AUICK First Group Training Course
on Integrated Urban Policy 1994

BACKGROUND

The aggregate population of Asian countries constitutes approximately 59 percent of the world's total population. In population growth, Asian countries also occupy half of the top 10 countries in the world. Moreover, the population growth rate of cities in Asian countries is 3.5 percent, being second highest only behind Africa. Urbanization has dramatically accelerated a population influx into urban areas. As a result of this absolute population growth, many Asian countries are now confronting common urban problems.

With support from the UNFPA and the city of Kobe, the Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK) was founded in 1989. Since then it has been engaged in the study and research of urban problems facing Asian cities. It has conducted such research as the "Asian Urban Questionnaire Survey" and organized "Special Research Projects."

The city of Kobe has a population of 1.5 million. It is attaining a systematic urban buildup based on the needs of it's citizens. The uniqueness of the city's methods and the actual process in building an urban environment has attracted great attention from other cities of Japan. We think that these experiences can also be a useful reference for Asian cities.

Under these circumstances, AUICK considers it important to ingroduce the process that Kobe and other Japanese cities have undergone and the policies they have implemented, to the middle-ranking administrative officials in various Asian countries who stand at the forefront of urban problems. Hense, AUICK has unfolded its newest activity to provide a group training course to middle-ranking administrative officials from various Asian medium-sized cities.

AIM

The objective of this training course is to introduce, through concrete examples, to middle-ranking administrative officials in medium-sized cities in various Asian countries how Kobe and other Japanese cities have been working to solve urban problems such as housing, transportation and environmental issues - thus helping them to grasp clues to solutions on a wide scope of urban problems that have occurred due to an increase in urban population, and contributing to these cities' appropriate and sustainable development. At the same time, it aims to contribute to the building of a network among medium-sized cities in Asian countries.

Targets to be Attained:

1. To obtain a summary understanding of statistics, family planning and citizen participation in Japanese cities - in particular of Kobe - as well as the methods and present operations of these cities' policies.
2. To recognize what kind of urban problems occurred in Kobe due to its urbanization, how these problems occurred, how these problems affected the citizens' lives, and how the Kobe city government is dealing with these problems.
3. To stimulate each participant to seek clues for solving urban problems confronted by the city to which they belong.
4. To provide the participants' cities which some analytical resources on urban problems.
5. To facilitate exchange of information among the participants' cities, the city of Kobe and the UNFPA.

PARTICIPANTS

The course consisted of participants from Southeast Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. (Click here for more information on the participant qualification.)

Indonesia

Ms. Biempi Harbimaharani Harsadi
Extensional Control Planning Section, City Planning Department, Surabaya Municipality

Ms. Kamalia Purbani
Social and Culture Section, Research Division, Regional Planning Board, Municipality of Bandung

The Philippines

Ms. Perla Coloyugo Castellano
Coordinator, Office of City Planning and Development, General Santos City

Ms. Cordelia Coloma Lacsamana
Coordinator, Office of City Planning and Development, Baguio City

Thailand

Mr. Boonlua Charoenwat
Redearch & Evaluation, Nakornrachasima Municipality

Vietnam

Mr. Hoang Dinh Tuan
Urban Planning Office, Municipality of Hanoi

Mr. Le Vinh
Urban Planning Office, Municipality of Hanoi

PERIOD

Monday 14 November to Thursday 15 November 1994.

REVIEW

The process of urbanization is an intrinsic dimension of modernization, and consequently, both developed and developing countries are going through the process of shifting from predominantly agricultural, rural to predominantly industrial, city-orientated societies. However, the alarming consequences of urbanization in many developing countries, in particular, relates to its rapid pace, to which governments have been unable to respond with their current management capacities and practices.

It is important to note that there are already signs of a changing pattern of population distribution. In one sense, the trend towards concentration in a few large cities is giving way to a more widespread distribution in medium-sized urban centers, even in developing countries.

This kind of movement is also found in some developed countries, with people indicating a preference for living in similler cities. Japan is a case in point. A heavy concentration of population in the large metropolitan areas greatly reduced in the latter half of the 1970's. It is also shown in the higher proportion of population living in medium-sized cities compared with the population living in large or small cities.

Urbanization has profound implications for an individual's livelihood, way of life, and values. At the same time, migration has economic, social, and environmental implications - both positive and negative - for the places of origin and destination. Many governments of developing countries consider the patterns of population distribution in their territories to be unsatisfactory and wish to modify them.

It means that a more balanced, spatial distribution of the population, by stimulating decentralization, from an excessive concentration of population in one primate city or a few large cities into medium-sized and smaller urban places is necessary.

Serious concerns about changing the function and role of medium-sized cities in Asia in terms of social, economic, and demografic policies was the basic motivation to hold the Asian Conference on Population and Development in Medium-sized Cities, organized jointly by the Kobe City Government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987 and also to establish the Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK) in 1989. We recognized that although so-called urban problems in macro and the national sense are widely well-known, administrators in charge of an individual city do not have the appropriate management capacity to deal with their own particular issues, since their problems are so diverse and different from the common nature of urban problems.

Consequently, they may need specific, particular measures to deal with the. It may not be rare that some cities find that there are no urban problems. Individual approaches to meet their own urban issues are absolutely necessary for city administrators. This conclusion has been reached from our repeated inquiries conducted every other year, and additional in-depth surveys made in between inquiries.

A one-month intensive training course was held from 14 November to 15 December 1994 in Kobe. This was the first time a group training course on integrated urban policy which was conducted by the Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe. Due to the rapid qualifications required by the participants, including educational achievement, head of section or division of city administration or equivalent experience, and language ability, the final selection was limited to seven persons from four countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Female participants accounted for four out of the seven participants. The course was originally designed to accept two nominees from different cities in each country. Unfortunately, only one participant was from Thailand and both participants from Vietnam were from Hanoi City.

The general conclusion reached is that the first training course on integrated urban policy was fairly successful in achieving its initial goal, to expand and deepen the participants' knowledge through one month of intensive studies and observations. It can be pointed out that all participants had a strong motivation to learn something new, and positively participated in all meetings, lectures, or discussions held at administrative offices or facilities, such as water supply bureau, sewage disposal system, and migration registration procedure.

A noteworthy benefit for the participants is that they had an opportunity to broaden their knowledge about urban policy and compare their own situation with not only Kobe, but also other Asian cities. In particular, we believe that they had sufficient time to deliberate their own urban issues and policy direction away from their busy, daily routines. They came to understand the diversity of urban problems among cities which are not necessarily dealt with through the general, universal theory or methodology.

Individual cities are remarkably different in terms of social structure, economic development, political system, and demographic situation. Female participants representing Baguio and General Santos City in the Philippines, respectively understood that these two cities are remarkably disparate in terms of not only size of population, but also intensity of urban problems. Baguio is facing serious urban problems, but General Santos City still enjoys a more local environment and has a plan to achieve rapid industrialization. So-called urban issues and policies indicate remarkable contrast among these cities. It is very important for them to realize their own differences and characteristics of urban nature, and to begin to think about what policies should be taken in order to solve their particular issues.

Kobe's case seemed to be another model which attracted serious attention in terms of a highly modernized and westernized urban setting, combined with a traditional, Japanese environment. More importantly, the participants had a special interest in urban development policy and environmental issues in Kobe, because of their many years experience in the field of city planning.

The following points are a few observations based on the one month training course.

Firstly, some specific topics should be added to the 1995 training course, maintaining a broad range of comprehensive topics related to urban administration already contained in the 1994 course schedule. It was recognized that demographic statistics are generally not adequate or are deficient. For example, although they showed concern about the population increase due to migration net flow, any reliable statistics were not available, and also a statistical system to check in- and out-migration was lacking. In addition, some participants wanted to learn population estimates and projection of sub-national areas, such as their individual city.

Secondly, in view of the increasing intensity of environmental degradation in urban areas, policies and experiences of prevention and improving the environment should be included in the training schedule. Particularly, waste disposal systems in connection with daily life practices should be an item of study.

Thirdly, more attention should be given to the functional relationship of medium-sized cities to large cities and smaller cities or towns which are directly adjoining each other. A holistic approach to an individual city may be very useful to understand the dynamic nature of an urban community.

Fourthly, special attention should be paid to the aspect of quality of life in formulating welfare policy and programs.

Finally, a system of two nominees from different cities in a country should be maintained in the 1995 training course.

We do sincerely hope that our micro-approach to the final solution of urban problems, in terms of challenges to an individual city will be able to lead to an entire solution.