The Atlas constitutes the illustrative component of the review and study of the human settlements situation in the ESCAP region undertaken as part of the secretariat’s work programme for 1982-1984. It is aimed at incorporating information on conditions experienced by member countries and providing a basis on which to measure growth and development within the region.

The Atlas is prepared and published in four parts so as to provide a broad profile of human settlements at the regional, country, city, and community levels, covering 39 member and associate member countries and areas situated within the ESCAP region. The present volume which is the third in the series of four gives an overview of the human settlements situation at the urban and city levels.

Part I: “Asia and the Pacific” gives a broad overview of human settlements conditions and trends within the region as well as in the global context. Attempts have been made to draw attention to a range of conditions and styles of development in various countries or areas.
Part II: “Country Profiles” contains a brief perspective of the situation in specific countries or areas.
Part III: “Urbanization and City Profiles” provid?s a comparative assessment of the human settlements profile of fifteen selected cities.
Part IV: “Community Profiles” illustrats examples of typical communities found in the region dealing with area-specific issues relevant to human settlements.