'3 September 2008: Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a typical mega city: vast, pulsating, noisy and full of exhaust fumes. This is the setting in which researchers from the German Fraunhofer Institute are developing new building concepts and IT solutions. which will save energy, cut pollution and make living in the city a more pleasant experience.'

The tables in this article provide GDP figures for cities and their surrounding urban areas in 2020. Most such agglomerations are economically, socially and culturally dominated by one city at their centre. Occasionally however, several cities of similar status and their suburbs make up an urban area. The GDP figures are estimated and expressed in US$, using purchasing power parity exchange rates. The estimates are based on PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates and projections as well as UN urban ag more...

3 September 2008: Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a typical mega city: vast, pulsating, noisy and full of exhaust fumes. This is the setting in which researchers from the German Fraunhofer Institute are developing new building concepts and IT solutions. which will save energy, cut pollution and make living in the city a more pleasant experience.

'To mitigate a drinking water crisis in Kathmandu valley, the Government of Nepal initiated the Melamchi Water Supply Project in 1997, which will divert water from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu city’s water supply network. In the first phase, the Project will divert 170,000 cubic meters of water per day (at the rate of 1.97M3/sec), which will be tripled using the same infrastructure as city water demand increases in the future. The large scale transfer of water would have farreaching implica more...

Published by Asian Development Bank. The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2008 is the flagship annual statistical data book of the Asian Development Bank. Key Indicators 2008 features statistical data for 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Purchasing power parity data are included, as are social, financial, external trade, infrastructure, governance, and environment indicators. The book carries nontechnical commentaries on the M more...

New York, 27 February 2008: By the end of 2008, for the first time in history, half of the world's population will live in urban centers, according to a revised United Nations population study. The survey also predicts the world's urban population will almost double to 6.4 billion people by the year 2050. Most of the growth will be in cities with fewer than half a million people and not in mega cities like Tokyo, New York and Mexico City.

The report's findings imply that urban areas must be p more...

'The World Bank joined with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)  to publish an interactive report entitled, “Climate Resilient Cities.”
A Primer on reducing cities’ vulnerability to climate change disruption and strengthening disaster risk management, Climate Resilient Cities should prove a useful tool for city managers the world over.'

Global Village Beijing serves as a consultant to the Beijing Olympic Committee and has been involved in the creation of the “Green Games.”Together with China Charity Federation (CCF), GVB founded the “Green Angel Project” and cooperated with the China Artists Association to host the “Green Olympics Green Picture Exhibition.” GVB developed an environmental training program for Chunshuyuan community and also gave a detailed introduction on Green Communities to members of the Internatio more...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an international non-governmental non-profit organization, founded in 1894. It is the foundation of the Olympic Movement. The main responsibility of the Committee is to supervise the organization of the summer and winter Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee is UNEP's first, and perhaps the most influential partner on sport and the environment

UNEP and the IOC have been working together since 1994 when they signed an Agreement of Coope more...

After years of isolation, Turkmenistan has been host to hundreds of official delegations from the world’s great powers, as Europe, Russia, China, and India pursue energy security with an eye toward the country's gas deposits. President Berdymukhamedov has forsaken at least some of his predecessor’s inward focus, in favor of a “multi-vector” natural resource strategy. The strategy relies on multiple hydrocarbon export routes, and the various gas importers each have a route in mind. Key pi more...