Global Urban Footprint Revealed in Unprecedented Resolution

Mapping urban areas is fraught with difficulty. But a database of radar images taken from space throws new light on the global urban footprint.

Urbanization is changing our planet. Today, about half the world’s seven billion people live in cities. By 2050, that proportion is expected to rise to two-thirds. And because the global population is increasing, by then, more than six billion people will live in cities.

The map is available at: https://geoservice.dlr.de/web/maps/eoc:guf:4326

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