The Road to Sustainable Cities

Cities are at the frontline of key global trends and challenges affecting the region, from pandemic to climate change and digitalisation to inclusive growth. Around half of ASEAN’s people already live in urban areas, and by 2025, a further 70 million p

The last few decades saw the dramatic expansion of megacities in Southeast Asia. The region has one of the fastest growing rates of urbanisation, with more than half of its residents living in urban areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have restricted mobility for most of us who live in ASEAN’s bustling cities, but the reality is we still have to travel within our city’s confines using private or public transport. We sleep and wake up to inescapable sounds o

We live in a troubled world of cultural pessimism where greater understanding and tolerance are becoming somewhat elusive. Worldwide, conflicts are getting longer and more complex, with some lasting 20 years on average.

The monsoon winds that blew trading ships from India to Southeast Asia over the centuries also ushered in a deep cultural relationship that has continued until today. The maritime route began at either the Coromandel coast or the coast of the Bay of Be

Novels that delve into the rich and colourful ties between India and Southeast Asia are still nascent. Here, The ASEAN is delighted to introduce two literary treasures written by two talented Indian authors. They created compelling fictional characters

Indian music is a reflection of the rich cultural traditions and history of India. Its unique sounds have created legions of fans around the world and influenced the global music scene.

Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif shares with The ASEAN how good urban governance is crucial to ensure urbanisation leads to equitable and sustainable growth.

ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi talks to The ASEAN on the qualities and benefits of smart cities, as well as the ongoing initiatives to support the region’s 26 major cities in developing, updating, and implementing their smart city action pla

Hugh Lim, Executive Director of Centre for Liveable Cities, weighs in on what it takes to build pandemic-proof and resilient cities based on the practices that worked and deficiencies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the benefits

Dr. Non A serves in the Smart City Promotion Department of Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, where he advocates the concept and practice of smart cities. He specialises in the use of human-centred design to solve pressing open-ended problems

Kotchakorn Voraakhom is on a mission to save her hometown, Bangkok, from the worst of environmental degradation. Armed with a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University in the United States, Kotch established a landscape architec

Agung founded Surplus, an app that enables food retailers to sell their overstock or imperfect products to help limit food waste in Indonesia. Indonesia is the second-largest producer of food waste per capita in the world, producing around 23-48 millio

Seeing massive amounts of fresh produce thrown away in Singapore’s wet markets motivated Han Jing to help reduce food waste. She started composting seven years ago, when she was still a student at Nanyang Technological University. Family and friends so

Bjorn took a leap of faith after 10 years of working in the digital marketing industry to explore a more sustainable lifestyle. His decision led him to a soul-searching journey across the United Kingdom, Spain, and Japan, where he learned to grow food