URBANIZATION AND THE FUTURE OF CITIES WITH CRITICAL LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF URBAN TOURISM ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Brojne prednosti kao što su bolji uvjeti na poslu, kvalitetnije obrazovanje, način života, zdravstvo i drugi privlače sve više ljudi u gradove. Više od polovice svjetskog stanovništva živi u gradovima, dok se prema navodima Eurostata predviđa da će do 2050. dvije trećine stanovništva živjeti u urbanim područjima. Najveći problem urbanizacije predstavlja degradacija okoliša koja kao posljedicu ima sve lošiju kvalitetu zraka i vode, preveliku potrošnju energije, te loše gospodarenje otpadom zbog sve većeg i nekontroliranog povećanja gustoće naseljenosti. S obzirom na negativne učinke visoke stope urbanizacije na prirodne ekosustave i čovjekovo zdravlje bitno je što prije početi sa strogim planiranjem urbanih područja na državnoj, regionalnoj, ali i lokalnoj razini. Na temelju javno dostupne literature, rad obuhvaća analizu pojma urbanizacije i urbanog turizma, odnos urbanizacije i okoliša, te konačno opis potrebnog prostornog planiranja kao prvog koraka u reguliranju utjecaja urbanizacije na okoliš.Many advantages as better work conditions, quality education, lifestyle, health care and etc. attract more people into the cities. More than half of a world population lives in cities, while it is predicted by Eurostat that by 2050. two thirds of population will live in urban areas. The biggest problem of urbanization is the degradation of the environment which as a consequence has increasingly worse air and water quality, too high energy consumption and bad waste management because of rapidly increased and uncontrolled massed population. Considering the negative effects of high rates of urbanization on the ecosystems and human health it is imperative to start planning the urban areas on state, regional but also in local level. Using public literature, this work of writing will include the analysis of the term urbanization and urban tourism, relationship between urbanization and the environment and finally, description of the much needed urban planning as the first step in regulating the influence of urbanization on the environmen