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, …
South End Mall on Langata Road has become the latest casualty of the ongoing campaign by the national environment watchdog to reclaim grabbed wetlands in the capital Nairobi. A bulldozer, on instruction of National Environment Management Authority (Nema) officials and the guard of police, descended on the mall that stands …
Uganda’s unplanned urban sprawl is a threat to food security, the ministry of lands, housing and urban development has said. Samuel Mabala, the director for housing in the ministry, said the unplanned urban sprawl is eating into agricultural land, and the country could plunge into a food crisis in future …
Hundreds of slum residents have asked a Kenyan court to stop them being evicted from state-owned land, their lawyer said on Wednesday, a week after authorities demolished the homes of 30,000 Nairobians living in one of Africa's largest slums. The National Building Inspectorate, a state agency in charge of housing …
The United Nations predicts the world's urban population is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050 from 55 percent at present after becoming majority urban for the first time around 2008. Reuters 12 Jul 2018, 06:47 PM Widely accepted numbers on how much of the world's population lives in …
UN-Habitat and partners have published a new report called the SDG 11 synthesis report outlining the international community’s progress towards the so called ‘urban goal’ and the challenges faced. The report’s publication coincides with the first discussion at the annual High Level Political Forum in New York of SDG 11, …
In a move to enable consumers to make an informed choice, the food safety regulator has proposed to make it mandatory for manufacturers of blended oils to mention the exact blend in percentage terms on the front of the pack along with other labelling modifications. The proposal is part of …
Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) will partner with public schools to promote tree planting and help expand the country's forest cover, the lobby said in a statement issued in Nairobi on Monday. Amina Mohamed, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, has witnessed the launch of the private sector-led initiative to boost …
A unique strategic opportunity beckons Bangladesh. Dhaka, the economic powerhouse of the country, stands on the cusp of a dramatic transformation that could make it much more prosperous and livable. Today, Dhaka is prone to flooding, congestion, and messiness, to a point that is clogging its growth. But toward its …
This study offers empirical evidence on the rural-urban gap in the context of growing inequality in Asia. First, China and India explain the trends in regional inequality given their large populations, signifying their importance as major contributors. Overall, China’s income inequality is characterized by rural-urban disparity, but the inequality within …
Urban Cities of Assam become totally clean, sanitized, healthy, and liveable, ensuring and sustaining good public health and environmental outcomes for all citizens, in line with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. To equip cities of Assam with efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable waste management system with complete safe collection, …
The 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets, and 232 indicators, agreed by all countries, are intended to “transform the world”. This report examines the ability of the SDGs to actually trigger this transformation and to suggest some key actions to make the SDGs more transformative. …
The enactment of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, has made sweeping changes in the land acquisition laws of India (LARR Act, 2013). By increasing the compensation for acquired land, mandating a social impact assessment to be undertaken and requiring the …
Urbanization in India is expected to peak in 2050. The Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015 to transform and improve livability in urban areas in the country. Rapid urbanization puts tremendous stress on Indian cities. In the last 2 decades, India’s urban population has increased exponentially, with 420 million …
This paper describes and analyses six mechanisms that provide an end-to-end area development approach that enables land acquisition, its planning, and servicing, as well as methods to capture the land’s increased value to help pay for basic infrastructure and social amenities. A case was selected for each type of mechanism …
The significance of rural-urban migration will rise in future as agriculture-dependent livelihoods come under increasing climatic stress The World Bank recently released an important report on climate change-induced migration, titled ‘Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration’. It covers three major regions of the world comprising Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), South …
A fast-changing climate, conflict, inequality, persistent pockets of poverty and hunger and rapid urbanization are challenging countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a UN report. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018 found that conflict and climate change were major contributing factors leading to growing numbers …
NEW DELHI: One of the main barriers against dust incursion from Rajasthan and surrounding areas into the capital are the Aravalis in Haryana bordering Delhi, but a number of policies are diluting its conservation and, thus, exposing parts of it to urbanisation. The latest is Faridabad Development Plan 2031, which …
Considered as a hotspot for biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin, Lebanon is currently witnessing anarchic urbanization and unprecedented destruction of its natural habitats. Unregulated urbanization is also compounded by the surge in Lebanon’s population due to the unabated influx of Syrian refugees since 2012. This work aims to define Important …
Over half the population of the world live in urban areas. This means that efforts to meet human development goals and sustain economic growth must be concentrated in cities. However, the pursuit of more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable urban development is complicated by climate change, which multiplies existing environmental risks, …
Quality of life has many dimensions, from the air residents breathe to how safe they feel walking the streets. The latest report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future, analyzes how dozens of digital applications address these kinds of practical and very …
