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

Sanitation Investments Make India's Coastal Cities 'More Livable'

Sewage project contributes to improving the living conditions of people in ten coastal towns of Karnataka. Read More

Focus on Gender and Urban Development in South Asia

Asian Development Bank's social and urban development experts talk about how empowering women in South Asia can address the twin issues of gender and urban poverty. Read More

12 Things to Know in 2012: Poverty Reduction in Asia and the Pacific

Despite significant progress achieved in recent years, much remains to be done to fight poverty in a region that is home to about two-thirds of the world's poor. 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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