Discussions of global urbanization are almost exclusively based on data using national definitions. Until now, there was no way to assess whether using a harmonized definition of a cities and rural areas would lead to radically different results.

The EU together with the FAO, OECD and the World Bank has developed a global, people-based definition of cities and settlements. It shows which cities have grown over the past 40 years, and which ones have not. The analysis reveals a radically different situation then has been assumed so far: Africa and Asia are already as urban as North America or Europe. This has big implications for development and public investment strategies. Rather than preparing for a massive wave of urbanization, countries should focus on improving their existing cities to maximize agglomeration benefits and reduce their costs.

This presentation will illustrate the new approach and demonstrate three new tools that can be used in your daily work:

• National factsheets on urbanization
• Interactive high resolution maps
• A brand new city database covering all cities in the world