With good management, Asian cities can sustain economic growth and provide a even higher standard of living for their population, said Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu in Singapore on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event of the World Cities Summit which is held in Singapore from Tuesday, she said a key common challenge facing cities in Asia is to pursue economic growth while ensuring environmental and social sustainability.

While economic growth can bring more wealth and resource to cities, she pointed out that the distribution of wealth may be uneven, "economic growth can also widen the income disparity among the population and stress the social fabric that underpins economic and social stability."

"If we do not address these twin challenges adequately, they could potentially undermine future economic growth," she warned.

And there is no single model or solution to city management, she said, as cities in Asia are vastly diverse in their circumstances.

However, she expressed the optimism that "with good management, cities in Asia can sustain their economic success stories and yet provide a even higher standard of living for their population going forward."

She called for collaboration between cities and international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to jointly develop new solutions that are relevant to the context of Asian cities.

"If the people, public and private sectors can form more inter-sectoral partnerships at both the national and international levels, the challenges facing Asian cities, daunting as they may be, can be overcome," the minister said.

According to the ADB, there would be over 1.1 billion more Asian urban residents in 2030 as compared to 2005. This additional1 billion urban residents will be adding to the cities' demand for energy, water and other resources.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2008)