News Release No. 402/2008/EAP
Contacts:
In Washington:
Elisabeth Mealey (202) 458-4475
emealey@worldbank.org
In Singapore:
Tina Taheri (65) 6324-4612; 9853 2470 (cell)
ttaheri@worldbank.org
Singapore, 25 June 2008 – Well managed and run cities can play a key role in improving the prosperity and productivity of entire nations, a World Bank vice president has told the World Cities Summit in an address here today.
Jim Adams – Vice President for the Bank’s East Asia and Pacific region told the conference of more than 3,000 international participants – that there had been a major shift in the World Bank’s and other development institutions’ attitudes to cities and urbanization since the approach of 30 years ago.
“The old thinking was that urbanization was a bad thing – that it led to people living in miserable conditions in slums with few opportunities to find work, educate their children or escape poverty,” Mr Adams said. “In East Asia we have seen this old thinking turned on its head or completely bypassed. The region has embraced urbanization because it creates engines of growth in the form of cities that, if planned and managed well, then offer people opportunities to build productive lives.”
All over the world, cities were becoming “growth-inducing hubs that attract capital and innovation”, he said. But with an expected 25 million people moving to cities every year for the next two decades, East Asia faces a massive challenge to ensure cities are managed efficiently and transparently for the benefit of all their citizens while at the same time addressing the impact urban centers are having on the environment.
“As cities grow, more attention will need to be paid to their environmental impact. Planning and managing cities will become a key focus of national policy as countries become increasingly conscious of the global impact of their urban populations.”
City managers and national authorities must find innovative approaches to reducing the contribution their cities are making to climate change, Mr Adams said.
“But climate change concerns should encourage us to rethink the shape of our cities, not mislead us into trying to slow down the pace of urbanization.”
|
RSS