URBAN KNOWLEDGE PLATFORMURBAN KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM

NepalNepal

OverviewOverview

• Urbanization TrendUrbanization Trend

• ExperiencesExperiences

• Major AchievementsMajor Achievements

• Issues and ProblemsIssues and Problems

• ChallengesChallenges

• Lessons LearntLessons Learnt

Urbanization TrendUrbanization TrendYear Total

population(Millions)

No. of municipalities

Urban population (‘000)

Level of Urbanization

1971 9.4 16 339 4.0

1981 15.2 23 962 6.3

1991 18.1 33 1629 9.0

2001 23.2 58 3228 13.9

2011 26.6 58 4500 17.0

Key ExperiencesKey Experiences

• Traditional towns planned as compact settlements with Traditional towns planned as compact settlements with inclusive designsinclusive designs

• Conventional land use and physical development plansConventional land use and physical development plans

• Failure of Physical Development PlansFailure of Physical Development Plans

• Innovations in planning like Integrated Action Innovations in planning like Integrated Action Planning, Periodic PlansPlanning, Periodic Plans

• Land Development: GLD, Land pooling, etc. Land Development: GLD, Land pooling, etc.

• Urban Regeneration/Upgrading.Urban Regeneration/Upgrading.

• Real estate development and organized housing and Real estate development and organized housing and financing.financing.

Major AchievementsMajor Achievements

• Land development programs have guided the provision of Land development programs have guided the provision of infrastructure. infrastructure.

• Opening up of new resources with increased access to land: Opening up of new resources with increased access to land: land pooling projects made lots of resources available and land pooling projects made lots of resources available and made them more accessible to people. made them more accessible to people.

• Empowerment and dEmpowerment and decentralizationecentralization with stronger local with stronger local leadership through capacity building and innovations in leadership through capacity building and innovations in planning.planning.

• People are empowered with People are empowered with increase in awareness increase in awareness as they as they become engaged in community action for urban become engaged in community action for urban development and environment improvement. development and environment improvement.

• Increasing access to finance for housing, real estate, and Increasing access to finance for housing, real estate, and urban development. urban development. Enormous investments were made in Enormous investments were made in housing and real estates. Savings mobilized through housing housing and real estates. Savings mobilized through housing finance and infrastructure investmentsfinance and infrastructure investments..

Issues and problemsIssues and problems• Increasing disparity with regional imbalances and formation Increasing disparity with regional imbalances and formation

of slums and squattersof slums and squatters• Adverse impacts of globalization in terms of livability and Adverse impacts of globalization in terms of livability and

poverty reduction with epoverty reduction with exposure to unsustainable culture xposure to unsustainable culture from out sidefrom out side

• Sprawl growth and environmental and commuting problemsSprawl growth and environmental and commuting problems• Under-utilization of existing infrastructure already in placeUnder-utilization of existing infrastructure already in place• Poor maintenance and operation of public utilitiesPoor maintenance and operation of public utilities• Irregular provision of services Irregular provision of services • Decreasing access of the poor to shelter, jobs, infrastructure, Decreasing access of the poor to shelter, jobs, infrastructure,

and services also due to market distortion and services also due to market distortion • Increasing cost of environmental servicesIncreasing cost of environmental services• Lack of good governance: unwillingness to serve the Lack of good governance: unwillingness to serve the

people, lack of accountability etc.people, lack of accountability etc.

ChallengesChallenges

• Increasing deprivation, exclusion, and conflictsIncreasing deprivation, exclusion, and conflicts

• Provision of housing, infrastructure and services to the Provision of housing, infrastructure and services to the growing population while reducing per capita GHG growing population while reducing per capita GHG emissionsemissions

• Mitigation of Climate Change impacts while coping with Mitigation of Climate Change impacts while coping with growing economic activitiesgrowing economic activities

• Failure to adapt to and cope with climate change disasters Failure to adapt to and cope with climate change disasters lead to environmental deterioration in citieslead to environmental deterioration in cities

• Worsening condition of environment with depletion of Worsening condition of environment with depletion of environmental resourcesenvironmental resources

• Decreasing productivity due to lack of adequate Decreasing productivity due to lack of adequate infrastructure and servicesinfrastructure and services

Lessons LearntLessons Learnt

• As conventional ways have proved to be not As conventional ways have proved to be not sufficient, the traditional ways will also co-exist in sufficient, the traditional ways will also co-exist in the production of urban services. the production of urban services.

• The blending of the two should be based on The blending of the two should be based on combined sustainability.combined sustainability.

• In order to ensure the viability of community In order to ensure the viability of community produced services, these need to be integrated with produced services, these need to be integrated with the city wide networks.the city wide networks.

• It is not necessarily good for a society in transition to It is not necessarily good for a society in transition to move to modern ways of living. The need to depend move to modern ways of living. The need to depend on the community decreases as the family income on the community decreases as the family income increases but this is not the solution as the family increases but this is not the solution as the family during the transition sacrifices most of the things it during the transition sacrifices most of the things it had been enjoying. had been enjoying.

• Integrate culture and development by working with Integrate culture and development by working with the people and providing them technological options the people and providing them technological options to make full use of the cultural resources.to make full use of the cultural resources.

• Encourage training and HRD activities and build Encourage training and HRD activities and build capacity for inclusive designs.capacity for inclusive designs.

• Nepal’s traditional towns are becoming less inclusive Nepal’s traditional towns are becoming less inclusive over time due to the failure to transform in line with the over time due to the failure to transform in line with the modern trends. modern trends.

• There is an erosion of cultural and religious values. There is an erosion of cultural and religious values. • There is a shift towards unsustainable ways of living . There is a shift towards unsustainable ways of living .

Reliance on outside economies is increasing. Reliance on outside economies is increasing. • Cities face increasing and a diverse set of problems Cities face increasing and a diverse set of problems

relating to different population cohorts/groups. relating to different population cohorts/groups. • The failure to retain social networks with mutual help The failure to retain social networks with mutual help

leads to the loss of inclusiveness in the society.leads to the loss of inclusiveness in the society.

Thank you !!!Thank you !!!