Social and Economic Problems of Urbanization (Survey of the Literature)

The problems of urbanization, the development of cities, and their interaction with the countryside have more and more attracted the attention of investigators in recent years. This is due to the needs of both theory and practice. Rapid and universal urbanization has become one of the most characteristic phenomena of modern times and has led to important economic and social consequences. The main "bearers" of urbanization both in the USSR and throughout the entire world are large cities. Their number is rapidly growing. At the beginning of the century there were only approximately 360 cities in the world with a population in excess of 100,000 persons; at the present time there are approximately 2,000 such cities.