Background:

The urban population in Asia and the Pacific currently represents the 40% of the total population, but this number is expected to reach 50% by 2025. This trend, coupled with population growth, represents a considerable challenge in delivering cost-effective and affordable services to the population.

Traffic congestion costs and poor quality infrastructure have been found to be the main factors negatively influencing competitiveness of urban areas. Lack of attention to environmental and social aspects in infrastructure development reduces the profitability of investments in infrastructure as well as opportunities for contributing to economic growth and improving quality of life. In turn, environmental quality and a more sustainable spatial approach enhance the livability of a city, and thus its attractiveness to foreign direct investment.

Infrastructure is not only very intensive in resource use, including energy, water, materials and land, but it also locks into consumption patterns for decades. The choice of infrastructure is thus critical in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery, as well as environmental impacts.

Infrastructure development in urban areas deserves special attention, as they can contribute up to 75% of all energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, according to certain estimates. The challenges are not limited to environmental considerations alone: slum dwellers represent in fact 40% of the urban population in the region (540 million in total).

Cities in Asia and the Pacific are at a crossroads in developing and expanding infrastructure in support of fast economic growth and rapid urbanization. Choices made in urban infrastructure development today will determine the competitiveness, quality of life and sustainability of cities in the region for decades to come. The need to take social and environmental implications into account is clear.

ESCAP is assisting cities of the region in responding to these challenges through the project “Eco-efficient and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Development in Asia and Latin America”, jointly implemented with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

Approach to implementation

The project seeks to promote the application of eco-efficiency as key criterion for sustainable infrastructure development and as a basis for expanding infrastructure financing opportunities.

The project will contribute to this goal by equipping policy-makers and planners with a methodology to assess the eco-efficiency and social inclusiveness of urban infrastructure in an integrated manner and develop strategies and policies to improve this.

Activities include city and sector level assessments, case studies, identification of good practices and policy options, and capacity building workshops (at national, regional and inter-regional levels).