New Delhi, Oct 7: As India is initiating the building of 'Smart Cities' and countries around the world insist on rapid urbanisation, experts said that Asia will be faced with myriad challenges posed by urbanisation.

"Asia will be challenged by urbanisation since the continent has been pushing for modernising and creating more smart cities," Yuri Afanasiev, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in India. "Seventy percent of the population of a country will be living in cities. So, the cities should work towards urban development."

He was speaking during a plenary session on "Sustainable Development Goals and Implication for Cities" at the World Sustainable Development Summit, 2016, organised by The Energy and Resources Institute at the Indian Habitat Centre here.

Afanasiev said that in 15-20 years, cities will be the solution which the countries will be looking for sustainable development and providing services to people.

"We should focus on cities with futuristic development model," he added. "Since it is cheaper for governments to provide cheaper services in cities, countries are pushing for urbanisation. If the countries get the methods right, then cities are solution to sustainable development."

He stressed the interconnectedness of services in the cities and countries for achieving sustainable development goals.

Xueman Wang of World Bank's Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, said that for sustainable development, countries should focus on equitable services for people in the cities.

Wang said that China's urbanisation was the fastest in the world. Dr Shipra Narang Suri, an urban planner and Vice-president of the General Assembly of Partners towards Habitat III said that for sustainable development it is vital that all the stakeholders in urbanisation and civic management play their role.

Suri said that habitation is not a problem of rich and developed countries only but for poorer countries as well.