Thousands of US Cities , Could Become Ghost Towns , by 2100, Study Says.<br />ScienceAlert reports that Earth will look <br />drastically different in 2100, either reshaped by <br />climate change or humans trying to prevent it.<br />According to a new study, by the end of <br />the century, nearly 30,000 cities in the <br />United States could be facing population decline. .<br />The analysis foresees future cities as fractured, <br />sprawling communities, unless governments <br />can respond and adapt to the needs of residents.<br />The implications of this massive <br />decline in population will bring <br />unprecedented challenges, <br />possibly leading to disruptions <br />in basic services like transit, <br />clean water, electricity <br />and internet access, Researchers at the University of <br />Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.<br />Declining populations may lead to food deserts as <br />grocery stores shut down, while neglected infrastructure <br />could leave communities without access to clean water.<br />Most studies have focused <br />on big cities, but that doesn't <br />give us an estimation of <br />the scale of the problem, Uttara Sutradhar, graduate student in civil engineering <br />at the University of Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.<br />43% of cities in the U.S. are already facing <br />population decline, even as experts predict <br />those figures to rise as the century continues.<br />According to the researchers from the <br />University of Illinois at Chicago, as many as 64% <br />of cities could be in decline by the year 2100.<br />What is certain is that an <br />important cultural shift in planning <br />and engineering communities is <br />needed, away from conventional, <br />growth-based planning, to accommodate <br />a dramatic demographic shift, Uttara Sutradhar, graduate student in civil engineering <br />at the University of Illinois at Chicago, via ScienceAlert.<br />ScienceAlert reports that an estimated 183 out <br />of 195 recognized countries may already be <br />experiencing population decline, as fertility <br />rates drop below replacement rates
