Figure 3.21: FIGURE 3.21 PHOTO ESSAY: Urbanization in Middle and South AmericaUrbanization is at the heart of many transformations in this region. The last several decades have seen cities grow extremely fast, and 77 percent of the region’s population now lives in cities. New opportunities have opened for migrants from rural areas, but new stresses have emerged as well. The low-skilled jobs they can get often don’t pay well, and many people are forced to live in unplanned neighborhoods on the outskirts of huge cities.