A PUF of Fresh Air? Pacific Urban Forum 2019

Abstract

The Pacific Islands region is rapidly urbanising with mounting social and ecological pressures, as has been well covered in many earlier DPA publications. To date, regional attention to this significant development challenge has been sporadic at best and generally ineffective (Bryar and Keen 2018; Keen and Connell 2019). Despite four regional Pacific Urban Forums (PUFs) since 2003, urbanisation still fails to get traction (Kiddle et al. 2017).

In July 2019, the fifth PUF (PUF5) took place in Nadi, Fiji with the aim of achieving sustainable urban development by: • increasing action in support of implementation and monitoring of the Pacific Urban Agenda (or PUA) endorsed at the previous PUF in 2015 • improving mechanisms for data collection and the exchange of knowledge in support of evidence-based policy • developing new partnerships for action.

At PUF5, Pacific Island governments, non-government organisations and academic institutions were well represented with the geographic spread of representation and attendance numbers the highest yet. This In Brief provides an overview of the prominent issues at the PUF5 and an analysis of future prospects for sustainable urban development in the region.

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