Cities and towns are increasingly becoming the primary locus of poverty in many countries. Rural-urban migration and low urban mortality rates have contributed to the rapid population growth of cities in many parts of the world. With such rapid growth comes an increasing concentration of poverty...

Severe air pollution is threatening human health and the gains of economic growth in Asia's largest cities. This report aims to assist policy makers in the design and implementation of policies, monitoring and management tools to restore air quality in Jakarta, the booming capital of Indonesia.

In developing and transition economies 60 to 80 % of all passenger and freight transport moves by road, and roads provide the main from of access to most rural communities. Yet most of the 11 million kilometers of roads in these countries are poorly managed and badly maintained.

The objective of this study is to help assess the possible vulnerabilities in a number of Central European countries as they proceed with global financial integration and EU accession. The report focuses on those countries slated to be the first in the region to join the EU, the Czech Republic,...

Examining development projects for the impact they are likely to have on the environment is now standard practice in development planning. Environmental assessment (EA) and similar methodologies are required by most multilateral and bilateral development agencies and a growing number of...