Central Asia is rapidly urbanizing. Between 1990 and 2020, the population within the largest 48 urban areas grew at an estimated 48% on average. This growing urban population signifies increased needs for urban infrastructure and services. Today, the region’s cities largely exhibit a non-sustainable spatial expansion pattern, and face serious climate and environmental challenges, such as high exposure to natural disasters, urban heat island effects and air pollution.
Under the Central Asia Regional Study on Low-Carbon Climate Resilient Cities (CARL-Cities/Study) the World Bank conducted a diagnostic to deepen understanding of these kinds of challenges and identify potential actions across the region to advance the development of low-carbon climate resilient cities and urban areas. The macro-assessment analyzes 48 urban areas across Central Asia, all with population over 150,000 people, in terms of urbanization, development trends, growth patterns, climate and disaster risks, and GHG emissions.
The year-long study applied quantitative, qualitative, and spatial analysis to derive evidence-based recommendations and evaluate policy options. It also involved several rounds of workshops and meetings with local stakeholders over the past year. The key feature of the study was the focus on urban development trends and patterns, modelling of potential development scenarios, linked to climate change and resilience.
On September 27 and 28, 2023, the World Bank will hold a CARL-Cities workshop, which will bring together key stakeholders to discuss the state of urban development and promote innovative approaches to the mitigation and resilience agenda at regional, national and subnational levels in Central Asia.
The workshop's aims to:
- Share knowledge on the state of urban development and promote innovative approaches to the mitigation and resilience agenda at regional, national and subnational levels
- Raise awareness on climate smart city planning, investments, and finance in Central Asia
- Promote a greener and more resilient development path for cities in Central Asia
This event is organized by the World Bank and the City Resilience Program of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Urban Forum Kazakhstan.