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"SOMETIME in 2013 Lagos will overtake Cairo to become Africa's largest city. This is confirmation of a decisive shift away from the ends of the continent and towards its tropical middle. Within a decade Lagos will have 16m people; Kinshasa, in Congo, will have 15m. The standard view of cities as generators of wealth, diversity and ideas will be challenged in Africa. To become liveable, cities will have to improve public transport, address rising violent crime and generate opportunities for young Africans. In 2013, over half of all city-dwellers will be under 18 and every African election will be decided, statistically at least, by first-time voters. What is certain is that African cities will be the most informal economies in the world in 2013. Some 70% of workers will live on their wits, relying on day labour to make enough to eat, pay rent and send their children to school. That will make cities dynamic and mobile, but also combustible. See full article."

"THE best quality of life of any of the world's urbanites is still enjoyed by Melburnians, according to the latest Liveability report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, our corporate sibling. For the third year in a row Australia's second city has kept a hair's breadth ahead of Vienna and Vancouver, which spent almost a decade in first place before Melbourne's reign began. The ranking scores 140 cities on a scale of zero to 100 for each of 30 factors such as the quality of public healthcare or the threat of military conflict. These 30 values are then combined to create scores in five areas: stability, infrastructure, education, health care, and culture and environment. A weighted average of those five numbers gives each city its final score."

"From schools at sea to a city that perpetually sails the oceans, is climate change creating a bold new era of floating urban design? "

"Flying over East Asia, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) took this night image of the Korean Peninsula. Unlike daylight images, city lights at night illustrate dramatically the relative economic importance of cities, as gauged by relative size. In this north-looking view, it is immediately obvious that greater Seoul is a major city and that the port of Gunsan is minor by comparison. There are 25.6 million people in the Seoul metropolitan area-more than half of South Korea's citizens-while Gunsan's population is 280,000."

"The recently released 10th edition of Demographia World Urban Areas provides estimated population, land area and population density for the 922 identified urban areas with more than 500,000 population. With a total population of 1.92 billion residents, these cities comprise approximately 51 percent of the world urban population. "

The rise of megacities - interactive By 2025, the developing world, as we understand it now, will be home to 29 megacities. We explore the latest UN estimates and forecasts on the growth of these 'cities on steroids', and take a look at the challenges and opportunities megacities present for the tens of millions living in Lagos, Mexico City and Dhaka

Thanks largely to vehicle emissions, Mexico City was once the world's most polluted urban centre. But over the past decade, a focus on sustainable alternative transport has persuaded a growing number of citizens to leave their cars at home. A heavily subsidised underground network caters for 22m journeys daily, and conditions on the city's overcrowded roads have improved, with the metro bus system and the introduction of public bicycles contributing significantly to reduced pollution levels

"China is pushing ahead with a sweeping plan to move 250 million rural residents into newly constructed towns and cities over the next dozen years - a transformative event that could set off a new wave of growth or saddle the country with problems for generations to come."

"Here, we look at two cities where, against the odds, efforts to promote sustainable living are emerging. The first is Iqaluit, a remote indigenous community in the Canadian Arctic that is entirely reliant on imported diesel for power yet at the same time is seeing climate patterns impact its traditional ways of life. The second is Johannesburg in South Africa, where efforts to promote alternatives to private car ownership are slowly bearing fruit. "

"The WHO last week named India's capital the worst of 1,600 cities for PM2.5 particles. What are the other measures of pollution, and do the experts agree?"

"Thaw in temperatures brought by climate change could bring benefits for Siberian city of Nadym as global trade patterns shift"

. It cites a very lengthy list, but some of them are: Home to major stock exchanges and indexes Influential in international political affairs Home to world-renowned cultural institutions Service a major media hub Large mass transit networks Home to a large international airport Having a prominent skyline

personal space in a city

London's demography and economy, borough-by-borough LONDON'S main geographical divides are between west and east and between the outer and inner city. The west is richer than the east, and the outer city is richer than the inner city.

city design

"The gardens are home to one of a growing number of azoteas verdes - or green roofs - that are springing up around Mexico City as part of the metropolis's efforts to purge its air of the pollution that has long been among its least-desired claims to fame."

lots of geography on mega cities, mad facts in there! series on bbc

"Fears over proposed refinery in southern city of Kunming attracts thousands of protesters"