Urbanization in Polynesia

Abstract

Throughout Polynesia urban conditions are worsening, though cities and towns are growing much more slowly than their Melanesian and Micronesian counterparts. The difficulties of providing adequate urban infrastructure and services that have been of critical concern in the larger cities of the developing world are now readily apparent. The relatively small size of urban centres in the South Pacific has delayed the recognition of serious problems and the need for an active response because development policies have tended to focus on economic growth and on the rural sector. To draw comparisons with policies that have been attempted elsewhere, the key subsectors of urban infrastructure examined here are those commonly identified in comparative policy studies: water supply, sanitation, solid waste disposal and housing. Integrally associated with these services are land management and the status of physical planning. Particular attention is given to environmental outcomes.