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, …
For parents who live in the nine million-strong industrial city of Zhengzhou in China's central Henan province, dropping the children off at school is no longer a chore. Starting this year, the Zhengzhou Yuntong bus company-one of the main suppliers of school buses-launched a project that cities across China are …
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was launched to address the growing challenges of urbanization by improving infrastructure, governance and the quality of life in cities. This paper assesses all the four sub-missions under JNNURM i.e UIG and BSUP for big cities and UIDSSMT and IHSDP for small towns …
This discussion paper reviews literature on the political economy of four key urban services: solid waste management, water supply, transport, and urban health services. The four sector reviews demonstrate the importance of governance factors – partly rooted in physical, economic, social and political differences between rural and urban environments – …
This note advises city leaders on how to manage the growth and transformation of urban forms toward an energy efficient and livable path through supportive planning policies, zoning regulations, and design guidelines. Achieving these outcomes requires concerted efforts by city, regional, and national governments in setting a forward-looking strategic vision, …
The purpose of the action plan is to provide the tools to plan Bangalore’s resilience, as well as the capacity to act among city leaders, infrastructure and service providers and amongst the community. The urban diagnostic and the subsequent action planning has demonstrated that water and sanitation are fundamental to …
This document addresses the need for explicit inclusion of livelihoods within the environment nexus (water-energy-food security), not only responding to literature gaps but also addressing emerging dialogue from existing nexus consortia. It present the first conceptualization of ‘environmental livelihood security’, which combines the nexus perspective with sustainable livelihoods. The geographical …
A National Urban Policy is a coherent set of decisions derived through a deliberate government-led process of coordinating and rallying various actors for a common vision and goal that will promote more trans-formative, productive, inclusive and resilient urban development for the long term. As such an national urban policy is …
The purpose of this document is to provide a contextual understanding of the challenges and opportunities of climate change in relation to human settlements in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It is also a modest attempt at collecting initial thoughts in response to the call of Small Island Developing States …
Urbanisation is one of the most important drivers of productivity and growth in the global economy. Between 2014 and 2050, the urban population is projected to increase by around 2.5 billion people, reaching 66% of the global population. By 2030, China’s cities alone will be home to nearly 1 billion …
The effects of urbanization on ozone levels have been widely investigated over cities primarily located in temperate and/or humid regions. In this study, nested WRF-Chem simulations with a finest grid resolution of 1 km are conducted to investigate ozone concentrations [O3] due to urbanization within cities in arid/semi-arid environments. First, …
Basai Wetland of Gurgaon in Haryana, one of the important bird areas of country, is facing threat of being lost forever. Located close to national capital Delhi, migratory bird count of this wetland has shown a decline, mainly because of habitat loss due to human encroachment. A study conducted by …
The Urban Water Blueprint analyzes the state of water in more than 2,000 watersheds and 530 cities worldwide to provide science-based recommendations for natural infrastructure enhancements that can be integrated alongside traditional engineered solutions to improve water quality. This report addresses a critical issue facing mayors in cities around the …
Urban Efficiency: A Global Survey of Building Energy Efficiency Policies in Cities is a resource for city officials around the world as they design new policies for building energy efficiency, or review existing ones. It aims to capture the range of different policies being implemented in cities, and is an …
Bangladesh also has the highest number of urban people living below the poverty line – 21%, as opposed to 14% in India, 13 % in Pakistan, 5% in Sri Lanka and 15% in Nepal Bangladesh has the highest number of slum dwellers – 60% of the urban population – in …
Non-communicable diseases have been established as a clear threat not only to human health, but also to development and economic growth. The evidence is compelling. India stands to incur a loose $4.58 trillion between 2012 and 2030 due to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions. However, these losses are …
Immediate government approval of the draft National Urban Sector Policy is a prerequisite to safeguarding the country from unplanned urbanisation, speakers told a seminar yesterday. “Around 4.5 crore people live in urban areas, their contribution to the GDP (gross domestic product) measures 60 to 65 percent which can be raised …
This paper, a contribution to the New Climate Economy project, compares the opportunities or economically attractive low-carbon investment opportunities in five cities. Five recently completed studies examined the economic case for investment in low-carbon development in Leeds in the UK, Kolkata in India, Lima in Peru, Johor Bahru in Malaysia …
This paper focusses on one central aspect of urban development: transport and urban form and how the two shape the provision of access to people, goods and services, and information in cities. The more efficient this access, the greater the economic benefits through economies of scale, agglomeration effects and networking …
This report seeks to review the current urban transport situation in the country, highlight the gains from efforts made so far, present the challenges that still remain and suggest measures that need to be taken in moving towards the future. It comprises of five sections. Section 2, immediately following this …
Nearly 65 percent of people in the capital move on foot and pedal-powered rickshaws while only 3 percent on private cars, showing a gross social disparity, a planning commission member told a discussion yesterday. “Over 40 percent of the poor in the capital city live in slums,” Prof Shamsul Alam …
