The number of people in South Asia's cities rose by 130 million between 2000 and 2011--more than the entire population of Japan. This was linked to an improvement in productivity and a reduction in the incidence of extreme poverty.

The Government of India (GoI) initiated the ‘100 Smart Cities Mission’ in 2014. This has triggered deliberations across the country on the concept of smart cities, the need and the orientation of the Mission in the context of India’s present urbanisation scenario. The concept of a ‘Smart City’ is a relatively new phenomenon in India.

In the last 30 years, China’s record economic growth lifted half a billion people out of poverty, with rapid urbanization providing abundant labor, cheap land, and good infrastructure.

Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship & Democracy released the 2nd Edition of the Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS). ASICS 2014 is an objective benchmarking exercise of Indian cities and undoubtedly the most comprehensive evaluation of Urban India.

A new report recommends that China curb rapid urban sprawl by reforming land requisition, give migrants urban residency and equal access to basic public services, and reform local finances by finding stable revenues and by allowing local governments to borrow directly within strict central rules.

This report provides Mayors and other policymakers with a policy framework and diagnostic tools to anticipate and implement strategies that can prevent their cities from locking into irreversible physical and social structures. At the core of the policy framework are the three main dimensions of urban development.

The study: ‘Bridging the Urban Housing Shortage in India’, a joint effort of NAREDCO and KPMG in India, discusses at length on the rising trend of urbanisation in India and the looming urban housing shortage. It further deliberates on the constraints faced by real estate developers in their bid to bridge the gap through affordable housing.

This CAG audit report on implementation of JNNURM, the Centre's flagship urban infrastructure development scheme observed that a crucial objective of bringing about reforms in the governance of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) could not be achieved through the scheme.

Asian cities need to change as they grow says this new ADB report and emphasises on "greening" of a number of urban infrastructure services such as urban transport, provision of water and sanitation services, waste management and energy sources for urban areas in the region.