Cities of the Developing World

Mumbai and Sao Paulo are similar cities in the way they developed and the issues they currently face. These two cities oceans apart are parallel in a multitude of ways. They are among the ten largest mega cities in the world and still developing at high rates. These cities are expected to continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Therefore the deficiencies they now experience will become even more pressing problems. Both cities currently face obstacles such as squatter settlements, inadequate water and sanitation services. These issues and similar ones will grow unless drastic measures are made.

Mumbai, India

City Statistics:

      Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra within India. Mumbai is located on an archipelago of seven islands off the west coast of India at 18.96° N 72.82° E.   This city is the fifth most populous agglomeration in the world and clustered along with its satellite townships forms the world’s most heavily populated conurbation. Census estimated its metropolitan population for 2004 to be 17.5 million residents. The population density is 28,834 people per kilometer squared. Mumbai accounts for approximately 1.2% of India’s total population and for about 12% of the state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is only 24 kilometers long and about 4 kilometers wide at its broadest point with an area of 437.71 kilometers. ( Census India)

Though India has been referred to as Hindustan, people of many different religions reside there.   Hindus comprise the majority of Mumbai’s population at 68%, followed by Muslims at 17%, and Christians and Buddhists at 4% each. The remaining 7% are followers of Parsi, Jain, Sikh and Jewish religions. (Kamdar, 1997) Mumbai has a large polyglot population but the most common language spoken on the streets is a colloquial form of Hindi, better known as “Bambaiya Hindi.”   It is a blend of Hindi, Marathi, and Indian English. While Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra, it is not as widely...