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  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Future Issues And Technology (FIT)
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
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      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
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        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
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        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
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        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
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        • Edited Books
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    • RSIS
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    • Urban Resilience: A 21st Century Challenge
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    Urban Resilience: A 21st Century Challenge
    by S. Nanthini

    24 August 2022

    Cities are now home to more than half the global population. As the urban population continues to increase amid the intensification of the effects of climate change, urban disasters are set to affect more people than ever before. S. Nanthini examines the need for strategies to build urban resilience in the Straits Times (24 August).

    By 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will be living in urban centres. Asia’s urban population has increased from 20 per cent in the 1950s to 50 per cent in 2016, with this set to increase further to 64 per cent by 2050. The increasing exposure of such areas to climate-related shocks and stress on a regular basis is cause for concern and demands greater policy attention. Cities in developing countries where the vast majority of urban growth will take place lack resilience due to limited funding, resources and technical expertise. An increasing urban population will only mean that more people will be exposed to both quick and slow onset disasters.

    Bangkok is ranked the most vulnerable city to sea-level rise in the 2050 Climate Change Index, closely followed by Ho Chi Minh City and Manila at third and sixth places respectively – all these cities have already experienced heavy flooding and sinking in recent years. As the effects of climate change intensify, there is also an increasingly higher risk of destruction of livelihoods, shelters, infrastructure and lives. This increases the vulnerability of the affected cities and their populations, and ultimately decreases their overall security.

    Categories: Op-Eds
    The Straits Times
    Citation: S. Nanthini, “Urban Resilience: A 21st Century Challenge”, The Straits Times, 24 August 2022

    Last updated on 31/08/2022

    Cities are now home to more than half the global population. As the urban population continues to increase amid the intensification of the effects of climate change, urban disasters are set to affect more people than ever before. S. Nanthini examines the need for strategies to build urban resilience in the Straits Times (24 August).

    By 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will be living in urban centres. Asia’s urban population has increased from 20 per cent in the 1950s to 50 per cent in 2016, with this set to increase further to 64 per cent by 2050. The increasing exposure of such areas to climate-related shocks and stress on a regular basis is cause for concern and demands greater policy attention. Cities in developing countries where the vast majority of urban growth will take place lack resilience due to limited funding, resources and technical expertise. An increasing urban population will only mean that more people will be exposed to both quick and slow onset disasters.

    Bangkok is ranked the most vulnerable city to sea-level rise in the 2050 Climate Change Index, closely followed by Ho Chi Minh City and Manila at third and sixth places respectively – all these cities have already experienced heavy flooding and sinking in recent years. As the effects of climate change intensify, there is also an increasingly higher risk of destruction of livelihoods, shelters, infrastructure and lives. This increases the vulnerability of the affected cities and their populations, and ultimately decreases their overall security.

    Categories: Op-Eds
    The Straits Times
    Citation: S. Nanthini, “Urban Resilience: A 21st Century Challenge”, The Straits Times, 24 August 2022

    Last updated on 31/08/2022

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    Urban Resilience: A 21st Century Challenge
    Cities are now home to more than half the global population. As the urban population continues to increase amid the intensification of the effects of climate change, ...
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