Navigating the politics of urban sustainability

Every few years, cities across Asia and the Pacific debut a new master plan: zero-waste commitments, climate-neutral goals, visions of green infrastructure and compact living. Yet in many cases, by the time the following administration comes around, these plans are shelved or diluted. The problem is not the lack of technical solutions; it is that the political systems surrounding urban development are not built to withstand leadership transitions across electoral cycles.

At the recent Political Management Training (PMT) programme organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Da Nang, Vietnam, 25 young leaders from 13 countries confronted this uncomfortable truth. Over the course of the programme, one reality became unmistakable: if sustainable urban development is to become more than a buzzword, we must move beyond the illusion that good intentions and sound engineering are enough. We need political infrastructure, coalitions, institutions, and leadership pipelines that can weather instability and resist short-termism.

Urban sustainability is inherently political. As Marie Schroeter, country director of FES Philippines, reminded participants, "Effective urban sustainability policies must be politically courageous. Without explicitly addressing [the question of] who benefits from existing power structures, even the most promising initiatives remain compromised." Decisions about who gets housing, where public transit is built, and how resources are distributed are shaped by systems of governance and power. As Thomas Garbellini, a policy researcher and sustainability analyst based in Australia, noted, "The frequency of elections at local, state, and federal levels leads to policy instability. Sustainability projects often get deprioritized when new administrations come in."

Put together, these examples point to the crux of the problem: without robust political systems, sustainability does not stand a chance.
The fundamental task ahead is not just to roll out solar panels or improve public transport. It is to build political ecosystems that can enable these goals, ecosystems that include strong institutions, legal frameworks, long term budgeting processes, and most of all, leaders who know how to navigate power. Yanti added that inclusive planning must be hardwired into these systems, not treated as an optional extra. That is why negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and systems thinking, taught in the PMT programme, are not "soft skills" but essential infrastructure for any sustainable urban future. As Ken Abante, co-founder of WeSolve Philippines and a public finance reform advocate, stressed, "Systems are not just technical. They are inherently political. If we do not understand power, we cannot redesign what is broken." As Geamaika Marisse Manderico, a Political Party Regional Political Officer for Visayas in the Philippines, reflected, "From the very beginning, the justice framework matters. A strong leader must understand political cycles and be able to articulate sustainability not just as policy, but as justice."

What became clear in Da Nang is that technical solutions must be matched with political strategies, developed through cross-border solidarity. Urban leaders must not only act within their own cities but learn from others, sharing strategies, insights, and cautionary tales across borders. Pattraporn Kengrungruengchai, a Bangkok Councillor with a background in supply-chain management, shared: "We are not the only country facing these problems. The value is in exchanging perspectives and building shared strategies." This is especially true for young progressive leaders who face common constraints such as electoral uncertainty, limited mandates, and pressure from more powerful interests.

We need a social democratic network across Asia Pacific. One that supports young leaders not just as individuals but as a collective. Sudhir Shrestha, who works on poverty and informality at the South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) and teaches Economics at Kathmandu University in Nepal, emphasized, "knowledge, support, and solidarity are the glue of this network. That is what will carry our work forward across borders." From Bangladesh, Uswatun highlighted that the network also gives marginalized advocates the support they need to challenge unequal governance systems. “This is how we learn to demand inclusion, not just manage exclusion,” she noted. One that helps them shape systems rather than merely operate within them. PMT’s model is a seed of that network that continues to grow, as part of FES’s broader effort to cultivate a regional ecosystem of social democratic actors. This batch joins a growing movement committed not just to local change but to transnational solidarity, strategic learning, and building power that lasts.

Without investing in political continuity, both within states and across them, sustainable urban development will continue to fall prey to political volatility. But if we get the political foundations right, everything else becomes possible. Our cities deserve more than recycled promises. They deserve leaders who know how to hold power, share it, and build systems that last. As Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh, sustainability and youth engagement advocate from Vietnam, put it, "Dare to do. If you are not afraid to challenge the system, to take risks, you can carve political space for sustainability."

Sustainability is not a project. It is a political commitment. If that commitment is to endure, it must be backed by more than good intentions or clever plans. It demands power, discipline, and a network ready to defend and deliver. That begins with serious investment, not just in infrastructure, but in leadership pipelines. Governments, civil society, and regional institutions must create long term programs that identify, support, and protect young political leaders who will carry these agendas forward.

And in the Global South, that political investment must begin by rejecting one-size-fits-all formulas. Resilient cities are not built through borrowed models. They are shaped by those who live their contradictions, who navigate their constraints, and who push for sustainability on terms grounded in justice, not imitation. For these cities to thrive, we must support the political actors who know how to hold power, share it, and reshape it.