Jill Gale de Villa
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in its State of the World Population 1996, noted that Asia then had about 1.2 billion urban residents, and that this number was expected to balloon to 2.7 billion by 2025. And in 2011, energybulletin.net noted that urban areas of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) already held 40% of its population. This presents huge challenges for cities to provide the vast amount of resources its current and projected residents need for roads, housing, water, sewerage, health care, communications, government, and the entire vast network of interrelated functions and functioning needed for cities to expand rapidly and “liveably.”
Manila (Pasig): housing is urgently needed for poor residents and new comers.
Among cities’ pressing needs: proper waste disposal.
In response, in 2007, ADB launched the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA), aimed at assisting the smaller cities that are often left out of the assistance to urbanization, because such aid is often targeted at the larger and better known cities. Initially, CDIA was funded by ADB and the German government. Then other donors joined—Sweden, Austria, and the PRC. The donors met yearly, but soon decided a more formal and stable structure would be preferred, and started the process of forming a regional, international organization to be named Cities Development Institute for Asia (also CDIA), and to be based in the Philippines. As a first step, a corporation is being formed (starting in 2009) called CDIA, Inc. The process to establish a regional institute is still ongoing, as it requires ratification by the Philippine congress. It also requires a Board of Trustees. All involved preferred that the board be headed by someone familiar with ADB, but not working there. An obvious choice: Hans-Juergen Springer. CDIA also has an office and staff.
Hans accepted the post because it is the sort of work he has done in the past and likes doing. He notes that urban development affects us all, as we are impacted by insufficiencies in water, traffic management, and the like. And these issues affect the poor more severely than the rest of us. He notes that smaller cities get even less attention, their poor are worse off than the poor in larger cities, and they often have a tremendous problem with garbage disposal. He remembers an ADB project he worked on in Shanghai that the locals dubbed the “Black and Stink Project.” It involved cleaning up a canal that was so foul that at the point it joined the Huang Pu, Shanghai’s major river, it comprised a black flow of very smelly fluid.
While the official formation of the regional institute is continuing, CDIA projects continue in parallel, with funding from ADB and other sources. CDIA bridges a gap between the national planning and project feasibility studies by supporting prefeasibility work that helps to provide the studies donors need in order to support urban planning and improvement projects. CDIA also helps enhance the knowledge base for urban planning and work by bringing together young professionals from urban sector institutions for training and networking. This also facilitates CDIA’s role. The participants benefit from a 6-month training program involving on-the-job experience, mentoring by international experts, and participating in projects. After their training, they return to their original employment, where they can provide enhanced support to their own governments in bridging the planning-to-infrastructure gaps and making significant contributions to their cities’ development. They also become focal points for cooperation and collaboration with CDIA in knowledge sharing, capacity development, and various events.
Hans’ work includes running board meetings and approving the budget and work plan of CDIA, Inc. on its way to being officially “born.” He also runs the annual shareholders’ meeting—the third one will be held soon. Hans also attends as an observer the yearly meetings of the CDIA donors (ADB is represented by the director general of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department).
Many populations have inadequate access to clean water.
Cities need adequate transport and road systems for growing populations, to accommodate many more motor vehicles and provide better mass transit.
