Environmentally sustainable urbanization requires that:
• greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and serious climate change mitigation and adaptation actions are implemented;
• urban sprawl is minimized and more compact towns and cities served by public transport are developed;
• non-renewable resources are sensibly used and conserved;
• renewable resources are not depleted;
• the energy used and the waste produced per unit of output or consumption is reduced;
• the waste produced is recycled or disposed of in ways that do not damage the wider environment; and
• the ecological footprint of towns and cities is reduced.
Only by dealing with urbanization within regional, national and even international planning and policy frameworks can these requirements be met.
Priorities and actions for economic sustainability of towns and cities should focus on local economic development, which entails developing the basic conditions needed for the efficient operation of economic enterprises, both large and small, formal and informal. These include:
• reliable in infrastructure and services, including water supply, waste management, transport, communications and energy supply;
• access to land or premises in appropriate locations with secure tenure;
• financial institutions and markets capable of mobilizing investment and credit;
• a healthy educated workforce with appropriate skills;
• a legal system which ensures competition, accountability and property rights;
• appropriate regulatory frameworks, which define and enforce non-discriminatory locally appropriate minimum standards for the provision of safe and healthy workplaces and the treatment and handling of wastes and emissions.
For several reasons, special attention needs to be given to supporting the urban informal sector, which is vital for a sustainable urban economy.
The social aspects of urbanization and economic development must be addressed as part of the sustainable urbanization agenda. The Habitat Agenda incorporates relevant principles, including the promotion of:
• equal access to and fair and equitable provision of services;
• social integration by prohibiting discrimination and offering opportunities and physical space to encourage positive interaction;
• gender and disability sensitive planning and management; and
• the prevention, reduction and elimination of violence and crime.
Social justice recognizes the need for a rights-based approach, which demands equal access to ‘equal quality’ urban services, with the needs and rights of vulnerable groups appropriately addressed.
Source: Partly adapted from UN-Habitat and Department for International Development (DFID), 2002, Chapter 4, pp18–27.
source : here