EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Will these cities still exist in the year 2100?

Will these cities still exist in the year 2100?

26-06-2007

Today, much is said about the growth of urban areas and the dramatic rise in population of so called mega cities. However, at the same time, many urban areas are faced with declining numbers of inhabitants. Other now booming cities are threatened by natural disasters. Forbes magazine has come up with a list of cities that might no longer exist in the year 2100.

The world's cities will face several threats in the coming century:

Some cities will face extreme natural hazards in the coming century. San Francisco, for example, will most probably be confronted with at least one heavy earthquake in the next 90 years.
Many coastal cities, mostly in the developing world, will be highly affected by rising sea levels and more severe weather conditions, caused by climate change. For example, Banjul, capital of Gambia in West Africa, is likely to sink entirely into the ocean due to a combination of erosion and rising sea levels.
Apart from that, many cities, mostly in the developed world, will considerably shrink far beyond their current size. Among the cities that are currently shrinking are Leipzig in Germany; Detroit, Michigan in the USA and Ivanova in Russia.

Source: Forbes