Urban areas are the engines of growth. However, rapid and unplanned urban growth

threatens sustainable development especially when necessary infrastructure is not

developed or when policies are not formulated and implemented. Today, despite the

comparative advantage of urban areas over rural areas, hundreds of millions of the

worlds urban poor live in sub-standard conditions. In many urban areas, unplanned or

inadequately managed expansion, leads to rapid sprawl, pollution, and environmental

degradation, together with unsustainable production and consumption patterns among

others.

Sustainable urbanization requires that urban areas generate adequate income and

employment opportunities, expand the necessary physical and social infrastructure;

ensure equitable access to services; reduce the number of people living in informal

settlements; and preserve the natural resources within the urban areas and their

hinterlands. There is need for competent, responsive and accountable governments

charged with the management of urban areas and their expansion. These governments

need to become more sensitive to the threats and opportunities posed by rapid urban

growth. A political process is required to mobilize and sustain active support for urban

areas from all county departments. A CUDP (CUDP) is one of the crucial strategy a

government could adopt to effectively manage their county urbanization trend.

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