AUICK Fourth Group Training Course
on Integrated Urban Policy 1997

BACKGROUND

With support from the United Nations Population Fund (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 by conducting "Asian Urban Inquiries" and organizing "Research Projects." In addition, in 1994, the AUICK established the "Group Training Course on Integrated Urban Policy" for middle-ranking administrative officials in medium-sized cities in Asian countries, with the aim of introducing the process that Kobe and other Japanese cities have undergone and the actual urban policies they have implemented. The City of Kobe has been consistently promoting the building of a city based on the citizens' needs, and the methods for building a city and for improving urban environments are highly evaluated at home and overseas. Kobe City is now promoting restoration work from the disasters caused by the earthquake in January 1995. Therefore, this course will also be able to introduce concrete plans and measures to build "a city that stands strong against disasters."

AIM

The objective of this training course is to introduce to middle-ranking admin- istrative officials in medium-sized cities with a population of 100,000 to 4 million in Asian countries various concrete examples of how Kobe and other Japanese cities have been working to solve urban problems in housing, urban environments, transportation, public health and medical care -thus helping them to grasp clues to solutions on a wide scope of urban problems that have occurred due to population migration, and contributing to these cities' appropriate and sustainable development. At the same time, the training course is aimed at contributing to the building of a network among medium-sized cities in Asian countries.

Targets to be Attained:

1. To obtain a summary understanding of population dynamics, family planning, housing, urban environments, transportation, public health and medical care, and welfare in Kobe and other Japanese cities, as well as plans to build a new disaster-safe city.
2. To understand what kind of urban problems occurred in Kobe, how these problems occurred, and how the Kobe city government is dealing with them.
3. To facilitate effective proposals from each participant to solve urban problems confronted by the city to which each participant belongs.
4. To form a network among the participants' cities, the city of Kobe, the UNFPA and AUICK.

PERIOD

Thursday, 8 May to Saturday, 7 June 1997

PARTICIPANTS

Sarit Datta Gupta
Superintendent Engineer, Rajshahi City Corporation, BANGLADESH

Atharul Islam
Zonal Executive Officer, Zone-7, Dhaka City Corporation, BANGLADESH
Bhola Nath Sharma
Under Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, Kathmandu, NEPAL

Ghanendra Kumar Subba
Section Officer, Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, Kathmandu, NEPAL

Gaj Raj Subedi
Under Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, Kathmandu, NEPAL

Dharmapala Medagemmedde Gedara
Acting Deputy Director (Planning), North Central Provincial Office, Urban, Anuradhapura, SRI LANKA

Wanniaraohchi Jagath Kumara
Manager, National Housing Development Authority, Colombo, SRI LANKA

Ratnadaaa Singarachchi Nanayakkarage
Assistant Director, Regional Development Division, Ministry of Plan Implementation, Ethnic Affairs & National Integration, Negombo, SRI LANKA

PROGRAM

REVIEW

Progress: Remarkable Advancement
The Fourth Group Training Course on Integrated Urban Policy was held in Kobe for about one month, May 8 to June 6,1997. It should be noted that a striking change in the ability of participants was, for the first time, recognized in this year's training course. This was clearly exhibited at various stages of discussion meetings.

Participants have shown strong interest in the course's daily schedule and actively participated in discussions. Their intense attitude and behavior to learn something from daily study programs and daily life that might be applicable to the situation in their own cities and countries. Final reports prepared by each participant were also another indication of suggesting positive expectation for the Training Course, because a lot of new findings were pointed out in comparison with their own situation.

We are not certain why the participants of the Fourth Group Training Course have shown such exemplary qualifications. However, one of the reasons may be the fact that AUICK has held the Group Training Course on Integrated Urban Policy regularly every year, and consequently the information about this unique training course, which was considered very useful by Asian urban administrators, has spread. For each round, participants joined from different countries and different cities, thus it was the first trip to Kobe for the participants of the 1997 Group Training Course. However, it could be conceived that they had enough information about AUICK's training course from central, local governments and also previous participants, for example, what kind of preparatory work should be made, background information on Kobe, it was heavily damaged in the recent Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and so on. In other words, the accumulating effect of repeated successful international training course conducted by AUICK may be a basic reason we saw a vivid intention and attitude toward urban studies of participants.

Challenges: Intensive Subjects
In view of pressing needs of many cities in Asia, urgent implementation of appropriate policies and programs to solve specific urban problems must be carried out. In particular, important issues are related with very high infant mortality and poor health conditions of children suffering from malnutrition and infectious diseases. Another issue is connected to the continuous flow of migrants into urban areas, which also aggravates the urban situation. In connection with these problems which endanger people's health and welfare, the most urgent need is to establish good statistical systems, providing complete and correct information. If the current systems are deficient, then some measure should be taken in order to collect real information, for example small sample surveys, which could be used for effective program implementation.

The AUICK staff recognized the crucial importance of statistical systems in connection with administration and made efforts to give opportunities to participants to understand its importance to their administration. However, there is some impression that a need for a more detailed approach to be designed by AUICK and a more critical understanding of statistical systems and practical significance by participant remain to be seriously considered.

These are challenges facing both AUICK and Asian city administrators.