Governing resilient cities for planetary flourishing in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

For the first time in 2019, the Asia-Pacific became a majority urban region. The unprecedented pace and magnitude of urbanisation across Asia and the Pacific has exposed tens of millions of urban residents to heightened risks and vulnerabilities associated with the expanding ecological footprint of urban energy, food and water demands and the increasingly severe effects of global climate change. This special issue directs attention toward the challenges, innovations and examples of best practice in environmental governance for urban resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. Our understanding of urban resilience is tied to the concept of planetary flourishing that links the health and well-being of urban populations with sustainability behaviours that promote regeneration of the biosphere while redistributing environmental risks and benefits in more socially inclusive and equitable ways.