Thousands of US Cities , Could Become Ghost Towns , by 2100, Study Says.
ScienceAlert reports that Earth will look
drastically different in 2100, either reshaped by
climate change or humans trying to prevent it.
According to a new study, by the end of
the century, nearly 30,000 cities in the
United States could be facing population decline. .
The analysis foresees future cities as fractured,
sprawling communities, unless governments
can respond and adapt to the needs of residents.
The implications of this massive
decline in population will bring
unprecedented challenges,
possibly leading to disruptions
in basic services like transit,
clean water, electricity
and internet access, Researchers at the University of
Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.
Declining populations may lead to food deserts as
grocery stores shut down, while neglected infrastructure
could leave communities without access to clean water.
Most studies have focused
on big cities, but that doesn't
give us an estimation of
the scale of the problem, Uttara Sutradhar, graduate student in civil engineering
at the University of Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.
43% of cities in the U.S. are already facing
population decline, even as experts predict
those figures to rise as the century continues.
According to the researchers from the
University of Illinois at Chicago, as many as 64%
of cities could be in decline by the year 2100.
What is certain is that an
important cultural shift in planning
and engineering communities is
needed, away from conventional,
growth-based planning, to accommodate
a dramatic demographic shift, Uttara Sutradhar, graduate student in civil engineering
at the University of Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.
ScienceAlert reports that an estimated 183 out
of 195 recognized countries may already be
experiencing population decline, as fertility
rates drop below replacement rates