This article discusses issues aimed at determining the perception of modern urbanization. On the one hand, technological progress more and more enhances the environmental impact, thereby creating the prerequisites for the emergence of various environmental crises. On the other hand, it expands the possibilities of eliminating problems in this area. Therefore, there is a relationship between environmental impact, the level of economic development, and the level of development of civil society. Responsible attitude to the environment - an indicator of the high development of civilization - these are the aspects of the ecological development of megacities that urbanism deals with. Particular attention is paid to the need for an environmentally friendly modernization of modern urban spaces. The problem of reducing landscaped and forested areas in connection with the rapid increase in urban areas is considered. In order to clarify the latest urban development trends, innovative technologies and approaches to construction, as well as to the ecological organization of the urban environment, are considered.