The “ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy” (ASUS) is derived from the “Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025” (MPAC 2025) under the strategic area of Sustainable Infrastructure, which constitutes the overall strategic framework for the ASUS Project.
The ASUS Project objectives were: 1) Promote implementation of sustainable urbanisation projects within the ASUS framework; 2) Disseminate knowledge and lessons learned on sustainable urbanisation in ASEAN to encourage other cities to adopt ASUS in their urban development plans; and 3) Expand the knowledge base on sustainable urbanisation in ASEAN. Project outputs were: 1) Technical proposals for up to eight participating cities within ASEAN in implementing ASUS; 2) ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum; and 3) ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report.
The report highlights areas of strength and weaknesses as well as challenges during the delivery of the project. It noted that the ASUS Project has achieved all of its intended outputs, including the preparation of eight City Technical Proposals (CTP), the hosting of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum (ASUF) multi-stakeholder platform, and the publicizing of the ASUR transformative approach. The city technical proposals have been well-elaborated through a consultative process with city stakeholders, with budget estimates for implementation, but limited information on sources of development funding and the associated costs of operation and maintenance. The ASUF succeeded in establishing a multi-stakeholder platform for knowledge sharing and policy development. The ASUR presents a transformative approach to achieving urban sustainability by elaborating four enablers and seven priority areas.
The project interventions are generally aligned with local and national development plans and policies and have been facilitated by ASEAN's connectivity aspirations. Most of the city officials and local project officers found that resources have been used economically, which led to the expected results, despite the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The preparation of the CTPs was structured according to the ASUS Framework and Toolkits, which required thorough study by the local project officers to apply the concepts appropriately to the specific city contexts. The City Diagnostic Exercises were helpful in formulating the CTP and creating partnerships with local stakeholders.
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