Introduction

The pace and scale of urbanisation means that Asian cities dominate any list of global megacities, thanks to vast metropolises such as Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Jakarta, Seoul, Manila and Dhaka. However, smaller cities will have an equally, if not more, important role to play in poverty reduction, sustainable development and climate change adaptation across much of Asia. In South and Southeast Asia, for example, cities with more than five million people will grow in total by 79.3 million people between 2015 and 2030. By comparison, urban areas with fewer than five million people will expand by a total of 105.8 million people over the same period (UN-DESA, 2014) (Figure 0.1). Most urban population growth will therefore take place in smaller cities such as Quy Nhon (Vietnam), Padang (Indonesia) and Gorakhpur (India).