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Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development in Africa and Asia
Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development in Africa and Asia
Belinda Yuen ● Asfaw KumssaEditors
Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development in Africa and Asia
ISBN 978-90-481-9866-5 e-ISBN 978-90-481-9867-2DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9867-2Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
Cover Illustration: Photograph taken by Belinda Yuen in China
Printed on acid-free paper
Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
EditorsBelinda YuenSingapore Institute of [email protected]
Asfaw KumssaUNCRD Africa OfficeNairobi, [email protected]
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Foreword
Climate change is a grim reality that poses a major threat to humanity and sustainable development. It will result in short and long-term problems, including drought, flooding, storms, increases in sea level temperature and rise, the melting of glaciers, etc. These developments will have repercussions on food security, water availability, epidemic vectors such as malaria, rural–urban migration and other socioeconomic problems. In this regard, climate change has become a major national, regional and international problem, cutting across developed and developing countries.
In developing African and Asian countries, climate change has impacted adversely the livelihoods of people by producing more erratic weather patterns, eroding coastlines, spreading pests and waterborne diseases. With erratic rainfalls and frequent droughts, rural dwellers find it very difficult to work on their farms and are forced to abandon their rural settlements and migrate to urban areas in search of green pastures. The growth in urban dwellers has put further pressure on urban service delivery systems. Since most of these migrants are simple farmers with limited skills and education, oftentimes they end up in the informal sector of the urban economy and settle in slums and shanty towns in the peripheries of cities where poverty, overcrowding, unemployment, crime and environmental degrada-tion are common. Cities are generally the centre of innovation and have the capacity as well as the technical know-how to deal with climate change. At the same time, cities are also the major contributors to greenhouse gases which are responsible for climate change.
To better understand the impacts of climate change on sustainable urban development, the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and the Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP) organized a senior policy seminar on Climate Change, Housing and Liveable Cities in Africa and Asia from 25 to 27 June 2009 in Singapore. The overall objective of the seminar was to discuss, exchange information and experiences; and draw lessons from best practices of combating climate change; and come up with effective polices and strategies to address climate change and create Liveable cities. In this regard, a number of senior policymakers and scholars from Asia and Africa were invited to present papers.
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This book represents the proceedings of this seminar. Most of the papers selected for publication in this book have gone through peer review and were revised for publication. I hope the various chapters that deal with various themes of climate change and urban development will make a contribution to the current debate on climate change and sustainable urban development in both Africa and Asia.
Kazunobu OnogawaDirector, UNCRD
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Climate change is a subject that has an impact on humanity and human settlements. It is an imperative topic that requires strong understanding and knowledge for better planning and preparation by cities, organisations as well as individuals.
The anthology of papers and case studies in this book were first presented at UNCRD-SIP Senior Policy Seminar on Climate Change, Housing And Liveable Cities In Asia And Africa, which was jointly organized by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP). The seminar was held at Holiday Inn Atrium in Singapore during 25–27 June 2009. The papers and workshop were well received by the participants, which included key policy decision-makers, scholars from Asia (China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Africa (Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda), key repre-sentatives from the World Bank and United Nations.
Mr. Andrew Tan, the Director of Centre of Liveable Cities and CEO of National Environment Agency Singapore was our Guest-of-Honour. He mentioned that cri-ses are inter-related. During the seminar, various questions were raised, such as “how can we design systems that take into account the complex inter-relationships between humans and their living environment” and “how to manage issues such as water, energy and food as inter-related rather than standalone challenges?” Climate Change and Eco-Planning topics were of particular interest to the fraternity of town planners and allied professionals in Singapore. The theme of the seminar and the follow-up publication of the selection of papers in this volume are very timely.
As the Immediate Past President of SIP, with versatility in the planning of vari-ous eco-cities and sustainable communities in Singapore and overseas, I observe that these papers offer a comprehensive coverage of the theme and depth of under-standing the issue. This publication will increase the society’s awareness of the emerging effect of climate change which influences our lives, economy and cities. With experiences illustrated from African and Asian case studies, this book offers a preview into collaborative and design resilient strategies in the areas of housing, urban forms and quality of life.
Preface
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I wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped to make this publication and the seminar a success. Special thanks to Dr. Asfaw Kumssa and Dr. Belinda Yuen for sharing the same vision and commitment to publish these selected proceedings of the UNCRD-SIP Senior Policy Seminar.
Mrs. Seetoh Kum ChunImmediate Past President
Singapore Institute of Planners
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Contents
Part I Introduction
1 Africa and Asia: Two of the World’s Fastest Growing Regions ........... 3Belinda Yuen and Asfaw Kumssa
Part II Climate Change and Urban Development
2 Climate Change and Living Cities: Global Problems with Local Solutions .................................................................................. 21Priyanka Anand and Kallidaikurichi Seetharam
3 Climate Change in the Context of Urban Development in Africa ........ 37Kempe Ronald Hope, Sr.
4 A Region of Contrasts: Urban Development, Housing and Poverty in Asia ................................................................................... 57Kioe Sheng Yap
5 The Effects of Climate Change on Urban Human Settlements in Africa ................................................................................. 69Aloysius Clemence Mosha
Part III Climate Change and Housing: Case Studies from Africa and Asia
6 Climate Change and the Housing Environment in Ghana.................... 103Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa and Michael Poku-Boansi
7 Creating a Sustainable Living Environment for Public Housing in Singapore .............................................................. 117Johnny Liang Heng Wong
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8 Climatic Change and Housing Issues in South Africa ......................... 129Bornwell C. Chikulo
9 Climate Change and Sustainable Housing in Uganda ......................... 153Stephen A.K. Magezi
10 Housing and Climate Change: Adaptation Strategies in Vietnam ................................................................................................ 167Vinh Hung Hoang
Part IV Climate Change and Its Effect on Cities: Case Studies from Africa and Asia
11 Climate Change and Cities’ Actions in China ...................................... 195Xiaodong Pan and Zhenshan Li
12 Climate Change and Its Effect on Cities of Eastern African Countries .................................................................................... 211Samuel Kerunyu Gichere, George Michael Sikoyo, and Ally Matano Saidi
13 Climate Change and Liveable Cities in Malaysia ................................ 221Kamalruddin Shamsudin and Suan Siow Neo
14 Climate Change and Its Effect on Urban Housing and Liveable Cities: The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe .......................... 243Rodreck Mupedziswa
Index ................................................................................................................. 263
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Kwasi Kwafo ADARKWA is Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a B.Sc. from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, M.Sc. from University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Ph.D. from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. His research interests include rural transport planning, urban and regional development policy as well as local economic development. His publications include a book co-edited with J. Post, The Fate of the Tree – Planning and Managing the Development of Kumasi, Ghana (2001). Adarkwa has also published widely in international journals, including Journal of Property Management, Journal of Science and Technology, Journal of Ghana Institute of Engineers, Regional Development Dialogue, Journal of Advanced Transportation, Mountain Research and Development, World Health, African Urban Studies, Rural Africana, Canadian Journal of African Studies and Journal of Social Development in Africa. Email: [email protected]
Priyanka ANAND is a Research Associate with the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and holds a joint appointment at the Global Asia Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Anand’s research work is focused on urban development and she is currently conducting research on the concept of Living Cities – cities that have the potential of being sustainable centres of growth, excellence and high standard of living. She is also interested in studying provision of water infrastructure and services in cities across Asia. Her publications include “Achieving Sustainable Cities” co-authored with K.E. Seetharam and D. Tay in Developing Living Cities: from Analysis to Action (ed.) K.E. Seetharam and B. Yuen. Anand graduated from National University of Singapore in 2009 with a Masters degree in Applied Economics and holds a Bachelors degree in Economics (Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, India. Email: [email protected]
Bornwell C. CHIKULO is Professor of Development Studies at the University of North West, South Africa. He has a M.A. (Econ) and Ph.D. from the School of Government, Victoria University of Manchester, UK. His research interests focus on decentralization and local governance, development and governance issues, develop-ment issues in countries emerging from conflict, development studies with an
About the Contributors
xii About the Contributors
emphasis on Africa, climate change and development and capacity building issues. Chikulo has published extensively in major international journals and contributed chapters to several books. He is also the co-editor of Democracy in Zambia: Challenges for the Third Republic (1996), and Corruption and Development in Africa: Lessons from Country Case-Studies (2000). Email: [email protected]
Samuel Kerunyu GICHERE is Deputy Executive Secretary (Programmes and Projects) at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Kisumu – Kenya. He joined the Commission in 2008. He holds an M.Sc. Degree in Operations Research from the Polytechnic University of New York, USA and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from University of Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to joining the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Gichere had served in various capacities in the Government of Kenya where he mainly advised on policy analysis in natural resources management. He has a wide experience in institutional capacity analysis. Gichere has also worked for 4 years with UNDP in developing and managing the Capacity 21 Kendelevu Project that supported participatory planning for sustainable development. He has extensive experiences in natural resources management and resources mobilization in support of sustainable development. He has participated in various regional and international conferences and consultancies. In 2005 he co-authored a World Bank Working Paper No. 69 on Climate Variability and Water Resources Degradation in Kenya. Email: [email protected]
Kempe Ronald HOPE, Sr. is Senior Economic Governance Advisor with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kenya. He was previously Senior Economic Adviser and Manager of the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Liberia. He was also Director of the Development Policy and Management Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and was Founding Director of the Center of Specialization in Public Administration and Management (CESPAM) and Professor of Development Studies at the University of Botswana. Hope is the author of more than 100 refereed journal articles on development issues and author/principal editor of numerous books including Poverty, Livelihoods, and Governance in Africa: Fulfilling the Development Promise (2008); From Crisis to Renewal: Development Policy and Management in Africa (2002); Corruption and Development in Africa: Lessons from Country Case-Studies – with Bornwell C. Chikulo (2000); AIDS and Development in Africa: A Social Science Perspective (1999); African Political Economy: Contemporary Issues in Development (1997); Development in the Third World: From Policy Failure to Policy Reform (1996). Email: [email protected]
Vinh Hung HOANG is a lecturer in Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Hanoi University of Architecture. He received Ph.D. from Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan in urban planning and disaster risk management. He has been a visiting scholar in Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley, USA. His scholarly research focuses on housing policy, urbanization, urban risk management and
xiiiAbout the Contributors
climate change adaptation. His applied research comprises work with Ministry of Construction of Vietnam, NDM-P, UNDP, DFID and the World Bank on urban development policy, climate change – poverty nexus and the integration of disaster risk reduction into socio-economic development planning. His publications include a book chapter: Urban Flood Risk Management in Hanoi in Urban Risk Reduction: An Asian Perspective (ed.) Shaw, R. et al. (2009) and papers in international journal, Disaster Prevention and Management. Email: [email protected]
Asfaw KUMSSA is the Coordinator of the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) Africa Office, Nairobi, Kenya. He has a M.A. and Ph.D. from Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver, USA, where he was subsequently an adjunct professor of economics and political economy. He has also a M.Sc. in national economic planning from Odessa National Economic Planning Institute, Ukraine. His research interests focus on regional and urban development; decentralization and local governance; globalization; human security and conflict resolution; social development issues; transitional economies; develop-ment studies with an emphasis on Africa; climate change; and capacity building issues. His publications include a book co-edited with T.G. McGee (2001) Globalization and the New Regional Development and another with J.F. Jones (2000) The Cost of Reform: The Social Aspect of Transitional Economies. Kumssa has also widely published in international journals, including in International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, International Journal of Social Economics, International Review of Administrative Sciences, the Journal of African Studies, and Journal of Social Development in Africa, Social Development Issues, Regional Development Studies and Regional Development Dialogue. Email: [email protected]
Zhenshan LI is Associate Professor of environmental engineering and Head of Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, China. Li has a Ph.D in physical geography, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Academy of Chinese Sciences, China. He has nearly 20 years experience in geography and environmental science, and supervises over 20 gradu-ate students. Li’s research interests include environmental management, especially solid waste management; wastewater treatment, especially heavy-metal wastewater treatment; aeolian desertification and aeolian sand transport. He has authored more than 20 publications in refereed international journals and obtained funding of about 8M RMB from China government and enterprises. Li is a member of the executive commission of the working group for arid regions, International Association of Geomorphologists and member of Chinese Society for Sustainable Development. Email: [email protected].
Stephen A.K. MAGEZI is Head of Uganda National Meteorological Services and is also Uganda’s Permanent Representative with World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Magezi is a Certified Environmental Practitioner and Auditor specializing in atmospheric pollution assessment and monitoring. He has also been the UNFCCC National Focal Point for Uganda until January 2009 when
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he was given other responsibilities. He has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics of Makerere University, Uganda, Postgraduate Diploma in Meteorology from University of Nairobi, Kenya, M.Sc. from University of Reading, UK and Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management from University College Galilee, Israel. His research interests focus on climate change studies, implications of applying UNFCC to the transport sector and atmospheric pollution potential assessment in the tropics. Email: [email protected]
Aloysius Clemence MOSHA is Associate Professor of Town Planning at the Department of Architecture and Planning, University of Botswana. He has a B.Sc. (Hons) from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and Ph.D. from University of Nottingham, UK. He previously practiced and taught urban planning in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. His research interests focus on urban land use issues, urban agri-culture, urban poverty, informal settlements, climate change and urban manage-ment and governance. His publications include A Handbook for Physical Planners in Botswana, A Reappraisal of the Urban Planning Process and A Physical Planning Manual for Physical Planners in Botswana. Mosha has also published conference papers and journal articles in Regional Development Dialogue, African Urban Quarterly, AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, Urban Agriculture Magazine, SPATIUM (Urban and Spatial Planning, Architecture, Building, Geodesia and Environment), among others. Email: [email protected]
Rodreck MUPEDZISWA holds a Ph.D. in social development, London School of Economics, University of London, UK and M.Sc. (Social Planning), University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe. Mupedziswa is Head of Department of Social Work at University of Botswana, Botswana and since 2005 is Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Social Development in Africa. Previous positions include Director of the Forced Migration Studies Programme, at University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Deputy Director at the School of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe. Mupedziswa has been visiting professor with a number of universi-ties, including University of Lesotho, and Institute of Health and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK. He has served as a consultant for several international agencies including the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and World Health Organisation (WHO). He is author or co-author of seven books, including one on Impact of Structural Adjustment on Children in Zimbabwe, and numerous book chapters, articles in refereed journals, research reports, monographs, occasional papers, etc. His area of particular interest is social development issues. Email: [email protected]
Suan Siow NEO has 31 years of experience as a Town Planner in the Department of Town and Country Planning, Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Malaysia. Neo has been Project Manager and key person in the preparation of the National Physical Plan 2005, which is the first blueprint on spatial planning for Peninsular Malaysia, establishing key policies and strategies towards achieving an integrated and sustainable land use planning in Malaysia. Neo is currently heading a Special
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Task Force Unit for Safe City in Malaysia, working together with Ministry of Home Affairs in the implementation of safe city program in all local authorities. Safe city program is one of the 55 initiatives recommended in national development and as key priority area in crime reduction. Neo has a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Email: [email protected]
Xiaodong PAN is Coordinator of Social and Regional Development in the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda21 (ACCA21). He has a Master Degree of International Environmental and Natural Resource Law from Wuhan University, China and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Physical Geography in Beijing Normal University, China. He has been team leader/project manager in several national and international cooperation projects including the Local Municipal Development Project of EU-China Funded Environmental Management Cooperation Programme (EMCP/LMD), 2002–2005; China National 10th 5-year Science and Technology (S&T) Programme Evaluation of China National Sustainable Communities and S&T Demonstration Project; UN-HABITAT Second Round China Sustainable Cities Project, 2005–2007; Sino-US Cooperation Project Sustainable Planning for Middle and Small Cities, 2008–2009. He is also a senior researcher in urban sus-tainable development, Local Agenda21, energy efficiency and emissions reduction policy, green technologies transfer mechanism, regional and local sustainable development evaluation indicators and relevant cases studies and has published extensively on China’s sustainable development, energy and low carbon. Email: [email protected]
Michael POKU-BOANSI is a lecturer in the Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He has a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. His research interests include trans-portation planning and economics; urban planning; urban development; human security, urbanization; land use planning, decentralization, urban infrastructure planning; housing; climate change and regional planning. His publications include a paper co-authored with K.K. Adarkwa, Transport as an Interface for Poverty Reduction and Wealth Creation (2006) and another with D.K.B. Inkoom, State of the Cities in Africa Reports: Preparatory Literature Review for Ghana (2009). Poku-Boansi has also published in international journals, including Journal of Social Development in Africa. Email: [email protected]
Ally Matano SAIDI is Principal Programmes Officer with the East African Community based at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission in Kisumu, Kenya. He has a M.Sc. in Resource Management from Edinburgh University in UK and is currently undertaking his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at Maseno University in Kenya. His research interests focus on transboundary natural resources management; climate change adaptation; land/water resources management; rural development with emphasis on community participation in natural resources management and micro-enterprises; integrated water resources management; and institutional and public policy research and analysis. Matano has wide experience spanning over 15
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years in formulation and implementation of transboundary natural resources man-agement programmes. His publication includes Vulnerability Assessment of Climate Change Risks in the Lake Victoria Basin; The Share Vision and Strategy Framework for Management and Development of Lake Victoria Basin (popular version, 2007); The Succession Dynamics of Water Hyacinth in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria Basin (2008); Biodiversity of Lake Victoria Basin (2008); Challenges and Opportunities for Farm Forestry (2002). Email: [email protected]
Kallidaikurichi SEETHARAM is an internationally recognized expert with over 20 years of professional experience in development cooperation, infrastructure, integrated planning for economic growth, participatory social development, diplo-macy and human values. His current research interests focus on sustainable urban development and urban water management and governance issues. His publica-tions include a co-edited book with B. Yuen, Developing Living Cities: from Analysis to Action (2010) and another with B. Rao Index of Drinking Water Adequacy: International and Intra-national Explorations (2009). He is currently Visiting Professor and founding Director of Institute of Water Policy at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and founding Director of the Global Asia Institute, at National University of Singapore, Singapore. He is on secondment from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where he was Principal Water Supply and Sanitation specialist, and a focal point guiding ADB’s operations in water supply, sanitation and wastewater management in line with ADB’s Water Policy. Seetharam is also a board director of the Asia Infrastructure Project Development Company, an innovative joint-venture between ADB and Singapore water compa-nies, to expeditiously prepare public–private-partnership water projects in China. Seetharam obtained his Doctor of Engineering in Regional Planning and Transportation, (Monbusho Scholar) University of Tokyo, Japan; Master in Industrial Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand; and Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. Email: [email protected]
Kamalruddin SHAMSUDIN is Deputy Director-General I of the Federal Town and Country Planning Department (JPBD), Malaysia. He has served JPBD for more than 32 years holding various planning posts including as Director of Research and Development JPBD Headquarter, JPBD Negeri Sembilan, JPBD Terengganu. His interests focus on assessing urban planning, planning theories, history of planning, application of decision science and spatial analysis, and social impact assessment. He has written extensively on town planning history, in particular, the contribution of Charles Reade, the first government town planner in British Malaya and GIS development. He has an Advance Diploma in Town and Regional Planning from Institut Teknologi MARA, Malaysia; M.Phil. from University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Renewal from Institute of Housing Studies (IHS) Netherlands. He has successfully completed a number of GIS proj-ects in the Klang Valley including creation of the GSARD programme (geotechni-cal spatial analysis research and development, 2001) and TRANSIMPACT (social impact of transportation development in the Klang Valley, 1998) and currently
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responsible for the development of the Safe City Monitoring System (a GIS map-ping and monitoring system under the Safe City Programme). He is currently Vice President of Malaysian Association of Social Impact Assessment (MSIA), and a member of Malaysia Institute of Planners. Email: [email protected]
George Michael SIKOYO holds a MSc. in Ecological Economics from University of Edinburgh, UK (1994–1995), B.Sc. Forestry, Upper Second Degree, Makerere University Kampala (1989–1993), and Diploma in Education, National Teachers College, Kaliro (1985–1987). He has wide experience ranging from academic, research, policy analysis and development, natural resources and environmental management, trade and environment, intellectual property rights, standards for sustainable trade and market access, wildlife enterprises for local development and impact assessment. Currently, Sikoyo is Regional Programme Coordinator of Mount Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation (MERECP) at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission. Previously, Sikoyo has worked in IUCN as Chief Technical Advisor for MERECP (June 2006–February 2009) and Institutional Development Advisor (January 2006–June 2006). Sikoyo has also worked as a Research Fellow at African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) where he coordinated the “Plan of Action for the Development of Guidelines for Regional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Shared Ecosystems in East Africa and as a Programme Officer at the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Nairobi. He has conducted pio-neering research on economic effects on livelihoods, and conservation impact of major community-based wildlife enterprises in East Africa including Rwanda. Email: [email protected]
Johnny Liang Heng WONG is currently Acting Director, Building Quality Department, Housing and Development Board (HDB), Singapore. He has a hon-ours degree in civil and structural engineering and Ph.D. from University of Sheffield, UK. Wong has been involved in many research studies on areas relating to new housing materials, prefabrication technology, urban solutions and systems, green construction technology, environmental sustainability, product development and information technology, and in promoting sustainable development initiatives in HDB buildings and estates. Some of the key projects on environmental sustain-ability that he has spearheaded include the development of the Prefabricated Extensive Green (PEG) tray system for green roof implementation, solar energy systems and applications in public housing, spiral connector development for pre-cast application and hybrid green roof systems. Wong is a Professional Engineer. He has been conferred several awards including the Henry-Boot Award, Laverick-Webster-Hewitt Award, the Institute of Civil Engineer’s Award and National Day Awards 2008 – Public Administration Medal (Bronze). He and his team have been conferred the TEC Public Service Innovation Award 2006 and Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2007 by the Institution of Engineers, Singapore for the development of the PEG Tray system. Email: [email protected]
Kioe Sheng YAP, a national of the Netherlands with a Ph.D. in cultural anthropol-ogy, worked for the United Nations during two periods: at the United Nations
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Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT) in Nairobi from 1982 to 1987, and at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) from 2000 to 2009. From 1987 to 2000, he was Professor of Housing and Urban Development at Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. Yap worked extensively in Tunisia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. He worked as an advisor for the Governors of Phnom Penh and Battambang in Cambodia. In the middle of 2009, he retired from the United Nations and now works as a free-lance consultant for various organizations. He was recently appointed Visiting Professor at the School of City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University, UK. Yap has published on low-income housing, community participation and urbanization. Email: [email protected]
Belinda YUEN is council member, Singapore Institute of Planners. She has been President, Singapore Institute of Planners (2005–2008), Vice-President, Commonwealth Association of Planners (S E Asia) (2006–2008; 2010–2012), member of United Nations Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor Working Group and advisory board member of several UN-HABITAT flagship urban publications and research network.
Belinda has served on various local planning committees of Singapore including as Planning Appeals Inspector, subject group of Singapore Master Plan 2003, Concept Plan 2011, Action programme Working Committee of Singapore Green Plan 2012. Belinda holds a MA (Town and Regional Planning), University of Sheffield, UK and PhD (Environmental Planning), University of Melbourne, Australia, and is a certified practising planner (Member, Planning Institute of Australia), Member, Royal Town Planning Institute, Fellow, Singapore Institute of Planners. Email: [email protected].
