This paper discusses the global challenge of unsustainable economic and population growth and argues that urbanization offers an important pathway toward a more sustainable future, especially in less developed countries. It highlights how rising socio‑economic status, facilitated through effective public policy in both rural and urban areas, can support higher levels of urbanization and more efficient global resource use. By promoting a strategic vision of a highly urbanized world, the paper suggests that policymakers may be better able to implement coordinated, equitable, and sustainable approaches to managing global resources and stabilizing growth trends