Quality of life in cities is an important measurement of a country’s well being. One of the variables that are taken into account to measure living standards is the percentage of the urban population that lives in substandard housing, poorly built and overcrowded houses. But it lacks one or more of the following conditions: access to safe water, access to safe sanitation, sufficient living area and durable housing.

Fortunately, over time, most of these countries have seen a drop in the percentage of urban populations living in these shantytowns.  You can look at this site to learn about urban overpopulation.

But in cities, two of the world’s most important problems come together: poverty and environmental degradation. This is the same technology that is intended to be used so these rural settings can also carry the “smart” label. 

The challenge is to revitalise rural services through innovation (digital and social) to improve basic services such as health, social services, education, energy, transport and retail. Sectors can also be improved in rural settings in pursuit of sustainability.

According to United Nations figures, of the 185 countries with available data, 80% of governments had policies in place in 2013 to reduce rural depopulation, which was a 38% increase compared with 1996. 

These policies were designed to prevent the loss of rural labour force, which can have dramatic effects on the food supply chain both locally and globally. Let’s not forget that the increase in urban populations and the demand for goods and services, also increase the price of basic resources: housing, consumer goods, etc. As a result of this, the environment and quality of the services in cities depreciates considerably.