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10 11 OPENING LINES CDB’S URBAN SECTOR POLICY TOASSISTWITH COORDINATEDAPPROACHTO PLANNING I n the Caribbean,approximately66 percent of the population resides in urban areas,ranging from 30 percent inAntiguaandBarbuda to84percent in TheBahamas.Theurbansector isakeycontributor to economicgrowth,ascitiesandtownsarehubs for jobs, educational andhealthfacilitiesandtransportation. Recognizing the need for a coordinated approach to urban planning,the CaribbeanDevelopmentBank (CDB),isdevelopinganurbansector strategypolicyand operational guidelines toguide future investment inthis sector. Aspartof thepolicydevelopmentprocess,CDBhosted aworkshopfor representatives fromregional govern- mentdepartmentsandagencieswithastake inurban development.Speakingat theopeningof theworkshop, directorofprojectsatCDB,DanielBest,notedthat the newurbansectorpolicyisgearedtowardshelping CaribbeancountriesachieveSustainableDevelopment Goal (SDG) 11. “All of theworld’scountries,includingall of ourbor- rowingmember countries,have formallycommittedto achieve the SDGs by2030.For urban areas,this goal is expressed bySDG 11and itscomponents,which aimto‘makecities inclusive,safe,resilient andsustain- able’.Theurbanpolicieselaborated inoururbansector policystrategyandoperational guidelinesaregearedto achievingtheobjectives inthisnewapproach,”hesaid. Bestnoted,however,that thiswill requireacoordinated approachfromall government agencies. “Experience has shown that the complexchal- lenges facing cities todaycan no longer be solved by applying sectoral policies that do not take the broad- er spatial and economic impacts of their application intoaccount.Urbanpolicyhasevolvedfromfocusing onsectoral programs,special initiativesand individual time-limitedprojects toamorecollaborative,integrative andforward lookingapproachthat treatsurbandevel- opment inamoreholisticmanner.Under thisnewpolicy approach,thecoordinationof sectoral projectsandtheir impactsonurbandevelopmentmustbeconsidered,” Best added. Theworkshop,whichwasDec.5-7inBarbados,was thesecondconsultativeseminarheldforCDB’sborrow- ingmember countries thisyear.Thepreviousmeeting tookplace inMarch. At that event,stakeholders identi- fiedfivekeyconsiderations for thedevelopmentof the region’surbansector,namely: strategicvision; access to data; increased urban-planning capacity; improved climate resilience; and social and cultural inclusion. These considerations will be taken into account in the development of the final policy,which is expected to be completed bymid-2018.