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

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Environmental Sustainability and the Prosperity of CitiesThe manufacture of bicycles is dominated by China,India and the European Union, all of which account for87 per cent of global production. However, China aloneproduces more than half the world’s bicycles.Drivers and Capacity-Building forEnvironmental SustainabilitySustainable urban policies are driven by seven mainfactors: availability of financial resources, human resources,appropriate technology, specialised institutions, access toinformation, adequate organisational arrangements, andsupportive legal frameworks.Approximately one-third of local experts across allregions are of the view that mechanisms for coordinationbetween city and national authorities regardingenvironmental sustainability are already in place(Table 2.5.1). Less than one-third report that cities aremobilising investment to support sustainable resource use,or pulling their resources together in order to enhanceenvironmental sustainability.These efforts can only go so far, it would seem, asexperts simultaneously highlight the widespread problem ofinadequate capacity. This refers to lack of not just finance,but also effective arrangements to facilitate partnershipswith stakeholders, together with weak institutionalframeworks and poor urban governance structures. 44 Theseconditions have drastically restraining effects on cities’ability for effective mitigation and adaptation.Similarly, cities and local authorities in developingcountries may find it difficult to prioritize environmentalpolicyPublic transport jobs account for 1–2 per cent oftotal employment in many countries. In Europeand the USA, some 30 jobs are created for every USD 1.4million invested in public transport infrastructure, and another57 in transport operations proper. 42policyPilot projects in the Philippines suggest thatretrofits of two-stroke engines on two- andthree-wheeled vehicles − the most popular public transportin many developing countries − has cut fuel consumptionby 35–50 per cent and emissions of air pollutants by asmuch as 90 per cent. Installing and servicing the kits createsemployment. 43sustainability issues and challenges over and aboveunemployment, poverty, housing shortages, infrastructuresand services, especially where local political expediencydemands this type of action.This underscores the importance of growth andprosperity to the capacity of cities to address urbanenvironmental sustainability issues, and this is also whythey must be innovative and inventive when dealing withhistoric urban environmental problems while shaping anenvironmentally sustainable future. This situation highlightsthe fact that the twin dynamics of sustainability and economicprosperity are inevitably subject to a number of structuralconstraints that are specific to each and every urban arearegardless of size.Table 2.5.1Drivers of Environmental Sustainability in Cities*RegionsAvailable mechanism(s) forcoordination between local andnational authorities concerningsustainability (%)Leveraging of investments tosupport sustainable resourceuse and lower greenhousegas emissions (%)Municipalities in same city/region combining resources& partnering together forenhanced environmentalsustainability (%)Africa 31 20 20Arab States 37 35 35Asia 48 49 48Latin America & Caribbean 26 18 20All Regions 34 29 29* As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-HabitatSource: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 201185
State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013factfactEnvironmental sustainability requires capacity-buildingand resource availability at the local level.Cities are best able toAsia and the ArabStates appear tocombine sustainability andbest placed, in terms ofshared prosperity throughcapacities, to deal witheffective urban governanceenvironmental concerns and transformationaland bring about moreleadership. This type ofsustainable cities.leadership recognisesthe complex interactionsbetween urbanisation andthe environment at the local, regional, and global levels.The next step is to put in place appropriate institutionsand build the institutional building capacities requiredfor environmentally sustainable urban systems includingtransport, energy, waste management, rehabilitation ofthe built and natural environments, and management ofecosystem services.For the time being, local experts across all developingregions clearly highlight financial and institutionalcapacities as a major problem (Table 2.5.2). Morespecifically, only a few believe that efficient systemsare in place in their respective regions to monitorenvironmental sustainability or the transport sector. Localexperts also identify further challenges, suggesting thatgrowth has a critical role to play if cities are to be in aposition to tackle the effects of climate change on top ofpoverty and inequity.The need for adequate capacity is further underscored bythe fact that whereas environmental sustainability is widelyrecognised as essential, local authorities when faced withcompeting demands and budget constraints, consider it tobe the least of priorities. 45 This has implications for cities,especially given the role they must play in local environmentalissues, including when it comes to responding to the needsof the population at a time when the need for environmentalpreservation is gaining more recognition in public opinion. 46Kuwait City: skyscraper under construction.© 2012 Wael Hamdan/fotoLIBRA.comTable 2.5.2Cities with the capacity for environmental sustainability*RegionLocal authoritieswith financial& institutionalcapacity (%)Integration ofenvironmentalprotection plansin to policies andstrategies (%)Efficientmonitoringsystems forenvironmentalsustainability (%)Cities withenvironmentaltransport policies(%)Cities makingprogresstoward moresustainable urbanenvironment(%)Africa 22 48 17 9 36Arab States 60 46 37 8 46Asian 64 65 45 31 70Latin America & the Caribbean 24 47 21 8 46All Regions 39 51 28 36 43* As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-HabitatSource: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 201186
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Chapter 1.1Conceptualizing UrbanPro
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