Abstract
Today, more than half of the world’s population live in urban areas and it is projected that by 2050, urban dwellers will account for two thirds of the total global population. Urbanization goes hand in hand with the depopulation of rural areas leading to new governance challenges for local governments in urban as well as rural contexts that call for adequate reflection in constitutional law. Building on a comparative study of 161 constitutional charters covering most world regions, this chapter explores the extent to which constitutions adapted to the current wave of urbanization. It reveals that first steps have been undertaken to differentiate between urban and rural local governance contexts, as well as to enhance balanced territorial development, the equitable distribution of financial resources, and local cooperation initiatives.