Asia-Pacific is predominantly rural, yet it is one of the most rapidly urbanizing regions in the world. Its urban population is predicted to nearly double to reach 3.4 billion by 2050. Every day for the coming decade cities in Asia and the Pacific will need to accommodate 120,000 new residents, placing additional pressure on affordable land and housing provision. Meeting this demand will therefore be an essential element in ensuring inclusive and sustainable urbanization. Parallel to rapid urbanization, an equally momentous challenge is the growing inequality in urban areas that is reflected in the growth of an already sizeable proportion of the population living in slums. Security of tenure is also recognized as a critical component for successful integration of such settlements into the fabric of urban life as well as facilitating improvements in service delivery. This in turn would present various solutions to address the issue of affordable housing and urban service delivery whilst guaranteeing the right to adequate shelter.

Land management is the first step to be taken before any housing construction. Exclusion of low-income groups from land management and planning usually leads to informal housing development, which is often the most vulnerable to climate related risks, particularly when occupying hazardous areas such as hillsides, riverbanks and flood plains, for example on low elevation coastal zones. In addition, it leads to increased social tensions in cities, reinforcing economic and class divisions through spatial segregation.