STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

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economic growth is to take place first before equity issues can be addressed. Although the Consensus promoted pro-poor growth and the provision of primary education along with primary health and infrastructure development, it was based on the premise that poorer sections of society benefit from whatever ‘trickles through’ the economic and social pyramid, in an environment of free enterprise and deregulation. The dramatic collapse of the banking system in major Western countries in 2008 and the subsequent world economic crisis has seriously discredited the Consensus approach. Ample evidence suggests that structures and institutions are skewed in favour of dominant groups in society. These groups may legally or otherwise maximise their own benefits, not by chance but by design, and perpetuate and enhance conditions that further benefit themselves or their socio-political class. This is particularly true in cities with poor governance arrangements, weak institutions and nonexisting or ineffective planning structures − in other words, in cities where the ‘hub’ of the wheel of prosperity is not properly working and fails to steer growth and development in a more equitable manner. The UN-Habitat survey on urban prosperity in developing regions has highlighted corruption as the greatest barrier to equity, followed by weak civil society Figure 2.4.2 Factors restricting the scope of greater urban equity ranking 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0 73 Equity and the Prosperity of Cities (with its role in rights advocacy) (Figure 2.4.2). This is the case in Lahore, Bangalore, Amman and Beirut. In the survey, local experts also cited poor governance, lack of political will and structural barriers The impact of FACT inequity has been to pro-equity policies overlooked in conventional as other significant economic and development hindrances to equity. Far from being a historic or inevitable phenomenon, theory. urban inequality in this perspective is understood More equitable POLICy cities have to be the result of greater chances to be more deliberate negligence, prosperous; but prosperity structural obstacles and does not happen all by itself, weak capacities to counter or as a logical consequence prevailing conditions. of economic growth. Historic patterns of inequality Corruption Discriminatory practices Inef�cient and ineffective government Lack of democracy Lack of interest from ruling elites Public institutions controlled by ruling elite Lack of funds FACT While equity has a direct effect on the emergence of prosperity, it must be brought about through the other dimensions of prosperity. Weak civil society to claim or defend rights Africa Asia LAC Arab States All regions
State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013 FOSTERING SOCIAL INCLUSION Unequal income and unequal opportunities are the two main underlying factors of urban inequity. They derive from biases in distribution at national level as well as dysfunctions at the local urban level. In this sense, inequity reveals a differentiation in the manner in which resources are allocated and facilities and services accessed. The main driver of inequity often tends to be differential access to employment as well as to public goods and services. Inequity in this respect reflects biases in the economic realm which effectively concentrate a disproportionate share of resources, services and opportunities in the hands of certain groups or individuals. A common response is the consolidation of redistributive programmes, mainly in the area of social welfare. In developing countries, this has been complemented with the design of local economic development initiatives as well as poverty alleviation measures. However, it has become increasingly evident that beyond dysfunctions in the distributive systems, in both developed and developing countries, some systemic barriers sustain outright discrimination and alienation. Transcending poverty and deprivation, social inclusion as both a process and an outcome entails the removal of barriers to access to goods, services and opportunities as well as improved wellbeing and self-fulfilment. This goes to show that social inclusion is not just reactive; rather, it recognizes the importance of differences POLICy Cities willing to embrace shared prosperity must also look beyond equity to ensure the promotion of social inclusion as a whole. FACT Equity is also about social and political relations among urban populations as well as among government institutions and individuals and social groups. It is the relational dimension which underlies the degree to which a city operates and sustains as a collective entity. and diversity, and harnesses the commonality of lived and shared experiences to achieve positive societal ends. To a substantial degree, the urban protest movements that were referred to earlier in this Report have been about social inclusion (Chapter 1, Part 1). The rallying cry, “We are the 99 per cent”, is more of a reaction to exclusion and alienation than a protest against poverty or deprivation. Whereas equity in its primarily economic dimension is driven by 74 ‘macro’ and national policies, most interventions in favour of social inclusion take place at the local level. Therefore, urban authorities have a major role to play when it comes to making shared prosperity a reality within their jurisdictions. In European cities an abundance of initiatives have been introduced to promote social inclusion, and their benefits seem to have registered in the UN-Habitat “City Prosperity Index”. For example, the ‘Cities Against Social Exclusion’ (CASE) programme illustrates the concerted efforts at local and regional levels to share experiences and improve local action among a network of European cities. Typical interventions, such as in Stockholm, include removal of barriers to full engagement of women, youths, the homeless, the elderly and the disabled. In Vienna, an elaborate action plan involves systems for nondiscrimination at all levels, improved political and social participation of all minority groups including migrants, and measurable monitoring of social diversity and integration. As Vienna’s mayor once put it, “Social cohesion and a climate of respect are particularly important at a time when we all face new challenges. Good neighbourly relations cannot be enacted by law. The people who live in Vienna need to come to an understanding and formulate mutually acceptable solutions.” 19 Similar noteworthy experiences are emerging in developing countries where Medellín, Dar es Salaam and Kigali, for instance, have found effective ways of enhancing prosperity based on relatively lower productivity, infrastructural development and quality of life. Medellín has resorted to civic architecture and public spaces to further inclusiveness and the empowerment of otherwise marginalized social groups. These groups benefit from expanded public facilities as infrastructure reaches out to them, improving not just their sense of wellbeing but also their capacity fully to engage with the At the city urban fabric. In Dar es POLICy level, social Salaam, a conscientious inclusion provides an environment where plan for socially mixed individuals feel they neighbourhoods has belong to the larger brought more inclusion whole, have access both in space and in to ‘commons’ and are social relations. In Kigali, free fully to engage in innovative measures aim to collective affairs. Social inclusion involves a consolidate reconciliation broad set of variables and integration as part as it hinges upon of the post-genocide the socio-political reconstruction process. relationship.
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PRODUCTIVITY ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINA
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Copyright © United Nations Human S
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Foreword This is a time of crises.
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Acknowledgements CORE TEAM Director
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Chapter 1.1 Conceptualizing Urban P
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State of the World’s Cities 2012/
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Table 1 City Prosperity Index and c
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Table 2 Proportion of urban populat
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Urban Slum Population at Mid-year b
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Country/City BRAzIL City Population
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Country/City Table 4 City Populatio
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Country/City City Population of Urb
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Country/City InDIA Table 4 City Pop
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Country/City IRELAnD City Populatio
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Country/City myAnmAR City Populatio
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Urban Population (’000) Level of
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