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ADB Calls for New Focus on Asian Cities

JCN Newswires, June 25, 2008

Singapore, June 25, 2008 - (ACN Newswire) - With Asian cities growing by over 100,000 people a day, a major rethink is needed on how cities manage growth because the current approach is no longer economically, environmentally or socially sustainable, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said at the World Cities Summit.

Speaking in Singapore, ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said providing jobs and services for the 1.1 billion people who will move to cities in Asia over the next 20 years is a task of "magnitude never before attempted by humanity."

"Cities in Asia have populations and economies the size of nation states," Mr. Kuroda said in a speech at the conference. "For most major cities in Asia, growth rates are too rapid for their infrastructure to keep up."

"Each year, there is a $30 billion shortfall in urban infrastructure investments, leading to greater deterioration of existing infrastructure and worsening urban environments."

Mr. Kuroda cited a new report published by ADB, Managing Asian Cities, which outlines how the region's cities can meet the enormous challenges they face. It says that the technology, money and skills necessary are available, but the current institutional structures needed for coordination, financing and capacity development are inadequate.

The challenge is underlined by the unprecedented speed of urbanization in Asia. While London, for example, took 130 years to grow from 1 million to 8 million residents, Asian cities are fast attracting a "tidal wave of humanity." The Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, is expected to grow from about 12 million today to 22 million within a decade.

"Effective urban management is needed to counter this unparalleled growth but it is lacking, and the results are clearly evident in pollution, no drinkable water for over 50% of urban residents, half a billion slum dwellers and crippling traffic congestion," the report says.

The report says a "wholesale rethink" is needed on how cities are laid out to reduce the use of private vehicles. "How can new cities be planned in an energy-efficient way and how can existing ones be structured to minimize the need for movement."

New approaches are also needed on energy use, the management of household rubbish and other solid waste, sewage, water supply and other urban infrastructure issues.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members ? 48 from the region. In 2007, it approved $10.1 billion of loans, $673 million of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to $243 million.

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Source: JCN http://www.japancorp.net