THE URBAN GREEN

GROWTH CONCEPT AND

RELEVANCE TO ASIA

Rolf Alter, OECD

Presentation at the Tokyo Policy Forum on Urban

Development and Green Growth,

15 October 2014, Tokyo, Japan

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1950-1970 1971-1990 1991-2010 2011-2030 2031-2050

Developed countries

Developing & emergingcountries in Asia

Developing & emergingcountries in other regions

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Urgency in Asia: the world’s urban

population is growing at the fastest speed

Source: UNDESA Population Division (2012), World Urbanization Prospects: The 2011 Revision

New urban dwellers in absolute numbers (1950-2050)

Bil

lio

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Urbanisation is accompanied by motorisation

at an unprecedented speed and scale

Note: Southeast Asia here refers to Indonesia, Viet Nam, Philippines and Thailand.

Source: UN ESCAP, KOICA (2012), Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific. “Urban Transport: policy recommendations for the

development of eco-efficient infrastructures”, Bangkok, Thailand 3

Number of registered cars and motorisation index (2005-2035)

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Southeast Asia* - China - India - OECD NorthAmerica

Total Vehicles (in millions)- (Left Axis) Motorisation Index (V/1000 P) (Right Axis)

Air pollution : Risk for human health, urban

attractiveness and economic development

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Annual mean PM10 (Particulate Matter up to 10 micrometers in size) level , 2008-12

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WHO Norm 20µg/m3

Source: World Health Organisation (WHO) Ambient (Outdoor) Air Pollution Database by Country and City (2014), http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/databases/cities/en/

Asia’s vulnerability to floods

Top 20 cities most exposed to floods in terms of population in the 2070s

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China: 143.9m (11%) India 63.2m (6%)

Bangladesh: 62.5m (46%) Vietnam: 43.0m (55%)

Indonesia: 41.6m (20%)

Source: Hanson, S. et al. (2011), “A Global Ranking of Port Cities with High Exposure to Climate Extremes”, Climatic Change, Vol. 104, Issue 1,

pp. 89-111.

Altogether, the ten countries with the largest populations in low-lying coastal zones have some 400m inhabitants living in such places.

Income growth comes with urbanisation;

however urbanisation doesn’t guarantee it

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Income gap relative to US=1 vs Urbanization rate

3Urbanisation rate (%)

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p (

US

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Country Group A (urbanisation hand-

in-hand with income growth)

Country Group B (intermediate)

Country Group C (urbanisation doesn’t bring

income growth)

GDP per capita gap vs urbanisation rate

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Fostering economic growth and development through urban activities that reduce negative

environmental externalities and the impact on natural resources and environmental services

What is green growth in cities?

“Green”: urban activities (public and private) that reduce negative environmental impact (land-use, transport, buildings, energy, waste, and water) “Growth”: GDP growth primarily, but also urban quality of life

Cities must be central to the solution:

• Urban policies can lower the costs of national environmental policies.

• Cities account for 70% of public direct investment and 50% of public procurement (on average at the OECD).

• Cities offer economies of scale for measures that address climate change adaptation.

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Cities are part of the problem:

• Cities play a critical role in national growth and the generation of environmental externalities.

Urban Green Growth: Cities matter

• Greener products/services

• Sustainable urban spatial form

• Urban resilience – climate-change adaptation

• Affordability and mobility

• Multi-level policy coherence

• Financing urban green growth

Policy challenges (and opportunities) for

fast-growing cities

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Green growth in cities: Key lessons

• National price signals and policy frameworks are crucial.

• At local level, there is often no trade-off between mitigation and abatement ( “no regrets” strategies are possible).

• Displacement of pollution is usually undesirable: cities should focus on real mitigation and on specifically urban environmental challenges.

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Green growth in cities: Making it happen

• Align local and national green growth objectives and harmonise monitoring tools.

• Increase inter-municipal co-operation.

• Reform urban revenue structures to align with green growth goals.

• Mobilise private finance for green infrastructure investments.

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Outcomes / policy

levers Energy

Land use and

transport Buildings Water

Solid

waste

Green

goods and

services

Green jobs and

innovation ….

The development of

public transport

Retrofitting the

existing

building stock …. …. ….

Inclusiveness ….

Improved mobility

and higher ability to

seek income-

generating activities

Proper housing

conditions …. …. ….

Climate change

adaptation and

mitigation

….

Reduced GHG

emissions; risk-

sensitive land use

and preservation

Reduced GHG

emissions and

the urban heat

island

…. …. ….

Healthier local

environment; urban

attractiveness

….

Compact cities can

reduce air pollution

and preserve

farmland and

biodiversity

Increased

quality of in-

house

environment

…. …. ….

Urban sustainable development calls for

integrated urban policy framework

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• Thematic projects

– Urban green growth in dynamic Asia

– Compact city policies

– Resilient cities in ageing societies

• Territorial / metropolitan reviews

• National urban policy reviews

• Metropolitan/regional database

• OECD Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers

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OECD’s urban development programme

• Towards universal approach to development (Post 2015) -Learning on equal footing

• From analysis, measures, standards, and guidelines, to mutual learning from implementation in the field

• New ways of collaboration: learning loops and the 3 criteria of KS: new substance, new processes and new partnerships

Knowledge Sharing Alliance in practice

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Knowledge Sharing Alliance

Programmes & Platforms

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The OECD Knowledge Sharing Alliance supports projects in collaboration with several Directorates of the OECD. In partnerships with emerging and developing economies, these projects were established on the basis of joint learning and equal footing, including external agencies working on the ground .

Peer Learning Feedback Loops

Collaborative Dialogues

Knowledge Sharing

Platforms & other instruments

Methodologies and tools:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.