Cities in the Asia-Pacific region need sustainable and integrated urban solutions to cope with a sharp rise in urbanization, development specialists say. An additional 1.4 billion people will be living in Asia's cities by 2050 on top of the existing 1.6 billion in 2010. That translates to 44 million more people being added to urban centers every year or 120,000 new city dwellers each day, according to data from the Asian Development Bank.
Cities are already feeling the strain. As urban migration has skyrocketed, the livability of many cities in the region has degraded rapidly, particularly in what experts call the three e’s: environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness and social equity in development.
“As a citizen, we all want to live in cities that has clean land, clean air and clean water,” Sonia Sandhu, senior adviser at the Asian Development Bank, told Devex. “These [three e’s] are the key ingredients in how we make sure that our dialogues and communication, project design, and investment plans [are sustainable and integrated].”
About the author
Lean Alfred Santos@DevexLeanAS
Lean Alfred Santos is a former Devex development reporter focusing on the development community in Asia-Pacific, including major players such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He previously covered Philippine and international business and economic news, sports and politics.
