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, …
With a population of 16 million, Karachi is the largest megacity in Pakistan. Despite being a large city that is home to many, it has seen a substantial decline in quality of life and economic competitiveness in recent decades. Basic service delivery is very poor, with very low indicators for …
The Union Cabinet today approved the creation of National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) with Rs 60,000 crore in its kitty. An official statement said this fund would be situated in Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the Ministry …
Corruption, poor management and lack of public consultation have hurt repeated efforts by the Kenyan government and donors to improve slums, including Kibera, the country's largest, researchers said. Fieldworkers from Urban ARK, a global research programme, studied three projects in Kenya's slums and recommended future projects consult with affected communities …
For a long time, the urbanization and development discourse has coincided with a focus on economic growth and big cities. Yet, much of the world's new urbanization is taking place in smaller urban entities (towns), and the composition of urbanization may well bear on the speed of poverty reduction. This …
This report examines the major trends affecting the transformation of energy and mobility systems, with a special focus on cities. Topics addressed include: electrification, decentralization and digitalization of the energy system, along with the shift towards electric, shared and autonomous mobility.
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana was introduced to provide energy access to all by last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining un-electrified households in rural and urban areas. The budgetary allocation of Rs 16,000 crore for free electricity connections for four crore homes was largely …
This report is the first to bring together an overview of policy options available to national governments as well as guidance on how to design national urban policies around low-carbon, inclusive, sustainable development goals. The report clarifies the critical role of national governments in driving successful urban development and provides …
An action plan for implementing the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Latin America and the Caribbean envisions the city as a “macro-level public good” where citizens’ economic, social, cultural and environmental rights are guaranteed. The ‘Regional Action Plan for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Latin America …
Cities are a magnet for people as centres for jobs, economic activity and innovation, and urban mobility systems lie at the very heart of what makes cities attractive and viable. However, urban transport is facing an urgent set of challenges as a number of social, technological, economic, environmental and political …
Considered to be the largest contributor to the growth in the world’s urban population in the coming years, India and its urbanisation process have reached a critical juncture. As one of the fastest growing countries, urbanisation is undoubtedly an opportunity and a challenge for India with huge implications for the …
New research by Acclimatise, C40, the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), and Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy reveals number of cities and citizens threatened by direct and indirect climate hazards if global greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked. Bold climate action by cities is key to prevent …
India is facing significantly higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the first nationally representative study of these “major killers” involving more than 1.3 million people. The rates of diabetes and hypertension are high among middle-aged and elderly people across all geographic measures and socio-demographic groups in …
As federal and private estate developers search for affordable housing for all Nigerians, an expert has put the country’s current housing deficit at about 17 million. This was disclosed over the weekend in Calabar at the official signing and handing over ceremony of Olive Crest Estate site to Afriprops. The …
African economies are looking to achieve high levels of economic growth in the next few decades, predominantly in growing urban centres. By 2035, roughly half of Africa’s population will live in its rapidly expanding cities. This transition presents significant opportunities for development: supporting structural transformation, job creation, poverty alleviation and …
Beijing's population shrank in 2017－the first time in 17 years－as the result of nonessential functions being relocated outside the city and better urban management, authorities said on Friday. The capital had 21.7 million permanent residents by the end of last year, 22,000 less than in 2016, a 0.1 percent fall …
Urban water demand will increase by 80% by 2050, while climate change will alter the timing and distribution of water. Here we quantify the magnitude of these twin challenges to urban water security, combining a dataset of urban water sources of 482 of the world’s largest cities with estimates of …
The Democratic Republic of Congo has the third largest urban population in sub-Saharan Africa (estimated at 43% in 2016) after South Africa and Nigeria. It is expected to grow at a rate of 4.1% per year, which corresponds to an additional 1 million residents moving to cities every year. If …
Urbanization is occurring at a rapid pace in Bangladesh, accompanied by the proliferation of slum settlements, whose residents have special health needs given the adverse social, economic, and public environmental conditions they face. Over the past 45 years, the country’s health and nutrition policies and programs have focused largely on …
Despite unprecedented wealth accumulation, coastal Mumbai suffers from a myriad of socioeconomic and ecological challenges as well as connected uncertainties. These include endemic flooding, shrinking of sensitive ecosystems, inequality, and marginalisation of natural resource-dependent communities, such as fishers. These are in addition to existing risks, including building collapse, fire hazards, …
The main objective of this study is to propose recommendations for addressing flood risks in Greater Dhaka. This is based on an analysis of flood risks facing the city, historical analysis of decision-making about flood risk management, and institutional and political economy analysis. The study was initiated at the request …
