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At the heart of this transformation is the rapid urbanization of the region. Between 1970 and 2017, emerging economies in Asia outpaced the rest of the world in both population growth and growth, with urban populations growing at 3.4% per year, compared with 2.6% in the rest of the developing world. world and 1% in developed economies. The pace is expected to continue in the coming years, with the region adding more than 1 billion new urban residents by 2050.
Today, Asia-Pacific cities are gaining international fame with Auckland, Osaka, Adelaide, Wellington, Tokyo, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane, forming eight of the top 10 performers in the 2021 Global Liveability Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit. But in the low-income geographical areas of the continent, citizens face one of the harshest living conditions in the world. In the 2021 ranking of the 100 cities in the world most at risk from environmental factors such as pollution, extreme heat stress, declining water supply, natural hazards and vulnerability to climate change, 99 are in Asia.
Urban dwellers are often most affected by climate vulnerability by lower socio-economic groups who can live on dangerous and marginal land, in lower quality buildings that lack flood defenses and temperature control. They may also not have access to facilities such as air conditioners and have less financial buffers to withstand income shocks caused by floods such as floods.
As cities grow, they can often become more unequal, as increased economic activity increases the value of land and pollution, which puts disadvantaged citizens at a disadvantage, who are less able to move to better areas. Even commendable investments can make the problem worse. For example, public transport systems, which reduce travel time to central urban areas, can also increase route rents, forcing lower-income residents to relocate. Houses in Asia are becoming increasingly inaccessible to many. An analysis of 211 Asian cities found that housing prices were severely prohibitive for middle-income households. As affordable housing is out of reach, many city dwellers are content with inadequate housing with limited access to safe water and sanitation.
Despite the breadth and variety of challenges, the region can benefit from its past and present. Singapore stands out as one of the most livable cities in the world, but it started from a difficult beginning, recalls Khoo Teng Chye, former executive director of the Center for Living Cities at the Ministry of National Development (MND) in Singapore.
“In the early 1960s. [Singapore was] fast-growing and overcrowded, with housing shortages, many slums and people in poor, miserable conditions. The Singapore River was an open sewer and there was water regulation. I remember when I was a kid, the taps dried up all day, but during the monsoons we had floods. We had all the city problems you can think of! Today, our population has tripled, and yet the city has become more livable, attractive and sustainable. “
Progress is now being made in the Asia-Pacific region to become more resilient, resilient and inclusive. Cities are beginning to break ground in exploring innovative responses to environmental challenges across the region, including the use of sustainability based on nature, such as “mushroom cities” to reduce floods and improve air quality, new “zero carbon” buildings and refurbishing older buildings to make them more climate-responsive and developing more sustainable transport solutions.
The use of technology also helps cities to address service gaps and actively support the vulnerable, including in the digitalisation of land rights and geospatial mapping, which helps citizens in areas without official address systems to launch applications that address the challenge of urban safety and technological solutions for healthcare and support for the elderly.
Download the full report.
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