The scale of urbanization in Asia over the past few decades has been truly astonishing and there is no sign of it stopping. In the next 20 years, another 1.1 billion people in the region will call cities their home.
Climate change, population growth, and urbanization are bringing some of the greatest challenges of our time. Just a few days ago we experienced one of the most powerful storms in history, Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines, killing thousands.
Asia’s drive to urbanize is taking an increasing toll on the environment with growing mountains of solid waste as city dwellers consume and discard resources at an ever increasing rate. If “green” cities are to be the answer to these environmental stresses then they will need to develop much more effective programs to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover waste.
With the urban population swelling the world over, it makes sense that we start—or go back to—designing cities for people too. People are a city’s principal raison d'etre.
On World Water Day, it’s time to reflect on how several of Asia’s developing countries are especially vulnerable to floods. What can we do to better address this problem? Adopt a holistic approach to flood management and resilience.
Urban densification encourages efficiency and conservation to make cities more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
While big infrastructure works for developed countries, countries in developing Asia would benefit from complementary small-scale sanitation solutions that help more people.
Transit-oriented development combines spatial planning with urban transport.
To promote food security and curb migration, we need to shift from resource-intensive agriculture to smarter methods of food production.
