New Urban Agenda in Asia-Pacific: Governance for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities

Abstract

Indexed by SCOPUSThis Series focuses on the entire spectrum of human settlements-from rural to urban, in different regions of the world, with questions such as: What factors cause and guide the process of change in human settlements from rural to urban in character, from hamlets and villages to towns, cities and megacities? Is this process different across time and space, how and why? Is there a future for rural life? Is it possible or not to have industrial development in rural settlements, and how? Why does 'urban shrinkage' occur? Are the rural areas urbanizing or is that urban areas are undergoing 'ruralisation' (in form of underserviced slums)? What are the challenges faced by 'mega urban regions', and how they can be/are being addressed? What drives economic dynamism in human settlements? Is the urban-based economic growth paradigm the only answer to the quest for sustainable development, or is there an urgent need to balance between economic growth on one hand and ecosystem restoration and conservation on the other-for the future sustainability of human habitats? How and what new technology is helping to achieve sustainable development in human settlements? What sort of changes in the current planning, management and governance of human settlements are needed to face the changing environment including the climate and increasing disaster risks? What is the uniqueness of the new 'socio-cultural spaces' that emerge in human settlements, and how they change over time? As rural settlements become urban, are the new 'urban spaces' resulting in the loss of rural life and 'socio-cultural spaces'? What is leading the preservation of rural 'socio-cultural spaces' within the urbanizing world, and how? What is the emerging nature of the rural-urban interface, and what factors influence it? What are the emerging perspectives that help understand the human-environment-culture complex through the study of human settlements and the related ecosystems, and how do they transform our understanding of cultural landscapes and 'waterscapes' in the 21st Century? What else is and/or likely to be new vis-à-vis human settlements-now and in the future? The Series, therefore, welcomes contributions with fresh cognitive perspectives to understand the new and emerging realities of the 21st Century human settlements. Such perspectives will include a multidisciplinary analysis, constituting of the demographic, spatio-economic, environmental, technological, and planning, management and governance lenses.

Mapping key features and dimensions of the inclusive city: A systematic bibliometric analysis and literature study

“…And last but not least, inclusive cities can be seen as a paradigm shift when it comes to developing, governing and managing cities (Dahiya and Das 2020). Gupta, Pfeffer, Verrest and Ros-Tonen (2015) explained how dimensions of inclusive urban development affect the most vulnerable people and ecological standards and how persistent imbalances in power perpetuate inequality and injustice (Gupta et al 2015).…”

Managing Sustainable Urban Tourism Development: The Case of Ljubljana

“…Massive tourism also produces pollution [64] that affects the quality of life and tourist carrying capacity needs to be included in planning for sustainable tourism [65]. Cities should be inclusive, to avoid urban poverty and inequality [66]. When studying urban ecosystems, social and natural sciences need to be connected.…”

Terra incognita: the contribution of disaster risk reduction in unpacking the sustainability–peace nexus

“…These connections can be observed not only generally but also through specific goals. For example, SDG 11 on ‘sustainable cities and communities’ depends on the effective management of hazard-related disaster risks (Dahiya and Das 2019 ; UNDRR 2019 ); patterns of vulnerability and exposure to hazards are shaped by urban risk governance practices. Relatedly, how cities are configured affects the pursuit of SDG 16 on ‘peace, justice and strong institutions’ (The World in 2050 2018, in Scharlemann et al 2020 ).…”