SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

plan automatically enrols people in saving for
retirement unless they choose to opt out. Unlike
in the United States, New Zealanders cannot
withdraw their savings at any time prior to
their retirement, which makes the system more
sustainable. Denmark maintains a well-funded
pension system with investments in long-term
bonds that was recently ranked as the world’s
best. It is robust and provides good benefits.
Undertake national campaigns to change negative
perceptions around ageing. Ageing societies
face a process of adjustment that will take place
on the policy and planning levels, but also in
the court of public opinion. Public awareness
campaigns can be invaluable in countering
discriminatory notions about older people that
can marginalize them in multiple ways.
Some initiatives might aim to slow the
erosion of traditions and values that treat the
family as a cohesive unit where different members
at different stages of life help each other.
They could encourage, for example, adults to
support their elderly parents, or elderly people to
assist with rearing grandchildren. At least in the
interim, this could help take excessive pressure
off pension schemes, and increase psychological
and emotional satisfaction among the elderly.
Grandparents play an important role in child
care in European countries. Their role in the
family is believed to have a positive impact on
their own health even as it allows more mothers
to participate in the labour market. 11
REALIZING THE FULL
PROMISE OF URBANIZATION
Though urbanization is both a cause and consequence
of demographic changes, it should not be
viewed as simply a demographic phenomenon.
At its core, urbanization is a transformative force
that alters the landscape and fortune of countries,
in both positive and negative ways. Cities are
hubs of modern living, better paid jobs, higher
quality education and health care, and improved
sanitation, hygiene and nutrition. They boost
productivity and innovation, and open access
to markets and technology. But they can also
be sources of heightened risk for poor residents,
such as through crime and low living standards.
They can dramatically amplify pressures on
the environmental through urban sprawl and
unsustainable consumption of resources.
In Asia-Pacific, urbanization is occurring
more quickly than in other regions, forcing cities
to adapt and manage demographic transformation
in a narrower window of time. Higher
human development outcomes largely depend
on better services and the fair sharing of benefits
from urban economic dynamism. Towards these
ends, local and national policy makers need
both vision and political will. Governments
will need to expand capacities and resources
to cater to rapidly growing demands for public
services and infrastructure, extend protection
measures for the urban poor and marginalized,
and guide the building of cities that are resilient
and sustainable.
Enact a national urbanization strategy. National
and local governments need to become more
strategic in responding to the full range of threats
and options posed by rapid urbanization. For
this, a national urbanization strategy is a first
step. It could help to identify urban development
priorities, shape national and regional spatial
plans, and better coordinate actions by national
and local actors, including the private sector.
Working with such a strategy, governments at
all levels can help make cities more equitable,
efficient and environmentally friendly, through,
for example, informed trade-offs on the use
of scarce resources such as land. In orienting
diverse policies for housing, transport and basic
Well-defined property
rights and transparent
land and labour
markets help harness
urban potential
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