City populations in developing countries are swiftly outgrowing their urban infrastructure, and creating a threat to their future competitiveness, said senior officials and executives on Monday in Singapore.
Many cities are struggling to keep up with the current demand for services and infrastructure such as transport, housing, water provision, sewage and electricity supply, said speakers at the opening plenary of Singapore’s World Cities Summit.
Indian Minister of Urban Development Kamal Nath said that the rapid rate of urbanisation in India, which already has the world’s second largest urban population, has created an infrastructure deficit.
“Our biggest challenge is catching up with the past while also building for the future,” he said of India’s urban infrastructure.
India, which is projected to have 65 to 70 cities with populations of over 1 mill within 10 years, is preparing a US$14 billion federal funding initiative to help states improve their urban services in areas such as public transport.
Strategic urban planning and improved governance would considerably speed progress in India, which is currently hindered by bureaucracy and election cycles, said the minister, who was joined on the panel by officials from Tokyo, China, Nigeria, Indonesia and Singapore – as well as speakers from the World Bank and envir/nmental technology companies Siemens and Electricite de France.
The four-day World City Summit is held every other year to promote discussions and share technologies that help cities cope with urban challenges. Begun in 2008, the event is organised by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities.
Held at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre, the plenary was part of a joint programme of three co-located global events related to sustainable development - the World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit. Combined, the three conferences attracted about 15,000 participants.
Over half of the global population currently lives in cities and the World Bank expects that number to increase to about 70 per cent by 2050.
Panellist Roland Busch, who is chief executive of Infrastructure and Cities for German firm Siemens, said that cities needed to find new ways of managing cities.
“Incremental development`of the current infrastructure is not doing the trick,” he said, referring to preparations for the increased traffic and energy and water demands expected from growing urban populations.
He added that sustainable cities needed innovation not just in technologies, such as energy efficient water desalination or hybrid delivery trucks powered by overhead electric lines, but also in new business models that can encourage investment and promote energy efficiency.
Cities are really competing against each other, and sustainable city development creates jobs and increases competitiveness at same time, said Dr Busch.
Nigerian Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Ama Pepple said that the problems caused by rapid urbanisation undermined economic efficiency and compromised competiveness in the global environment.
If the growth rate is too high, it puts too much pressure on existing systems and causes decay of infrastructure such as roads, drains, water and electricity.
Nigeria’s population of 467 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.27 per cent. Currently, 48 per cent of its people live in cities.
The government has prioritised the management of rural-urban migration and is focusing on job creation, upgrading slums and creating low-income housing through public-private partnerships.
Singapore Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan noted that subsidised housing had helped Singapore avoid the problem of slums, but he warned against other kinds of subsidies.
“We don’t subsidise energy and water, or any consumption. We ensure we give cold, hard cash to members that need help,” he said.
In this way, the government ensures equity and opportunity for its residents, but lets the market send a price signal that promotes conservation of resources and also attracts private sector investment, added Dr Balakrishnan.
Several of the ministers on the panel noted that urbanisation was inevitable as people seek out better opportunities and as younger, more mobile populations mature.
Dr Balakrishnan added to this that well planned cities provide the greenest and most sustainable way of life for the future.
Siemens’ Dr Busch said, “Don’t think about stopping or slowing down urbanisation: Embrace it; drive it.”
