New Urbanization Seminar Series

The East-West Center has launched a new seminar series that examines the current trends and implications of rapid urbanization of cities in Asia from a broad systems-wide approach (political, economic, social), with special focus on issues of urban governance. The seminar series brings together government and non-government organizations, including elected and appointed national and city officials, urban planners, civil society representatives, corporate entities, and urbanization experts from Asia and the U.S. to discuss work already underway in the public and private sectors in preparing cities in Asia to effectively cope with the dramatic growth in the region. In small, informal roundtable discussions, seminar participants have the opportunity to engage in peer-to-peer exchanges on policy options, share ideas and information about experiences, best practices, tools and strategies, and offer new perspectives for managing the urbanization process and its challenges and consequences. In addition, seminar participants are encouraged to reflect on their long-term strategic visions, proactive political leadership, commitment to bold plans, and the ability to reconcile divergent interests for the common good.

The year 2008 marked an unprecedented transformation in the history of human settlements, as more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. By 2015, twelve of the twenty-two mega cities projected to develop worldwide will be in Asia, and by 2030 Asia will account for more than half of the world’s urban population—2.66 billion people out of a total global urban population of 4.94 billion. (United Nations Population Fund, State of the World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth). This transformation is redefining peoples’ lifestyles, employment, welfare, housing needs, and social interactions. It is creating new power relationships in organizations and government, altering the geopolitical landscape. The extraordinary growth of cities in Asia has been pivotal to expanded economic development and increased wealth in the region. But it is also changing the social fabric and culture of the countries—exacerbating poverty, slums, and environmental degradation in the urban agglomerations and peri-urban areas. Policymakers at all levels must respond to both the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in order to maximize its potential to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

Seminar Series Activities

• Inaugural Seminar 2008, "The Urban Transformation in Asia: Policy Implications of Decentralization"
  10 - 13 August 2008
  Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

The first seminar, held at the Imin International Conference Center on the East-West Center campus, examined current trends of urban growth and decentralization and policy implications for Asian cities. (For detailed information, please scroll  down to the Inaugural Seminar section.)

• 9th World Congress of Metropolis: "Connecting Cities" 
  22 - 25 October 2008
  Sydney, Australia

The East-West Center will participate in a one-day forum sponsored by the UN Global Compact Cities Programme and the United Cities and Local Governments' Global Observatory on Local Democracy that will focus on how global cities are implementing new systems of metropolitan government and how these can apply in  individual city contexts. The forum will present case studies highlighting successes and challenges to local democracy and decentralization initatives across all regions of the world, and discuss alternate urban governance approaches to engaging city leaders with all levels of government, business, and civil society sectors.

• Workshop, "A Regional Planning Approach to Kathmandu Valley Growth and Development"
  11-13 February 2009
  Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal   

In follow up to the inaugural seminar, the East-West Center is partnering with city administrations in Asia in organizing in-city workshops designed  to address a specific governance issue that has been identified by the city as key to addressing the challenges of rapid growth.

• Second Urbanization Seminar
  10 - 13 November 2009
  Imin International Conference Center 
  East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 

Topic to be determined.  Participation will be by invitation only. 

Contact

For more information regarding the urbanization seminar series, contact

Ms. Meril Dobrin Fujiki
Seminars Development Coordinator
East-West Seminars
East-West Center
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawaii 96848-1601
Phone: 1-808-944-7352
Fax: 1-808-944-7600
Email: fujikim@eastwestcenter.org

The Urban Transformation in Asia: Policy Implications of Decentralization

10 – 13 August 2008
Imin International Conference Center
East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Inaugural Seminar Participants

(by invitation only)

City Leaders

Indonesia

Ms. Aurora Tambunan, Assistant Secretary for Community Welfare, Jakarta Capital City Government

Dr. Reswan Soewardjo, Deputy Chairman for Economic Development, Regional Planning Board, Jakarta Provincial Government

Korea

Dr. Lee In-Keun, Director-General, Urban Planning, Seoul Metropolitan Government

Dr. Won Bae Kim, Director, Northeast Asia Regional Development Center, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, Seoul

Nepal

The Honorable Dinesh Kumar Thapalia, Mayor/Chief Executive Officer, Kathmandu Metropolitan City

Mr. Devendra Dongol, Department Head, Physical Development and Construction, Kathmandu Metropolitan City

Philippines

The Honorable Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Mayor, Quezon City

Mr. Bayani “BF” Fernando, Chairman, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Manila

United States

The Honorable Mufi Hannemann, Mayor, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii

Mr. Gary Gallegos, Executive Director, San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego, California

Ms. Gail Goldberg, Director, Department of City Planning, City of Los Angeles, California

Vietnam

Mr. Tran Du Lich, President, Institute of Economic Research, Ho Chi Minh City

Dr. Le Van Thanh, Deputy Head, Department of Urban Development Studies, Institute of Economic Research, Ho Chi Minh City

Session Chairs

Mr. David Cadman, President, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability-Global; Councillor/Deputy Mayor of Vancouver, Canada

Dr. Shabbir Cheema, Senior Fellow, East-West Center; Former Director of Management Development and Governance Division, United Nations Development Program, Honolulu, Hawaii

Dr. Allen Clark, Senior Fellow, East-West Center; Former Executive Director, Pacific Disaster Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

Dr. Elliott Sclar, Director, Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia University Earth Institute, New York, New York

Discussion Leaders

Ms. Somsook Boonyabancha, Secretary General, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Bangkok, Thailand

Dr. Tim Campbell, Chairman of the Board, Urban Age Institute; Former Urban Advisor, City Management and Urban Development, World Bank Institute, Washington, D.C.

Ms. Celine d’Cruz, Co-Coordinator, Slum/Shack Dwellers International, Mumbai, India

Mr. Gordon Feller, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Age Institute, San Rafael, California

Dr. Maryam Golnaraghi, Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Dr. Aprodicio A. Laquian, Professor Emeritus, Community and Regional Planning, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada

Dr. Bindu Lohani, Vice President, Finance and Administration, Asian Development Bank

Dr. Eduardo López Moreno, Chief, State of the World's Cities Section, Monitoring and Research Division, UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, Kenya

Mr. Carlos Rodrigues, Vice President and New Jersey Director, Regional Plan Association, Princeton, New Jersey

Dr. Patricia Romero-Lankao, Deputy Director, Institute for the Study of Society and Environment, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

Dr. Mark Turner, Deputy Director, Centre for Developing Cities, and Professor of Development Policy and Management, University of Canberra, Australia

Dr. Shahid Yusuf, Economic Advisor, Development Economics Research Group, The World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Working Session I: Democracy, Decentralization, and Urbanization in Asia: The Challenges of New Policies, Strategies, and Institutional Frameworks

Topic 1: Decentralization and the Democratic State in Asia: Devolution with Accountability

Topic 2: Urban Decentralization in Asia – Trends and Issues

Topic 3: Fiscal and Administrative Capacities of Local Governments

Working Session II: Asia Urban Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities

Topic 1: Governance and Finance: Challenges of Urban Infrastructure Development

Topic 2: Multi-Source Urban Infrastructure Planning, Finance, and Development

Topic 3: Regional Planning of Infrastructure Development and Access

Working Session III: The Evolving Role of Civil Society in the Urban Transformation

Topic 1: Forging Civil Society and Local Government Partnerships

Topic 2: The Role of Civil Society in Improving Urban Governance

Topic 3: Capacities and Accountability of Civil Society Organizations

Working Session IV: Urban Adaptation to Environmental Change: An Integrated Approach to Risk

Topic 1: Globalization of Urban Risk

Topic 2: Urban Society and Adaptation Challenges: An Integrated Approach to Risk

Topic 3: Practical Applications and Strategies

Content Description of Working Sessions

Working Session 1
Democracy, Decentralization, and Urbanization in Asia: The Challenges of New Policies, Strategies, and Institutional Frameworks
Key issues to be addressed include implications of realignment of enhanced local government responsibilities and relationship/institutional arrangements with unified metropolitan administrative authorities and impacts on economic development, fiscal power, political policy/decision-making, and governance (strengths and weaknesses, multi-level governance, civil society participation, ecological sustainability, social and spatial inequalities); need for creative thinking to identify new governance measures to address stresses and opportunities associated with rapid growth; defining and implementing appropriate levels of formal and informal institutional organizations and processes to guide the metropolitan centers created by decentralization; and development of metropolitan and megapolitan data sets to support strategic planning to facilitate understanding of real urbanization patterns.

Working Session II
Asia Urban Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities
Key issues to be addressed include governance issues related to pro-active infrastructure development requiring large-scale lump investment that will yield returns for a century or more (sewer systems, rapid transit, expressways); need for new and innovative finance systems (municipal bonds, national government lending); fiscal-budget complexity (two-budget systems and transparency); and large scale improvement in financial information systems (taxation and fiscal reform).

Working Session III
The Evolving Role of Civil Society in the Urban Transformation Process
Key issues to be addressed include the emergence of “public governance;” incorporating public-private bodies and socially-oriented interest groups into metropolitan governance systems (labor/trade, environment, professional organizations (planners, architects, surveyors, business/industry associations); government as friend or foe; strategies for developing more practical and effective partnerships between civil society organizations and government; consolidation of NGOs to strengthen capacity; and private sector perception and collaboration.

Working Session IV
Urban Adaptation to Environmental Change: An Integrated Approach to Risk
Key issues to be addressed include risk factors associated with climate change (economic costs, vulnerability of urban populations) and complex linkages between drivers of development and the human environment (land, water, and energy usage, impacts on carbon cycle); recent innovations by urban governments and community organizations (financial systems that incorporate risk reduction strategies); integrated planning strategies; and impacts on governance.