While Trailspace is focused on getting outdoor enthusiasts into the backcountry, the following National Geographic News article caught my eye:

Humans are about to become a majority urban species for the first time. Does this trend mean poverty or prosperity for the world's urban dwellers?

A UN forecast released last week reports that half of all humans will live in urban areas by the end of the year—and 70 percent by 2050—even though cities occupy only about 3 percent of Earth's land surface.

Mumbai (Bombay), India, in a 2005 file photo by Aijaz Rahi/AP

What does this trend mean for each of us, the environment, and the future of outdoor recreation? The potential implications are interesting and unresolved. Whether this is a "good" or "bad" demographic trend depends on a myriad of variables and how individual cities manage their growth.

Part of me decries mass urbanization. After all, I believe that we all need regular contact with nature. But, on the flip-side, the ecological footprints of urban dwellers can be far smaller than those of their rural counterparts (though mileages vary widely worldwide due to many factors). Perhaps there is an environmental opportunity here for smarter, less sprawling, growth that protects natural places and resources.

“Contrary to what most policy makers have been saying, urban growth can be extremely positive for economic growth, social development, demographic stabilization, and even for environmental issues,” said George Martine, a demographer who wrote the UNFP’'s recent State of World Population 2007 report.

Read the full article at National Geographic News. Then tell us what you think.