SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

REALIZING THE FULL
PROMISE OF URBANIZATION
How countries and cities respond to the challenges
of urban poverty and inequality, pollution and
climate change, and governance will determine
whether or not they deliver broad-based human
development and optimize benefits from the
demographic transition. The current exclusion
of large segments of urban residents from the
economic, social and political life of cities needs
to be reversed, because it is unjust, and contradicts
the Agenda 2030 emphasis on inclusive
development. By depriving some groups of basic
human capabilities and rights—to be educated,
healthy and earn a decent income—it also undercuts
the potential for higher productivity and
making the most of the demographic dividend.
Governments and all others with a stake
in a liveable urban future will need to commit
to improved services, the generation of decent
employment and extended protection measures,
particularly for the most marginalized. This
includes as well a sustainable urban environment
that supports the health of all citizens, and
manages resources so that they are equitably
available for generations now and in the future.
Where cities fail to ensure urban inclusion
and liveability, they can end up with a
growing class of urban poor and deepening
social division. Urban populations will likely
continue to split along class lines, where the
middle- and upper-classes will enjoy well-paying
jobs, high-quality health care and schools, a
clean supply of water, and safe housing in clean
neighbourhoods. The poor will be marginalized
to the worst work and living areas, without
equal access to high-quality services, and with
diminishing capabilities. This does not have
to be the future of Asia-Pacific’s cities—but it
may be, without timely and deliberate policy
interventions.
FORMULATE COMPREHENSIVE
NATIONAL URBAN STRATEGIES
National and local governments need to become
more strategic and sensitive to the full range of
threats and opportunities posed by rapid urbanization,
with the speed at which it is occurring
leaving little time for adjusting or learning. A
clear, far-sighted view of where cities should
head is key, and a national strategy on the role
of urbanization in national development is
a first step forward. It could help to identify
urban development priorities, provide national
and regional spatial plans, and better coordinate
actions by national and local actors, including
the private sector.
Under it, governments at all levels can help
cities become more equitable, efficient, sustainable
and environmentally friendly, including
through making informed trade-offs on the use
of scarce resources such as land and water. The
strategy should be linked to overcoming governance
fragmentation in public policy formulation
and implementation, as key to addressing issues
such as disorderly expansion in urban peripheries.
A sound property rights protection system and
transparent land registry are critical in leveraging
rapid urbanization for economic development.
Plan land use to connect urban and rural areas.
This should be an integral aim of national urban
strategies. The various disparities between
rural and urban areas, in particular, suggest
the need for an ‘evening out’ process, including
through targeted investments and an equitable
distribution of resources to help reduce spatial
inequalities. A broader territorial perspective can
emphasize stronger connectivity between cities,
towns and rural areas, and promote two-way
links, including to foster economic opportunities
and enhanced quality of life in rural areas.
Urbanization could catalyse rural economic
development by pulling large numbers of underemployed
and unemployed rural workers
into urban areas. Market and other urban-rural
connections could help stimulate the development
and application of modern farming
practices, and the growth of vibrant rural nonfarm
activities. Investments in better services
and enhanced human capital in rural areas can
also yield benefits, including to slow the tide of
rural-urban migrants 49 where that is warranted,
and to ensure that if people do choose to move,
they have skills to compete for well-paying jobs
in urban areas and can contribute to labour
productivity and thus economic growth. 50
In some sense, the region cannot get its urbanization
strategy right without fundamentally
Rapid urbanization
calls for proactive
planning and sound
management
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