Melinda Martinus

Coronavirus response gives Asean cities a chance to embrace a greener, healthier future

Improved air quality in cities across Southeast Asia is a welcome development but one that is not sustainable in the long term without further reforms

Making cities greener and pedestrian-friendly, revamping public transport and promoting energy-efficient buildings now will help ensure a healthier future

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Cyclists wearing protective masks ride along a newly opened bike lane in San Juan city, Metro Manila, in observance of World Bicycle Day on June 3, 2020. Several cities have opened bicycle lanes as people use different ways of commuting while public transport remains limited to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Photo: AP

Melinda Martinus

Published: 7:15pm, 5 Jul 2020Updated: 8:06pm, 5 Jul 2020

Covid-19 lockdowns may be bringing a little solace for those living in Southeast Asia’s bustling urban centres. It is rare for people in Manila, for instance, to see a bright skyline exposing the Sierra Madre mountain range. It is also fascinating that the Philippines’ capital has seen a surge in bicycle sales as people have started to use this eco-friendly transport mode more because of public transport restrictions during the pandemic.

Lockdowns in many Association of Southeast Asian Nations cities have significantly reduced air pollutants that are harmful to the human respiratory tract. According to IQAir data cited by the Southeast Asia Globe, Singapore was the only one of 10 regional cities surveyed in February that was in the “good” Air Quality Index category.

By May, once lockdowns were in effect, Manila, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City had joined Singapore in the “good” category. Bangkok showed the most improvement, with its pollution score declining by more than 50 per cent.

Improved air quality might be a good result for these cities, but it isn’t necessarily sustainable. As cities across the region gradually reopen, people do not want to return to a congested and polluted urban life. Conversations on how to build green cities with good air quality have intensified as people demand healthier, cleaner urban living in the post-pandemic era.

A recent study in the Oxford Review of Public Policy surveyed 231 economists from 53 countries, with respondents suggesting that using Covid-19 government stimulus packages to build green infrastructure and improve energy efficiency would offer the best economic and environmental returns.

If Asean cities follow this recommendation, they would help reduce global carbon emissions and rebuild the region’s post-pandemic economies in the long run.