state of the world's cities 2012/2013 - United Nations Sustainable ...

Quality of Life and Urban ProsperityQuality of Life: A Variety of Local ResponsesUN-Habitat has identified some convergent and divergentforms in which cities address quality of life.Divergent city responses: Actions to improve quality oflife will largely depend on the stage of development of therelevant country or city.In most poor cities in the developing world, quality oflife is strongly associated with the provision of public goodsin the form of basic services such as water, sanitation andelectricity, and improvements in slum neighbourhoods.Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2025 aims athigh quality of life for all the population, linking this notionto economic growth and poverty reduction. 13 In Ho ChiMinh City, quality of life is directly linked to improveddrainage, sewage collection and treatment systems, andother public infrastructures such as road enlargements.In middle-income countries, governments link quality oflife to various factors, from improved living environmentsand enhanced material well-being to higher incomes. Expertsin cities as diverse as Fort-de-Fran ce (Martinique), Habana,Cebu, Davao, and Beirut explicitly refer to the provision of adecent house and a healthy environment as essential elementsfor improved well-being and quality of life. In other cities−Rosario, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Alexandria and Guarenas(Venezuela) − improved solid waste disposal is perceived asa major condition for better quality of life. Improvementsin healthcare services appear as another major factor. InSingapore, Doha, Chongqing and Shenzhen, local expertsimplicitly refer to good and affordable medical services forall as a good way of improving quality of life. Shenzhen’suniversal healthcare systemand Tehran’s Urban HeartProgramme are goodBox 2.3.2examples.factQuality of Life, World-Class Cities and Social InclusionExperts in Beira, Algiers, Praia, Luanda and AddisAbaba, among others, explicitly link improved qualityof life to slum upgrading and poverty reduction.In rich countries, government responses to the needfor quality of life implicitly refer to access to a numberof goods and services and improvements in the domesticliving environment. ManyEuropean cities emphasizegood transport, green openspaces, culture and sportsfact NorthernEuropeancities like Copenhagen,facilities as major factorsAmsterdam, Groningen,behind better quality of life. Berlin and MuensterAlthough better paid jobs, promote cycling andgood levels of educationwalking as part of newand health facilities always urban cultures and infeature in governmentthe pursuit of betterquality of life. Othersresponses, quality of life islike Dresden, Vancouverincreasingly associated to and Los Angeles havean inclusive, well-planned, launched into urbanhealthy and supportiveconversion programmesenvironment. 14in cultural and historicalConvergent cityneighbourhoods,adapting urbanresponses: Beyond localinfrastructure andcircumstances, somereusing open landaspects of quality of lifeareas for better qualityimprovements can be found of life.in all types of country.policy Equitablecitiesgeneralize accessto urban commonsand public goods,preventing privateappropriation andexpanding the scope forimproved quality of lifefor all.Cities with aspirations to ‘world class’ status will typically equate this notion with competitiveness.The 2007–2015 Dubai Long-term Strategic Development Plan declares these two notions as twinobjectives that will “establish the city as a preferred home for current and future residents byimproving the well-being of citizens and residents, and helping them live healthier lives enrichedwith opportunity and choice. 15 In Doha, the capital of Qatar, transformation of the city into adiversified knowledge-based economy is seen by public authorities as being contingent on thedevelopment and upgrading of the education and skills of the population and improved quality oflife. 16 Singapore considers quality of life as a key competitive advantage to attract skilled foreignlabour and investment. 17 At a different level, a local expert in Beirut noted that ‘quality of life’ mostlyappeared in the advertising brochures of high-end property developments, in response to whichnon-governmental organizations have used the same notion to draw attention to the lack of publicgoods in the city, such as public or ‘green’ spaces. 18 In Santos, Brazil, quality of life is perceived asinvolving social justice and inclusion, not just economic growth, as a precondition for sustainabledevelopment.63