The Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report 2023 entitled, Crisis Resilient Urban Futures, is a comprehensive analysis and assessment of sustainable urban development in the Asia and Pacific region at a time of great disruption and uncertainty resulting from multiple interlinked global crises in a post-pandemic era. This report aims to provide valuable insights into the spatial, economic, social, environmental, and governance aspects of cities, offering holistic policy recommendations towards a sustainable urban recovery from these crises.
Shocks in the city: Multiple interlinked crises test sustainable urban development
The world is facing multiple and interlinked crises, a perfect storm that is testing the limits of current development paradigms. As countries and cities across Asia and the Pacific struggle to recover from the health and socioeconomic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of climate change continue to ravage the region. Geopolitical tensions and the growing food and energy crisis are undermining prospects for a true recovery and are, consequently, placing the aspirations of the New Urban Agenda and localization of the Sustainable Development Goals in the region seemingly out of reach. Drawing upon consultations on the status of Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities in the region, in the present report, the linkages between urban planning, climate action, digitalization and finance in urban areas of Asia and the Pacific are explored. The report concludes with actions for policymakers to guide urban cooperation and partnerships to address severe disruptions and long-standing development challenges in cities for a sustainable urban recovery in Asia and the Pacific.
