Given that in 2008 the share of the urban population has for the first time exceeded the share of people living in the rural areas at the global level , a transition to a green economy becomes increasingly important.  % 20EconomyReport_Final_Dec2011.pdf Unlike an urban area , a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area , but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city , typically by employment ties through commuting , with the urban core city being the primary labor market .
In 2008 , the share of the urban population was higher than the share of people living in rural areas .