Urban Development

According to the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) for 2008 -2020, formulated by the National Development and Reform Commission, cities in the PRD are progressively converging into one urban cluster, forming the most densely populated urban corridor in China. The nine prefectures in the region were home to 56.15 million people at the end of 2010, according to the Guangdong Statistic Book 2010. Given that Guangzhou alone expects to have 20 million people by 2020, it is entirely possible the total population of the PRD could double by that time.

The election season for 2012 has already started in Hong Kong. The hot issue is a three-way race for chief executive – the top political post – which is selected by an election committee of 1,200 members, whom are “elected” themselves by a relatively small eligible electorate of about 200,000 people. For anyone to get to the starting line, he or she must get 150 nominations from these 1,200 members. Right now, there are three camps vying to get enough nominations.

Every two years the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group convenes a major conference that brings together mayors, their senior staff and business leaders from major cities around the world. Through a comprehensive programme of interactive sessions, delegates learn from each other's experience, share best practices and identify collaborative projects.

Growing urbanisation does not have to spell disaster for either human health or the environment, and both research and underused technologies can help mitigate its negative effects, a conference has heard.

Attending UNFCCC Climate Change Conferences for the last two years it is apparent that the world is heading towards conflict over water supplies if solutions are not soon found and the reality cannot be starker than in India.