HQ Team
April 27, 2025: As the climate crisis pushes many of Asia’s sprawling megacities to their limits, a UN body has called for for a new urban model that prioritises equity and resilience.
Cities such as Delhi, Dhaka, Shanghai and Tokyo are facing an uncertain future with rising temperatures, ageing populations and unplanned urban development, according to a report by the UN regional development arm, ESCAP.
Seven of the ten most populous cities in the world are in Asia, and they are at risk of dragging economies downward, as inequality widens, public services overstretch, and social and environmental tensions deepen. These cities are facing extreme demographic shifts.
The Asia-Pacific is home to over 2.2 billion city dwellers and many of the planet’s megacities (over half of the 30 largest urban areas in the world are in Asia and the Pacific). By 2050, the region’s urban population is expected to grow by 50%, adding 1.2 billion people.
Urbanisation is a 21st-century megatrend with profound
implications for Asia and the Pacific, said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, ESCAP’s Executive Secretary.
“The region is home to the full spectrum of human settlements, from the world’s largest metropolises to ancient villages, and every size of city and town in between. Where people in Asia and the Pacific live, work, study and play, and how they move around, will ultimately determine the region’s success in delivering on the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Adaptation, mitigation
“The road to the 2030 Agenda runs through cities and across the entirety of human settlements — provided that governments and stakeholders at all levels are empowered to achieve their full potential,” she wrote in a foreword to the report, Urban Transformation in Asia and the Pacific: From Growth to Resilience.
Climate change adaptation and mitigation are a paramount challenge for Asia and the Pacific, which must grapple with vulnerabilities like extreme temperatures, water scarcity, food insecurity and natural disasters.
Asia-Pacific countries are among those most severely affected by extreme weather events such as storms, floods and heatwaves. At the urban level, new research predicts that eight million climate migrants will arrive in 10 cities of the global South by 2050 if the world warms by more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.
Of those 10 cities, the two located in the Asia-Pacific region are projected to receive the most extreme influx of climate-induced migration — 3.07 million additional people in Dhaka and 2.4 million additional people in Karachi, Pakistan.
Warmest year
The year 2024 was the warmest year on record, with little relief for urban dwellers across Asia and the Pacific, resulting in cities across Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand to experience record or near-record high temperatures.
A study indicates that between 2000–2019, there were around 489,000 heat-related deaths globally, each year, 46% of which occurred in Asia and the Pacific, largely shared by South Asia.
The region is also experiencing a profound demographic shift. By 2050, the number of older persons in Asia and the Pacific is projected to reach 1.3 billion, nearly double the figure of 2024.
In this context of ageing populations, low birth rates and slowing rates of urbanisation, a relatively new phenomenon has emerged in the region: shrinking cities. Cities in East and North-East Asia are at the forefront of this trend, according to the report.
Informal settlements
This trend places growing pressure on city planners to adapt infrastructure, healthcare and public services to meet the needs of older residents, many of whom live alone. Yet most cities remain underprepared.
A third trend is the rapid growth of informal settlements and shanty towns.
With housing prices soaring and wages stagnating, millions are being pushed into slums and unregulated neighbourhoods. These areas are often the first to face climate shocks – and the last to receive services like sanitation or emergency relief.
“When housing becomes a commodity, rather than a place to live, it creates systemic risks for urban economies and by extension national and even global economies,” the report stated.
Urban financing
Despite the challenges, ESCAP stresses that cities remain central to Asia’s sustainable future. The body called for enhanced regional cooperation for resilient and sustainable urban development and to adopt integrated national urban policies to bolster multilevel governance.
To turn risks into opportunities, governments need to strengthen subnational and local data collection and reporting to promote “evidence-based urban policies.” They need to plan for urban demographic changes with strengthened spatial planning and inclusive social policies.
Lastly, the nations should pursue a diversified and innovative approach to urban financing, according to the report.
