32 International Journal of Scientific Research & Growth | www.ijsrg.com ISSN:2456-1363 Volume: 1 Issue: 1 April- 2016 Modular City Design Methodology- 21 st Century Cities Rajendra Kopil Kunwar Arba Minch University, Ethiopia E-mail- architectkunwar@gmail.com Background: The world is becoming increasingly urbanized, and with this accelerating process comes a host of challenges. Urban areas now contain more than 50 per cent of the world’s population, occupy just two per cent of the world’s terrestrial surface, and consume up to 75 per cent of natural resources. According to the UN State of the World Population 2007 report, sometime in the middle of 2007, the majority of people worldwide will be living in towns or cities, for the first time in history; this is referred to as the arrival of the "Urban Millennium" or the 'tipping point'. In regard to future trends, it is estimated 93% of urban growth will occur in developing nations, with 80% of urban growth occurring in Asia and Africa. From 2007 to 2025, the annual rate of change of urban population is expected to be 2.27% (developing regions) and 0.49% (developed regions), as per a report by UN Habitat, year 2008. The result of such a phenomenon is that while some of the cities in the West are experiencing 'Shrinkage', others in the East are becoming 'Mega-cities' of the future. This causes problems in terms of infrastructure management and local governance. The urban population in 2014 accounted for 54% of the total global population, up from 34% in 1960, and continues to grow. The urban population growth, in absolute numbers, is concentrated in the less developed regions of the world. It is estimated that by 2017, even in less developed countries, a majority of people will be living in urban areas. The world’s urban population is expected to surpass six billion by 2045. Much of the expected urban growth will take place in countries of the developing regions, particularly Africa. As a result, these countries will face numerous challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including for housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy and employment, as well as for basic services such as education and health care. Managing urban areas has become one of the most important development challenges of the 21st century. Thus such concerns have refocused attention on urban planning. The findings that show approximately 17% of the cities in the developing world are experiencing an annual growth rate of around 4% or more have lead to the growing concern of accommodating such population in the cities of the future. As, in many parts of the world old and conventional methods of Urban planning still exist, new methods of sustainable urban planning need to focus on Pro-poor dwelling developments, Improved resource utilization and better access to the local economies to reduce unemployment.