ``Black Death`` (bubonic plague) of the 1300`s. The natives of America were pretty much wiped out by small pox and measles brought over by Europeans. A third of Europe died of TB in the early industrialization period (where we are stuck right now)from over-crowding, pollution and malnutrition. We may have gotten a brief reprieve from the war of the microbe but that is now over. Malaria is back with a vengeance, with almost no solution in sight - in fact we have almost given up on a solution, so ugly is the situation. TB is rampant - the single biggest killer microbe worldwide. Pharmaceutical companies are not interested in making new drugs for any of these pathogens because there is no profit margin - these diseases don`t afflict industrialized nations. Even if drugs or vaccines are available, developing countries can`t afford them. The evolutionary biologist might argue - this is nature`s way of keeping things in balance, survival of the fittest. But the enlightened among us have realized that no longer do we live in an isolated world. On the bright side, there is tremendous momentum right now among public health epidemiologists, and infectious disease specialists to get organized and do something. In the wake of the plague scare in India (turns out probably a false alarm)WHO has opened a new unit called Emerging and Communicable Disease Control Unit which is attempting to track infectious diseases globally by liaisoning with national authorities, to control the spread of disease before it gets out of hand. While, the motivation here (the cynic might argue)is only to protect the West from pestilence, the hope is that some attempts to improve urban and rural infrastructure and population planning will be undertaken, by convincing wealthy nations that it is their interest to not let breeding sites for disease fester. Let`s see what transpires. The alternatives are indeed grim.

Anita

Your informative, yet incoherent article concluded with: ``If peaceful, functioning cities are to exist in 2050 a law-abiding, harmonious, hardworking, ecology-conscious citizenry must be supported by enlightened leaders. Little in the cities of today suggests that this will come to pass.``

I don’t get the point? Please elaborate.

I don’t know if this will make sense to you, but here is the only metaphor for this ‘world-trap’ I understand. ``Little Fable`` by Kafka:

``Alas, said the mouse, ‘the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when at last I saw walls far away to the right
and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.’ ‘You only need to change your direction,’ said the cat, and ate it up.``

Are you saying something similar?

Re: ``Violence, disorder, pollution and disease can ultimately become so severe that authorities abdicate, foreign investors retreat, and a city begins to slide into chaos.``

Ouch. Did someone say ``Karachi``?

A very well-researched article, ayesha.