In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
Inclusive development is a much heard slogan today. But how can development be inclusive if the decision-makers in Chennai do not even know whom and what to include, wonders M G Devasahayam AS India is getting rapidly urbanised, a disturbing phenomenon
In recent years, the large scale urbanization, industrialisation and associated environmental alteration and its impact on biodiversity pose a threat to human existence through basic necessities, recreation and the ecological functions. It is evident that pollution from various sources particularly from industries has negative impact on environment, irreversible in nature, …
This publication, prepared by the United Nations University and the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development, focuses on one of the themes from the World Water Forum held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 17-18 March 2009: it aims to contribute to the understanding of rural to rural, rural to urban and …
The current issue of the UGEC Viewpoints was conceptualized at the end of the 7th Open Meeting of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change which was held in Bonn, Germany between April 26-30. The conference was deemed a great success with nearly 1,000 participants including researchers, NGOs, …
Decision to Migrate is mostly a choice - except in compelling circumstances of conflict and insecurity - and therefore needs to be examined in terms of its economic outcomes. This paper deals with migration decisions to urban areas that are backed by economic rationale and attempts to understand gains accruing …
The South Asia Environment Outlook 2009 covers the state and trends of the environment (land, air, water, biodiversity) and five key issues - Climate Change, Food Security, Water Security, Energy Security, and Managing Urbanization. South Asia occupies about 5 per cent of the world
Migration, both within and beyond borders, has become an increasingly prominent theme in domestic and international debates, and is the topic of the 2009 Human Development Report (HDR09). The starting point is that the global distribution of capabilities is extraordinarily unequal, and that this is a major driver for movement …
The Himalayas are a unique natural asset and the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) forms the major share of this. This report presents a set of guidelines and best practices for the governance and sustainable management of the Himalayan ecosystem.
Wildfires that tore through suburbs of Athens and forced thousands of people to flee their homes were contained on Tuesday as the government's handling of the disaster became an election issue. Likely to face voters early next year, the conservative government said very strong winds had made it difficult to …
Among the acres of forests in the outskirts of Athens reduced to cinders by a three-day inferno, expensive villas with pools have appeared. "Every time there is a fire we discover new communities we never knew existed," Greenpeace Greece director Nikos Haralambides told Reuters. "We have a state that just …
M G Devasahayam Urbanisation driven by globalisation keeps majority of the citizens away from the development stream and Chennai is no exception "INDIA lives in its villages," said Mahatma Gandhi, over six decades ego. No longer. At least not in Tamil Nadu, the first major State to reach the historical …
The City Development Plan for Bhopal deals with a comprehensive, cohesive and concise manner, all the important elements of governance in the form of themes: Urban Growth Management/ Development Planning, Urban Basic Services and Infrastructure, Transportation and Traffic Management, Housing and Slums, Urban Environment, Social Development, Urban Governance and Management …
The report, "Environmental and Energy Sustainability: An Approach for India", identified clean power and energy-efficiency measures as having the largest potential impact on emissions, with the capability to reduce CO2 output 28 to 34 per cent by 2030. Other significant areas were green transport, sustainable urban and rural housing, and …
The recent spike in food prices has led to a renewal of interest in agricultural issues and in the long-term drivers of food prices. Urbanization has been mentioned as one possible cause of higher food prices. This paper examines some of the links through which urbanization is considered to be …
Urbanisation in India is both a necessary input and an inevitable consequence of growth. However, we must accept that the existing urbanisation models are unsustainable at the Indian scale and there is no available alternative trajectory. The international climate change negotiations can be seen as an opportunity to create an …
This paper argues that the disproportionate attention that policy solutions to the food price crisis give to rural dwellers is probably misplaced. Although in developing countries rural poverty is often deeper and more widespread than urban poverty, rural dwellers are often net producers of food, frequently of the very staples …
This latest report on State of India's environment provides an insight on the state and trends of the environment with focus on Climate Change, Food Security, Water Security, Energy Security and Urbanization. Assesses initiatives to monitor further degradation of environment & also suggests policy options. In the global context of …
This paper unpacks the key mechanisms, strategies and processes the IFIs have used to build agreement with their policies among government, donor and corporate circles. It also throws light on the ways in which the state (Union and State Governments) has accepted and actively advanced a policy programme for an …
