Inclusive Cities Resilient Communities

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Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III): National Report of NEPAL • Enhanced local resource base through the creation of development fund as well as taxation, and grants • Capacity building through training programs • Technical and planning input from the central government through DUDBC • Formulation of appropriate standards for buildings and infrastructure • Research and design on building design, appropriate technology, construction materials, and construction methods • Implementation of building bye-laws and building codes • IAP, Periodic Plan (with MSIP and PEDP), and MTMP • Sustainable financing approaches by engaging Town Development Fund (TDF). 2.6 Challenges experienced and lessons learnt Ensuring sustainable urban planning and design Infrastructure development provision remains weakly coordinated with the overall development of city. Unearned income is rarely captured. There is lack of infrastructure extension and neighborhood level planning. As land distribution becomes more skewed, land issues ought to be resolved more rigorously. If accessibility to land is to be linked with planned urban development, the government needs to exercise adequate control on land use. Likewise, the trade-off between growth and sustainability needs to be addressed, including regulation of urban growth through physical development plans. There is growing regional disparity in urban growth and development. Increasing rural-to-urban migration of largely unskilled and poor people has strained already poor urban infrastructure and services. Robust regional development strategy is needed in response to rapid urbanization. Socio-economic planning should be coordinated with spatial planning at regional or sub-regional level with due consideration to functional hierarchy of settlements. Despite some progress in urban planning, land development, local empowerment, and housing delivery system, there are several challenges to overcome. Technology and research on building materials have not improved much. Progress on institutional development is rather slow. Likewise, the market under the patronage of government has set housing price unaffordable to most families. Despite increased investments in individual housing, the private sector could not contribute much in social housing due to institutional constraints and low profitability. While some areas of urban development have become highly profitable (e.g., education and health), other sectors like solid waste and water supply are not adequately financed. The Kathmandu Valley is the most important urban region in the country. However, due to unplanned concentration of economic activities and investment, Kathmandu Valley continues to face unprecedented urban growth, accompanied by ecological and environmental problems. The unique built environment and cultures in the traditional settlements of the Valley are at increased 29
Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III): National Report of NEPAL risks due to commercialization of land use and gentrification. Improving urban land management, including addressing urban sprawl Ineffective planning and land use regulations have resulted into unplanned and spontaneous growth of urban settlements within and beyond municipalities. This has encouraged lowdensity urban sprawl. Upgrading of the existing housing stock and built environment remains largely ignored, entailing households to move out to the low-density area at the city periphery. Unregulated, informal and substandard land subdivisions are rampant. It is difficult to control premature loss of agricultural land as ownership rights are complex due to unclear land titles and secured tenancy rights. Legal and administrative hindrances exist in the formal land development process. On the other hand, many land pooling project sites remain underutilized. Enhancing urban and peri-urban food production Urban agriculture has gained attention as a valid urban issue only in recent years due to international success stories. So far the tendency had been to view agriculture as a sector non-compatible to urban development. However, there is no regulation so far to control or regulate premature conversion of farmlands into urban use. Likewise, no specific policy exists on urban agriculture. National Agricultural Policy 2004 does not address urban agriculture. Addressing urban mobility challenges The flawed perception that road widening solves traffic congestion needs to be corrected. The sustainable solution to traffic congestion is to invest in public transportation system. Existing deficiencies such as monopoly of private transport entrepreneurs should be mitigated. Land use changes are influenced mainly by investments. There is need for integrated land use planning. Urban transport planning should be responsive to the changing transport needs brought by urban growth. Instead of managing for the transport backlog caused by rapid growth, planned integration will allow continuous balancing between land use change and transport management. Improving technical capacity to plan and manage cities There is lack of competence in harnessing the potentials of governance structure and stakeholders’ engagement. Managerial and technical capacity is limited both at center and municipal level. The ability to use resources fairly is not ensured. Local governance is weak and not linked with the improvement in access of people to resources, goods, and services. In order to make local government competent to deal with urban management problems, it should be able to create its own resource base through the creation of development fund as well as taxation. So far most municipalities depend on grants from the central government. 2.7 Future challenges and issues to be addressed by a New Urban Agenda Ensuring sustainable urban planning and design The trade-off between growth and sustainability must be recognized and addressed. There is a growing consensus that cities should be compact, livable, 30
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Inclusive Cities Resilient Communities

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