Valencia's social and economic development for the foreseeable future has been carefully planned in a thorough and comprehensive plan known as the Strategic Plan 2015. Its objective is to make Valencia a clean city, one that is open to the sea, and socially committed and culturally active. The chief architect of this vision is the Mayor of Valencia. She explains, 'When I was elected, the first thing we did was for the citizens and the town council to sit down together and define the city we want more...

The Sustainable Economics Forum was established by Hagai Kott, a Heschel Environmental Fellow (Year 6), and was selected for nurturing and assistance through the Heschel Center's Environmental Leadership Action Network (ELAN). The aim of the forum is to develop this groundbreaking area of study in an Israeli context, where it is virtually unknown. 'Ecological economics' is a new school of thought which raises serious questions challenging the basic assumptions of the dominant economic thinking. more...

Global production of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells increased 51 percent in 2007, to 3,733 megawatts, according to the latest Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute, produced in collaboration with the Prometheus Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. More than 2,935 megawatts (MW) of solar modules were installed in 2007, according to early estimates, bringing cumulative global installations of PVs since 1996 to more than 9,740 MW-enough to meet the annual electricity demand of more than more...

The current forms of migration in Mumbai, according to S. Parasuraman, are not only a sign of dynamism - they also refl ect the problems associated with increasing inequalities, declining rural economies and inadequate employment generation that affect many parts of rural and urban India. Mumbai has evolved from being a fishing hamlet to a colonial node, subsequently to being the cradle of textile civilisation, and in contemporary times is has become the hub of India’s commerce and finance. Th more...

In reviewing demographic trends and economic patterns in India, Amitabh Kundu argues that recent levels of exponential urban growth may be set to change as the country’s major cities experience profound levels of social and economic change. Since the mid-1980s there has been a discernible shift in urban development in India and other developing countries towards a more liberal system of governance. This shift has come at a time when most of the cities in these countries were reportedly experie more...

Economic Sector(s): (1) Global, regional and multisectoral economic and social development strategies and policies. UNESCAP Reference No.: ST/ESCAP/2501, Division: Poverty and Development. Published Date: April 2008.

This is the third in a series of regional reports on the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific region. It assesses the prospects of reaching the goals and targets, highlighting the potential gaps and indicating how these can be filled. It also looks at the potential f more...

Events Take Place During OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Internet Economy. Coinciding with its second anniversary and a major global meeting on the economic impact of the Internet, the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific based in Incheon, Republic of Korea, held a global forum and launched two events in June aimed at pro more...

The growth potential of the urban sector in Bangladesh is severely undermined by frequent flooding. Most urban centers suffer from erosion and destruction of physical infrastructure caused by river flooding and water logging. Flooding is a perennial problem and the urban areas are more prone to economic and human losses due to high density of population and industrial sites. Lack of flood protection and inadequate drainage facilities lead to water logging and overflowing of latrines, and cause w more...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is doubling its funding commitment for a major highway project in southern Sri Lanka that will promote economic growth. The Southern Transport Development Project was initially approved in 1999, with ADB extending a $90 million loan. ADB will now provide a second $90 million loan to ensure completion of the highway and to expand its design to four lanes from two to accommodate increased traffic. The supplementary loan also includes funding to purchase road safety more...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is investing $4 million in a new company that will help promote public-private partnerships in water supply and sanitation in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The new company, Asia Infrastructure Project Development Company (AIPC), will help local governments develop projects in water supply, sanitation and wastewater treatment by providing feasibility assessments, planning, design and other services. “AIPC will be an innovative one-stop shop that provid more...