Expanding opportunities for urban poor in East Asia and Pacific cities

BETTER jobs, higher salaries and improved access to basic services – the bright lights of cities seem to promise these and more.

But for millions lured to these centres for innovation and prosperity, cities can also lead to a life of squalor. Access to safe drinking water or sanitation may be poor or non-existent. Makeshift homes may flood every time it rains. Keeping families fed may become a daily struggle.