The United Nations has projected that by 2050 the world’s population will be 9.7 billion. Because of employment and access to social resources, including medical assistance and educational opportunities, much of this population growth will occur in urban areas.  

These urban areas vary in their stages of development, and environmental impacts, such as climate change threaten to decrease the livability of already established urban areas. At the fringes of many major cities around the world, informal settlements already house impoverished people of all ages. 

A lack of sustainable development in the future will lead to further poverty, disease, and death. The courses in this emphasis cover concerns of population growth: cities, transportation, politics, health, energy, environment, and economics. Upon completion, students will understand today’s major issues with population growth globally and best practices to alleviate much of the burden of future growth.