Human Settlements -- Where People Live and Work

Two of the most critical problems of society today -- made increasingly urgent by the rapid rise in the world's population - are the shortage of adequate housing and the deterioration of the conditions under which people live and work. Many cities, particularly in the poorer nations of the world, are unable to provide adequate housing, food, sanitation, medical services, work and other essential services for all the people flocking to them in search of a better life. Rural settlements are being abandoned and neglected. But urbanization is not an evil in itself. The process can be a positive one, resulting in economic development as well as an improved quality of life.
A clothing vendor operates out of a small shop on a Dacca street. [No exact date]