FUTURE PATHWAYS FOR CITIES
Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division,United Nations Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Curt Garrigan
In Building Sustainable Urban Future
ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT
Contextual Timeline for Regional Partners Forum @Quito+5
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Habitat IIIQuito, Ecuador
RPF@Quito+1November 2017
1st Quadrennial Report on NUA
Development of FoAPC Report
(sub-regional and thematic consultations)
2nd Quadrennial Report on NUA
HLM April 2022
9th APFSD March 2022
Preparations for APUF (publication, normative
guidance?)
RPF@Quito+528-29 October 2021
WUF June 2022
APUF Voluntary Commitments
Regional VLR Guidelines
co-produced
Penang Platform launched
AP Mayors Academy launched
APUF-8
VLRs (e.g. Subang Jaya,
Naga and Surabaya)
APUF-7Ongoing Agency and
Partner Projects/Initiatives and compilation of
best practices
Launched at the Asia Pacific Urban Forum 2019, the Future of Asian & Pacific Cities (FoAPC) provides:
• a regional consensus on transformative
pathways for cities to take towards sustainable
urban development.
• Across four thematic areas, there are 15 policy
pathways.
Policy Pathways for Sustainable Urban Development
Getting these essentials right in cities today is vital to adapt to the demands of
tomorrow.
The future of urban and territorial planningCities must adopt inclusive planning processes that consider
urban growth, quality-of-life goals, and resource implications.
The future of urban resilienceResilience strategies that break down governance siloes, scale up nature-
based solutions, and engage the urban poor must be a priority.
The future of smart and inclusive citiesWe need people-centred smart cities; urban environments that
capture the innovation of teach entrepreneurs, bridging the digital
divide while ensuring everyones’ safety.
The future of urban financeFinancing a sustainable urban future means leveraging urban land value, co-
creating innovations with the private sector and promoting polluter-pay solutions,
to create long-term value for citizens, business and the environment.
Policy Pathways for Sustainable Urban Development
URBAN & TERRITORIAL PLANNING
Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division,United Nations Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Curt Garrigan
Policy Pathways for Sustainable Cities
Integrate sustainability and quality-of-life targets into urban
planning to future-proof public and private investment in cities
Co-produce with citizens urban planning solutions that align
technological investment with adequate local government
Capacities
Identify specific urban regeneration and growth strategies that
optimize urban-rural and city region collaborations that spur
sustainability and investment
1
2
3
The Future of Urban & Territorial Planning
Future of Urban and Territorial Planning
Integrate sustainability and quality-of-life targets into urban
planning to future-proof public and private investment in cities1
Future of Urban and Territorial Planning
Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF) in India
• USAF is developed by UN-Habitat
(India) and designed as a decision
support tool for sustainable and
resilient urban planning, while
prioritizing climate adaptation and
mitigation at all stages.
• The framework builds in a
monitoring process across
standardized indicators, across
twelve sectors. This helps cities to
set their own trajectory
Co-produce with citizens urban planning solutions that align
technological investment with adequate local government capacities
Future of Urban and Territorial Planning
2
Case - Managing the transition from an industrial to
an environment-focused city in Liuzhou, China.
Key, integrated strategies for transformation include:
• Ecological restoration of the Liujiang river;
• Investment in green infrastructure;
• Improvement of mobility and accessibility with affordable public transport;
• Optimization of a ‘15-minute community life circle’ in spatial planning
• Regeneration of the old city district
Key enablers:
• Cross-sectoral governance with PPP and citizen participation, &
• Inclusive development, supported by multiple stakeholder consultations and advice
from external experts (including IOs and NGOs).
Identify specific urban regeneration and growth strategies that
optimize urban-rural and city region collaborations that spur
sustainability and investment 3
The Xiamen Model as an example of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM), China
Marine Functional Zoning (MFZ) has been established as a
low-cost and effective way of dealing with the conflicts over
the use of marine resources. It support reduction of
negative impacts of large-scale sea dredging and
aquaculture rehabilitation and beach restoration, as well
as alternative employment options for local
communities.
Future of Urban and Territorial Planning
Many Innovative ideas have emerged. For example,
Yuanboyuan Expo Garden which was constructed
in a way to help deal with local flooding and drainage
issues
URBAN RESILIENCE
Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division,United Nations Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Curt Garrigan
Policy Pathways for Sustainable Cities
Utilise big data sources to connect communities, cities, and regions
and to improve local government technological literacy.
Scale up the use of nature-based solutions and resilient
infrastructure in integrated urban and climate change planning.
Understand the informal economy and support urban poor groups to
be change agents for implementing city-resilience actions.
Create and strengthen partnerships to bring more attention and
resources to long-term urban resilience strategies that break siloes
between national, state, and local actors.
1
2
3
4
The Future of Urban Resilience
Future of Urban Resilience
Scale up the use of nature-based solutions and resilient
infrastructure in integrated urban and climate change planning.1
Nature-based Solutions for Resilience in Ormoc City, Philippines
Future of Urban Resilience
Example: Ormoc Waterscape
Project1. The Lower Malbasag Park as a buffer zone for flood.
2. Redesigning residential areas for better adaptation.
3. Upgrading of informal settlement in safer location and better living
environment.
In October 2018, Ormoc initiated Local Climate Action Plan,
emphasising
• Capturing the increasing rainfall through harnessing water
• Addressing urban heat through introducing nature-based
solutions
• Urban redesign projects.
Understand the informal economy and support urban poor groups
to be change agents for implementing city-resilience actions.2
Future of Urban Resilience
Fiji Resilient Informal Settlements (FRIS) Program
key learning points
UN-Habitat and Fiji are working to support the most vulnerable
communities to build adaptive capacity against climate change
and disaster risk. 16 communities from 4 local councils (Lautoka,
Sigatoka, Nadi & Lami) are selected. The assessments were
carried out to detail climate action plan for each community.
• Participatory approaches are crucial for community buy-in and
relevance.
• When dealing with informal settlements upgrading, land tenure and legal
frameworks are a key aspect as responsibilities and accountabilities vary
according to land tenure
• Data collection and management on informal settlements is
significantly lacking and needs to be further supported.
3Create and strengthen partnerships to bring more attention and
resources to long-term urban resilience strategies that break siloes
between national, state, and local actors.
Without meaningful decentralisation, cities have difficulties to create new
opportunities for resilience.
The potential pathways to decentralization include
• building capacities step by step and prioritizing economic diversification, and;
• attracting initial capital projects that build a tax base and enable local
governments to exercise more authority from the central Government.
PARTNERSHIPS
DECENTRALISATION
Penang Platform for
Sustainable Urbanisation
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Resilience
4Utilise big data sources to connect communities, cities, and regions
and to improve local government technological literacy.
Potential solutions for cities include:
- Crowdsourcing
- Track and Trace through Blockchains
- Use of data to improve public procurement
Access to immediate, visualized data enable parsing and accessing the
same data and make shared decisions about complex problems
overlapping various administrative functions.
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Resilience
However, cities need to understand a key enabler:
Technological Literacy is
necessary to interpret the data.
SMART & INCLUSIVE CITIES
Economic Affairs Officers, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division,United Nations Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Matthew Perkins
Policy Pathways for Sustainable Cities
Develop smart mobility investment plans that
prioritize sustainable urban mobility options for citizens
Improve smart city governance across urban systems,
institutions and actors to overcome inequalities and make
more informed and integrated planning decisions
Encourage technology firms to become more civic
minded and create sustainable smart city solutions
with social enterprises
Adopt cybersecurity safeguards in both digital and
physical urban infrastructure development planning
1
2
3
4
5Expand viable smart city funding mechanisms by enabling
cross-sector partnerships and business matching
platforms
The Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
Sihanoukville for all: promoting a Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive City, Cambodia
1. People-focused Smart Planning & e-governance through
Innovative digital Participation
2. Smart services through crowdsourced data and
information
3. Digital empowerment to reduce the digital divide and
foster human rights
Through using tools such as Block by Block, Her city toolbox, etc.
1Improve smart city governance across urban systems,
institutions and actors to overcome inequalities and make
more informed and integrated planning decisions
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
A comprehensive assessment was conducted to launch Sihanoukville as a smart
sustainable and inclusive city. The initiative embraces “leaving no one behind” and the
philosophy that “if we plan a city for girls, it will work for everyone.”, positioning the
“people” at the heart of the smart city vision. It promotes a Novel Alliance between
Citizens and Local Authorities through 13 initiatives, grouped in 3 pillars:
2Encourage technology firms to become more civic minded
and create sustainable smart city solutions with social
enterprises
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
Crowdsourced data can provides insight on traffic and air pollution
3Adopt cybersecurity safeguards in both digital and physical
urban infrastructure development planning
A people-centred approach via the Smart City Guideline for Chengdu High-
Tech Development Zone (CDHT) , China
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
CDHT will:
Reach a new agreement on data to expand the use of
data beneficial to society while safeguarding the
sovereignty, ethics and privacy of data.
Use the guideline to guide smart development and use of
technology and data to increase affordability of services
and transparency of the government.1
2
4Develop smart mobility investment plans that prioritize
sustainable urban mobility options for citizens
Because the night bus (Owl Bus) was inadequately responding to the
travel patterns of residents in Seoul, especially low-income groups, the
Seoul Metropolitan Government decided in 2012 to use cell phone
data to chart night-time travel patterns along with taxi ride data to
understand the pattern of traffic demands and plan the new night bus
routes.
in taxi fares over three years since its launch.Saved $1.2
million
with 7,000 people using the buses nightly.
Reduced 2.3 million Car Trips
Annually
Case Study – Seoul
Impact
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
5Expand viable smart city funding mechanisms by enabling
cross-sector partnerships and business matching
platforms
ADB financed project “Asia-Pacific Remote Broadband
Internet Satellite Project” worked with Kacific Broadband
Satellites International Limited (Kacific) in Singapore to
provide access to the internet in remote areas in Southeast
Asia and the Pacific at the affordable cost with reliable
connection.
Providing internets across all pacific
countries Connected 68 health clinics and education institutions in Timor-
Leste
Case Study –
Impact
Policy Pathways for the Future of Smart & Inclusive Cities
Scale up public-private partnerships and community schemes to
transition to localized housing finance solutions
Adopt land-linked financing mechanisms that leverage urban
growth to build people-centred urban infrastructure
Introduce congestion-charging and environmental
user fees to improve urban air quality
1
2
3
The Future of Urban Finance
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Finance
Scale up public-private partnerships and community schemes to
transition to localized housing finance solutions1
ADB’s Financing support to the M Squared Affordable Housing Project in Georgia
Features
The proceeds of the ADB loan will partially finance the two
affordable residential complexes development in Tbilisi, being
developed by M Squared and Optima, two private developers,
who have taken over a failed project by another private developer.
This will be ADB’s first non-sovereign financing of the housing
sector in the Central and West Asia.
• Focus on developing accessible affordable housing, including for persons with
disabilities and the elderly.
• An accessibility audit was conducted by experts, and their recommendations will be
incorporated into the design and construction of the buildings.
• Enhanced energy efficiency was incorporated into the design to demonstrate what is
possible in the Georgian market.
ADB assistance – up to $ 10
million
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Finance
Adopt land-linked financing mechanisms that leverage urban
growth to build people-centred urban infrastructure2
Case Study – Kathmandu
Impact
Land pooling and readjustment were effective for Nepal where the Government has little control
over private land and informal settlements with minimal capability to improve urban
infrastructure services at local levels. The Naya Bazar land pooling project involved different
levels of government and international organizations (e.g. ADB). Kathmandu’s Municipality
Infrastructure Improvement Project was chaired by the mayor of Kathmandu Municipality
City (KMC) along with a user’s committee representing the interest of all landowners and
tenants.
A total of 50% of the project cost was covered through land pooling, and approximately 95% of
the land was privately owned by farmers. At project completion, road infrastructure covered
21.5% of the area, compared with 1.6% previously and the value of the 40 hectares of land
also doubled.
The land value of 40 Hectares
doubled
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Finance
Introduce congestion-charging and environmental
user fees to improve urban air quality3
The Breathe Better Bond is
a debt instrument for local
governments to finance air
pollution reduction projects in
emerging market cities.
It uses a blended capital
structure to provide credit
enhancement, and a results-
based payment mechanism
to ensure cities receive
tangible near-term benefits if
targets are achieved.
Breathe Better Bond for climate smart infrastructure investment
Policy Pathways for the Future of Urban Finance