Quality of Life: A Variety of Local Responses UN-Habitat has identified some convergent and divergent forms in which cities address quality of life. Divergent city responses: Actions to improve quality of life will largely depend on the stage of development of the relevant country or city. In most poor cities in the developing world, quality of life is strongly associated with the provision of public goods in the form of basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity, and improvements in slum neighbourhoods. Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2025 aims at high quality of life for all the population, linking this notion to economic growth and poverty reduction. 13 In Ho Chi Minh City, quality of life is directly linked to improved drainage, sewage collection and treatment systems, and other public infrastructures such as road enlargements. In middle-income countries, governments link quality of life to various factors, from improved living environments and enhanced material well-being to higher incomes. Experts in cities as diverse as Fort-de-Fran ce (Martinique), Habana, Cebu, Davao, and Beirut explicitly refer to the provision of a decent house and a healthy environment as essential elements for improved well-being and quality of life. In other cities −Rosario, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Alexandria and Guarenas (Venezuela) − improved solid waste disposal is perceived as a major condition for better quality of life. Improvements in healthcare services appear as another major factor. In Singapore, Doha, Chongqing and Shenzhen, local experts implicitly refer to good and affordable medical services for all as a good way of improving quality of life. Shenzhen’s universal healthcare system and Tehran’s Urban Heart Programme are good Box 2.3.2 examples. POLICy Equitable cities generalize access to urban commons and public goods, preventing private appropriation and expanding the scope for improved quality of life for all. Quality of Life, World-Class Cities and Social Inclusion 63 FACT Quality of Life and Urban <strong>Prosperity</strong> Experts in Beira, Algiers, Praia, Luanda and Addis Ababa, among others, explicitly link improved quality of life to slum upgrading and poverty reduction. In rich countries, government responses to the need for quality of life implicitly refer to access to a number of goods and services and improvements in the domestic living environment. Many European cities emphasize good transport, green open spaces, culture and sports facilities as major factors behind better quality of life. Although better paid jobs, good levels of education and health facilities always feature in government responses, quality of life is increasingly associated to an inclusive, well-planned, healthy and supportive environment. 14 FACT Convergent city responses: Beyond local circumstances, some aspects of quality of life improvements can be found in all types of country. Northern European cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Groningen, Berlin and Muenster promote cycling and walking as part of new urban cultures and in the pursuit of better quality of life. Others like Dresden, Vancouver and Los Angeles have launched into urban conversion programmes in cultural and historical neighbourhoods, adapting urban infrastructure and reusing open land areas for better quality of life. 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 twin objectives that will “establish the city as a preferred home for current and future residents by improving the well-being of citizens and residents, and helping them live healthier lives enriched with opportunity and choice. 15 In Doha, the capital of Qatar, transformation of the city into a diversified knowledge-based economy is seen by public authorities as being contingent on the development and upgrading of the education and skills of the population and improved quality of life. 16 Singapore considers quality of life as a key competitive advantage to attract skilled foreign labour and investment. 17 At a different level, a local expert in Beirut noted that ‘quality of life’ mostly appeared in the advertising brochures of high-end property developments, in response to which non-governmental organizations have used the same notion to draw attention to the lack of public goods in the city, such as public or ‘green’ spaces. 18 In Santos, Brazil, quality of life is perceived as involving social justice and inclusion, not just economic growth, as a precondition for sustainable development.
State of the World’s Cities <strong>2012</strong>/<strong>2013</strong> Cultural vitality enhances quality of life: Sinulog Street dancing, an annual event held on the third Sunday in January celebrates Santo Niño, the patron saint of Cebu, Philippines, as well as Cebuano peoples’ origins. © <strong>2012</strong> John Lander/fotoLIBRA.com 64
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