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, …
This report analyses and compares the low carbon city policies and practices of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, with the goal of identifying sector-specific and city-specific good practices that may be instructive to researchers and policymakers in the wider NEA region. It examines key national-level carbon mitigation policies …
Ecosystems have the potential to significantly improve the liveability of our increasingly urbanised world. The Global South in particular stands to benefit from Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approaches. These benefits include food and water security, job creation and greater community cohesion and empowerment. This joint technical paper discusses urban EbA interventions …
The 26th edition of UNEP’s Foresight Brief explains the ‘build back better’ strategy in the context of urban livelihoods - a strategy, that has to mean ’building back greener’. The livelihoods of urban residents are shaped by the complex relationship between environmental, social and economic issues affecting inhabitants of urban …
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can help cities address urgent and fundamental environmental challenges by bringing ecosystems services back into cities and rebalancing cities’ relationships with their surrounding areas. By accelerating the implementation of NbS, decision-makers can help cities adapt to effects of climate change, reduce urban heat island effects and cooling …
The new IEA report examines how cities can be a key to a net-zero emissions future as digitalisation opens up a range of new opportunities. More than 50% of the world’s population currently lives in cities, and that figure is expected to increase to almost 70% by 2050. Cities generate …
As cities around the world face a growing climate crisis, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and McKinsey Sustainability released a new report designed to help city leaders build plans to reduce risk and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. As climate risks vary based on city geography and …
Cities in Africa face escalating water-related challenges, compounded by worsening climate change and rising urbanization. Water insecurity threatens economies, livelihoods and the health and wellbeing of billions. The answer: smart, systematic investments in urban water resilience that ensure communities have safe, reliable and affordable water; and that water resources are …
Cities are emerging as leading forces for climate change adaptation and resilience, due to their financial, technological and human capacities. Many approaches and tools have been developed and used over the last few decades to measure climate resilience in cities and identify areas that need further intervention. In this study, …
This report, Governing Smart Cities, provides a benchmark for cities looking to establish policies for ethical and responsible governance of their smart city programmes. It explores current practices relating to five foundational policies: ICT accessibility, privacy impact assessment, cyber accountability, digital infrastructure and open data. The findings are based on …
For China to meet its climate goals under the Paris Agreement and its 2060 carbon neutrality target, it is estimated that the country needs to spend US$20 trillion over the next three decades across all sectors. As cities are the primary source of China’s carbon emissions, much of this investment …
The low-carbon transformation of China’s urban areas is a crucial action towards meeting the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal. In this policy insight, Jasmine Tillu presents the economic case for this transformation. There is a strong economic case for transforming the development trajectory of China’s cities. Urban infrastructure investments and spatial …
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 8, 2021 has issued the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021. The Provision under the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021 …
The enduring image of a city is a busy population always on the move. Yet, as this assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment shows, mobility in Indian cities is severely hampered by a wide range of constraints: inadequate public transport and lack of access to it, less-than-ideal last-mile …
This issue of South Asia disasters.net is titled ‘COVID-19 Second Wave and Indian Cities’ and highlights how India’s cities were impacted from the second wave of the pandemic. In doing so, there are also indispensable lessons to be imbibed on how to be better prepared for any upcoming wave of …
Worldwide demand for freshwater resources is continuously increasing to satisfy the need for increasing population and growing economies. Further, both biophysical and social patterns and processes are interacting in ways that increase pressure on water and lead to water scarcity. About one-third of the world’s river basins attend their maximum …
This is the first in a series of papers that highlight new ways of thinking about global water resources. This Imagine If Water Series aims to inspire, provoke and invite new ideas. The world’s water resources are a system already pushed to the edge. At the same time, water is …
This report explores the links between disaster impacts and poverty levels in select countries in the Europe and Central Asia region. When a disaster strikes, it not only affects households’ physical assets, but also their income levels and ability to contribute to the local economy. Critically, these socio-economic disparities shape …
The 2021 State of Cities Climate Finance Report examines the current state of urban climate investment, the barriers to reaching the needed investment levels, and the steps to overcoming these challenges. Produced by the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (the Alliance), the report contributes to the Alliance’s mission to mobilize …
The 2021 State of Cities Climate Finance Report examines the current state of urban climate investment, the barriers to reaching the needed investment levels, and the steps to overcoming these challenges. Produced by the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (the Alliance), the report contributes to the Alliance’s mission to mobilize …
An estimated US$724 billion in GDP is exposed to the impact of extreme sea-level rise and coastal flooding in seven major cities in Asia by 2030, according to a new report from Greenpeace East Asia. Within this decade, coastal cities in Asia are at high risk from rising sea levels …
