Publications

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a system that emphasises priority for and rapid movement of buses by securing segregated busways. BRT is also called other names including “high-capacity bus systems,” “high-quality bus systems”, “metro-bus” “express bus systems,” “busway systems,” and “surface metro systems”. The extent of dedicated infrastructure and...

Despite major investments in rural development, urbanization is an irreversible trend. In the wake of rapid urbanization, international cooperation has become increasingly important to support the building of local capacity to address environmental concerns. Inter-city cooperation is a recent trend in this regard. This paper discusses the major...

Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) was established in 2001 by the Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific (ECO ASIA), as a forum to address critical issues facing the Asia-Pacific region and to propose a model of equitable and sustainable development for the region. The 26 members of APFED were nominated by countries...

This paper starts by tracing the origin of the informal sector and urban environmental management (UEM) paradigms. Their points of intersection in solid waste management and in the provision of water supply and sanitation are investigated based on a large number of published and unpublished studies. In addition to identifying the supply- and demand...

Materials flow through cities on a daily basis, entering as needed products and leaving as wastes. Management of municipal solid waste provides both sanitation and recovery of valuable materials. At low income levels, market forces lead to recycling with no need for planning. In developing countries today, as in developed countries in the past, the...

Car sharing is a scheme which offers members access to a vehicle without ownership. Vehicles are collectively owned and maintained by car sharing organisations. The system can be thought of as organised short-term car rental; people who want to use those vehicles become members of those organisations, and make reservations when they need to drive...

"Compact city" in this policy option refers to land planning focusing on higher density and better accessibility which reduces automobile dependency. "Smart growth" is a general term for land use practices that create more accessible land use patterns which reduce the amount of travel needed to reach goods and services (Litman, 2003a). Experiences...

This paper provides an overview of solid waste generation and management in Asia, which, with rapid economic growth and urbanization, is becoming a major social and environmental issue. Every country or region within Asia has its own background and characteristics in relation to solid waste management and material-cycle policy, even though they...

The international community has agreed to halve the proportion of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015. Achieving this task is a major challenge that will require strengthened efforts from all stakeholders, and, according to some estimates, a doubling of financial commitment (see Winpenny 2003). Currently, 1.1 billion people...

According to an estimation by the United Nations, 15 cities in the Asia Pacific region will become megacities with a total population exceeding 10 million by 2015, and 60 percent of the total population in the region will live in urban areas by 2030 (APFED 2005). Urban environment management in Asia is now one of the most critical subjects. Being...