Use the words below to complete the passage:
European Union             ecological             squatters                 human health             slowing rapid         systems             polluting                 environment             declining             sustainable industrialisation

Urbanisation is at its most in the very poorest parts of the world.  Whilst the rate of growth of urban areas in richer parts of the world is down and even , in poor LEDCs it is growing at a very fast rate. 

The situation in MEDCs
These patterns have consequences for the natural in these locations.  Slow growth and decline in MEDCs and their greater level of wealth mean that they can manage waste and their impact upon the environment in a way that lowers the footprint people have on their environment.  These rich places also have a long history of having to cope with environmental problems and have developed ways and laws to control their impact  In the UK for example, we have the Clean Air Act of 1952, which limits activities in our cities, and the also pass laws which protect our environment in Urban areas, such as the amount of waste that has to be recycled.  These laws have evolved from our heavily polluted past. We have had many decades to establish organised to get rid of our waste.

The effects of urbanisation in LEDCs
In the world's poorer nations environmental standards and laws are much looser and in some places do not even exist!  Many of these cities in poorer nations have to cope with rapid urbanisation that has rapid (the growth in the number of manufacturing industries and people working in those industries) as well.  These cities have a rapid growth in population and at the same time have a rapid growth in the number of INDUSTRIES operating there.  These industries are often highly polluting and cause huge damage both to the natural environment AND /standard of living. Within cities, poor citizens face the worst environmental consequences. In low-income settlements, services such as water, sewage, drainage and garbage collection are often non-existent. Lacking the resources to purchase or rent housing, between one-third and two-thirds of urbanites in developing countries become on dangerously steep hillsides, flood-prone riverbanks and other undesirable lands.