Urban Growth, New Cities, and The Population Problem.

Construing "the population problem" exclusively as a crisis of numbers neglects several related issues of greater urgency. A new cities program has been proposed as part of a national strategy to ameliorate an adverse distribution of existing population and absorb a portion of its projected future increase. This paper highlights the principal dimensions of maldistribution and the dynamics of population movements. The rationale for new cities is then discussed in relation to the above objectives, and the feasibility of using new cities to shape population distribution is examined in light of existing research findings. Despite its attractiveness, the logic of a new cities program is fraught with demographic weaknesses that would reduce its effectiveness and could prove to be counterproductive. Such a program must be coordinated with other forces influencing the arrangement of population. A broader policy on population distribution and balance is advocated. 37 pp.