Cities are growing horizontally, not vertically: 3 reasons why this is a problem

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Imagine Lagos, Nigeria, a city of 22 million people. What was once a small coastal town just a few decades ago has exploded into a sprawling megacity stretching over more than 1,170 square kilometers. This rapid growth has strained municipal services to their limit: less than 10% of people live in homes connected to sewer networks, and less than 20% have access to running water. Many homes are in slums or informal settlements on the city’s periphery.

Now imagine Lagos twice as large.

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Cite: Mahendra, Jillian . "Cities are growing horizontally, not vertically: 3 reasons why this is a problem" [Cidades estão crescendo na horizontal e não na vertical: 3 razões por que isso é um problema] 05 Jul 2026. ArchDaily. (Trans. Baratto, Romullo) Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1122528/cities-are-growing-horizontally-not-vertically-3-reasons-why-this-is-a-problem> ISSN 0719-8884
Mumbai, India. Photo © Johnny Miller / Unequal Scenes

城市正在横向而非纵向扩张:其成为问题的3个原因

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