Prof. Bharat Dahiya

Prof. Bharat Dahiya is Director of Research Center for Sustainable Development and Innovation at the School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Bangkok, and an Extraordinary Professor at the School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Urban Governance, Planning and Environment from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Professionally serving over 30 countries around the world, Bharat has recently completed 25 years of his global journey that started in October 1996. He combines cutting-edge research, policy analysis and development practice aimed at examining and tackling socio-economic, environmental and governance issues in the global urban context. Working with the World Bank, UN-Habitat, ADB, UNDP, UNU-IAS, and Metropolis, he has initiated, led and/or contributed to international research and development projects on sustainable urban development worldwide.

For Metropolis–the world association of major metropolises, Bharat led the consultant team that prepared the first-ever Asian Metropolitan Report (2021). His latest co-edited book is, New Urban Agenda in Asia Pacific (Springer, 2020).

At UN-Habitat, he led the Knowledge Generation and Management Programme, and conceptualised and coordinated the preparation of the inaugural report on The State of Asian Cities 2010/11. At the World Bank, Bharat co-authored Urban Environment and Infrastructure: Toward Livable Cities.

Bharat is Series Editor of Scopus-indexed Springer book series, Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements. Reuters, Inter Press Service, SciDev.Net and many dailies have quoted his work.

In 1997, Bharat was elected a Fellow of Cambridge Philosophical Society––the oldest scientific society in Cambridge, UK. In the same year, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust admitted him to the status of Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society.

For his professional contributions to sustainable urban development in Mongolia, the Government of Mongolia awarded Bharat with a Certificate of Honour, and the Municipal Government of Ulaanbaatar decorated him with a Medal of Honour.

1. Primary Objective : To prepare the first-ever Asian Metropolitan Report for Metropolis – the world association of major metropolises, Barcelona.

2. Relevant SDGs (which all) : SDG 11, SDG 17

3. Geographical coverage : Asia region, including four subregions: (i) East and North-East Asia, (ii) South-East Asia, (iii) South and South-West Asia, and (iv) Western Asia

4. Action Taken (What, How, Implementation period)

• Led the international team commissioned by ‘Metropolis – the world association of major metropolises’, to prepare the first-ever Asian Metropolitan Report.
• Carried out the full process of research, and the analysis of 38 indicators grouped under six categories: ‘context and governance’, ‘economic development, ‘social cohesion, ‘environmental sustainability, ‘quality of life’, and ‘gender’.
• Elaborated the contents of the publication, by building on the data provided by Metropolis’ system of metropolitan indicators, along with the team.
• Oversaw the process of analysis conducted in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and the preparation of maps and graphics.
• Proofread the design and layout of the Asian Metropolitan Report.
• Presented the “Overview of the Asian Metropolitan Report” at the virtual launch of the Report in a special session ‘Asia in the Metropolitan Era: Trends and Projections’ at the 13th World Metropolitan Congress ‘Metropolises and Cities in Transformation: Rethinking our Future Together’, on 10th November 2021.
• Implementation period: April – October 2020; November 2021

5. Impact Created

• The first-ever Asian Metropolitan Report systematically analysed the ground realities of metropolitan cities in Asia, Earth’s largest and most populous continent.
• The Asian Metropolitan Report provides significant and up-to-date insights in the regionwide process of metropolisation, and the characteristic features of metropolitan governance.
• The Report elaborates the unprecedented challenges faced by policymakers and metropolitan governments in Asia, as well as provides policy indications on the way forward to address such challenges.
• The Asian Metropolitan Report, thus, contributes towards the achievement of SDG 11 and SDG 17, and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
• The publication of first-ever Asian Metropolitan Report has set a ‘benchmark’ against which to measure future progress to be achieved by metropolitan governments in Asia vis-à-vis the achievement of SDGs, and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the other global development agendas.

6. Key stakeholders and partnerships

• a) Metropolis – the world association of major metropolises
• b) Asian metropolitan member cities of Metropolis

7. Funding : Funding agency: Metropolis – the world association of major metropolises, Barcelona, Spain

8. Published (where) : Published in open access domain by: Metropolis, Barcelona Date of publication: 10 November 2021