Asian cities struggling against urbanisation woes: ADB

AFP, June, 2008

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Asian cities need help to cope with an unprecedented period of urbanisation, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Wednesday, stressing that their future prosperity is at stake.

Providing adequate water supplies and infrastructure are among the key issues facing urban planners and policymakers, ADB president Haruhiko Kuroda said, adding few Asian cities have successfully dealt with sudden expansion.

"Asia's rapid urbanisation is unprecedented," Kuroda said in a speech to the World Cities Summit in Singapore, explaining that around 1.1 billion Asians are expected to migrate to cities in search of prosperity over the next 20 years.

"Improving the livelihood and quality of life for so many city dwellers is an urban management task of a magnitude never before attempted by humanity.

"Clearly, Asian cities need assistance in coping with the physical impact of past and current urban growth."

The Tokyo-Yokohoma area and Shanghai are rare ...