Small Sanitation Project in Myanmar Has Big Impact on Community Life

A $50,000 pilot sanitation project in Myanmar shows that local infrastructure and services can be developed by communities and city governments in the informal settlements where they’re most needed. Read More

Cleaner, Healthier Cities for Nepal's Urban Population

Bharatpur, one of Nepal’s fastest-growing municipalities, is taking steps to improve the urban environment, making the city more climate-resilient in the process. Read More

ASEAN Infrastructure Fund Readies $1 Billion Pipeline for Lending Operations

The ASEAN Infrastructure Fund Limited is set to begin its lending operations in the second half of 2013, with a pipeline of around $1 billion in projects for the next three years. Read More

Clean Water, Sanitation Prime Indian Cities for Growth

In India's fast-growing Madhya Pradesh State, sanitation and sewerage initiatives are making way for urban development. Read More

Overview

Cities generate over 80% of gross domestic product (GDP) in many countries of the Asia and the Pacific and are engines of economic growth that have lifted millions from poverty. But as they swell in size and number they are under increasing strain. Maintaining vital economic growth, while creating sustainable liveable cities for all is the biggest urban challenge facing Asia.

Since the 1960s, ADB has been assisting its developing member countries (DMCs) meet this challenge with about $15 billion in funding for 200 urban development projects, which have improved urban transport, waste management, and access to clean water and sanitation.

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Fast Facts

44 million
people are added to city populations every year

75%
of the world's resources are consumed by cities

More than half
of the world’s slum dwellers live in Asia

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What's New

Event | 1 Oct 2013
Cities for People: Realizing Sustainable Urban Design at the Human Scale

News | 29 Aug 2013
Arid Cities in People's Republic of China to Improve Water Management

Event | 1 Aug 2013 - 2 Aug 2013
Asian Development Review Conference

Event | 24 Jun 2013 - 25 Jun 2013
IPRCC-ADB International Policy Workshop: Urban Poverty and Inclusive Cities in Asia

News | 17 Jun 2013
ADB Loan Revitalizes Old Silk Road Outpost in PRC's Poor Northwest

Publications

Aug 2013
Solid Waste Management in Nepal: Current Status and Policy Recommendations

Aug 2013
Moving From Risk to Resilience

Aug 2013
Fragility Assessment of an Informal Urban Settlement in Papua New Guinea


More Publications

Urban Innovations and Practices

Nov 2010
Municipal Solid Waste Treatment: Case Study of PPPs in Wenzhou

Nov 2010
Urban Water Supply: Case Study of PPPs in Maanshan

Nov 2010
Wastewater Treatment: Case Study of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Shanghai

Nov 2010
Financing Urban Development in the PRC

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Sights, Sounds, People