EDMONTON, Alta. Aug. 23, 2016/ Troy Media/ – Urbanization may finally reach its peak as one of the most persistent economic trends in modern civilization reverses course.

There are some gigantic cities in today’s world. Tokyo-Yokohama, with 37.8 million residents, is the world’s largest metropolitan area by population. But it’s not alone. The much faster growing Jakarta, Indonesia, has 30 million people, while Delhi, India, and Manila, Philippines, both have 24 million.

Perhaps the most remarkable urbanization movement in history is underway in China. Shanghai, China’s largest city, has seen its population explode to 23.4 million. Beijing is not far behind at 21 million. And there are thousands of smaller cities in China with populations that dwarf major cities in Canada.