East & Southeast Asia

The regions of East and Southeast Asia are home to a third of the world’s population. They provide some of the most daunting transport and development challenges, as well as some of the most innovative solutions.

Throughout the region, ITDP works with cities to design, build, and implement key best practices, from bus rapid transit, walking and cycling infrastructure, to policy guidance.

ITDP works primarily in China and Indonesia, with offices in Guangzhou, Beijing, and Jakarta. By 2030, China will have over 200 cities with populations over one million, placing enormous pressure on roads and streets to accommodate increasing mobility needs. Unfortunately, the regions are becoming increasingly car-oriented, with many urban plans and road designs ignoring the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and transport users. China is now the world’s largest car market, with a staggering growth of more than 13 percent per year. Indonesia’s car market is also growing by around five percent per year, and is seeing much more rapid growth in motorcycles and scooters competing with cars for road space, with major surges in road fatalities and injuries.

Fortunately, China and Indonesia are also providing inspiring best practices that ITDP is working to replicate in cities around the world. China has added hundreds of kilometers of high quality mass transit, primarily metro and bus rapid transit, has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure and leads the world in bike share. Indonesia was one of the first cities in Asia to implement a bus rapid transit system, TransJakarta, in 2004.