The Greater Mekong Subregion is working to improve the quality of life and economic vibrancy of its cities and towns by using global best practices in urban development.
The Urban Development Working Group oversees urban development and economic zones as new areas of cooperation in the subregion.
By 2050, the Greater Mekong Subregion is expected to be at least 50% urbanized. This will bring vast changes to the economies of the subregion. What was once a primarily agricultural area is transforming into a place where cities and towns are the main drivers of economic growth. Careful planning is needed to balance urban growth with environmental protection and economic equity so that healthy cities can be enjoyed by all residents.
The Greater Mekong Subregion is working to improve the quality of life and economic vibrancy of its cities through the development of national strategies and projects that incorporate global best practices into the subregion’s urban development. This work has included the first and second Corridor Towns Development Project, which is developing competitive and environmentally friendly cities along vital economic arteries in the subregion. Cross-border economic zones are also being developed.
The COVID-19 pandemic inevitably will leave its mark on cities, physically and socially, echoing for generations to come. This is already evident in terms of urban life. The GMS Program will focus on these effects with measures to respond to current and future crises. The GMS Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) will encourage a holistic approach to the future planning of cities so that they are green, smart, competitive, resilient, safe, and inclusive. It will also promote linkages between cities to develop new urban clusters and maximize economies of agglomeration, develop cities in border areas, create linkages with special economic and industrial zones, and improve waste management and pollution in cities located close to GMS rivers and seas. GMS-2030 was endorsed and adopted at the 7th GMS Summit of Leaders in September 2021. It aims to provide a new setting for the development of this subregion for the next decade.
Related
• Urban Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion
• Greater Mekong Subregion Urban Development Strategic Framework
• Second Greater Mekong Subregion Corridor Towns Development Project
• Urban Development Working Group
Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank
Alan Baird
Water and Urban Development Sector Office Sectors Group
Hinako Maruyama
Water and Urban Development Sector Office Sectors Group
Other Concerned Staff & Consultants
Antonio Ressano
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department
Alma Canarejo
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat
Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat.
Sewers at a garment factory in the industrial park at Hpa-An. Photo: ADB.
Myanmar is enhancing the competitiveness of Mawlamyine, Hpa-An, and Myawaddy, three towns at the western end of the East–West Economic Corridor in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
This brief provides an overview of land use planning challenges and opportunities in the Greater Mekong Subregion and introduces tools to improve land use planning and management in the subregion.
VIENTIANE, LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACTIC REPUBLIC (17 September 2018) — The Asian Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a $48 million grant to help improve urban environmental services and enhance economic connectivity in Paksan and Thakhek, two of the least developed towns along the Greater Mekong Subregion Central Corridor in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Economic zones hold unique health risks for both workers and communities, but they also offer opportunities to protect workers’ productivity and improve community health. Photo: ADB.
Economic zones are growth engines of the Greater Mekong Subregion, stimulating economic activity and creating jobs. Yet, not much attention has been given to the social and health aspects of economic zone development until recently.
This is the summary of proceedings of the 2nd Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Urban Development Working Group held in Manila, Philippines from 4–5 July 2018.
Factory workers assemble electronic products at Savan Park Special Economic Zone in Savannakhet, Lao People's Democratic Republic. Photo: ADB.
Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion recognize how a health impact assessment framework can help ensure that both businesses and communities benefit from economic zone development.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic can maximize the potential benefits from the Greater Mekong Subregion’s economic corridors through its national policies, capacities, and implementation arrangements.
This review recommends possible extension and/or realignment of economic corridors to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency in advancing economic integration in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Deputy Director General of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department Christopher Thieme (left) and China Everbright CEO Wang Tianyi (right) after the signing. Photo: ADB.
HONG KONG, CHINA (2 February 2018) — The Asian Development Bank today signed a $100 million loan facility agreement with China Everbright International Limited to help a series of municipal waste-to-energy plants in primary and secondary cities in the Mekong Delta.
Thailand is ramping up infrastructure investments next year in the Eastern Economic Corridor, where all the economic corridors of the Greater Mekong Subregion converge.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226
