STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

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stakeholders, particularly at local level, if sustainable development is to be achieved. 8 Nowhere are the commitments of cities to environmental sustainability more vital than in developing countries, where urban demographics are growing rapidly and current total population accounts for 82 per cent of the world population. This underscores the need for growth and prosperity to sustain and fulfil basic needs. Vitally important as economic growth may be, it must be sustainable if any city is to achieve prosperity. AFRICAN CITIES In Nairobi, for example, local experts point to extensive pollution of the Nairobi River not just by industrial effluents but also solid waste. 12 Traffic congestion is also mentioned as a major environmental problem, and apart from the attendant air pollution, the cost to the local economy is enormous. 13 Similar opinions are held by experts in Lusaka, Accra, Algiers, Lagos, Ibadan and Luanda, where rapid urban sprawl and uncontrolled spatial development combine with poor infrastructures and weak regulatory Figure 2.5.1 Environmental Impact of Growth* – African Cities per cent 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Nairobi Lusaka Praia Algiers Dar Es Salaam Ibadan Accra Luanda * As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-Habitat Source: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 2011 Lagos Addis Ababa Gaborone 79 Environmental Sustainability and the Prosperity of Cities FACT In Europe, cities stand at the forefront of initiatives in favour of environmental sustainability9 , as they keep developing and implementing various policies and strategies. 10 POLICy If economic development and related urban activities are pursued in an environmentally sustainable manner, they can facilitate urban prosperity. frameworks to undermine quality of life and, more generally, prosperity in their respective cities. Of the fourteen African cities covered in this Report, no more than four – Johannesburg, Beira, Alexandria, and Gaborone – can be found where only a few local experts perceive that economic development and related activities have negative effects on the environment. This comes as no surprise Africa’s rate FACT of economic growth has outpaced the global economic growth over the last decade. Real growth GDP has been steady particularly in the Sub-Saharan region, a sub-region expected to continue growing by more than 5 per cent. 11 Alexandria Johannesburg Beira All Sampled Africa Cities POLICy However, an overwhelming majority of local experts believe that urban economic development has unintended effects on the environment in cities such as Nairobi, Lusaka, Praia, Algiers, Dar es Salaam, Ibadan, Accra, Luanda and Lagos. These cities are seen to be unable to match sustained economic and demographic growth with corresponding expansion in infrastructures and services.
State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013 FACT In some African cities, a large majority of local experts report that although economic developed and related urban activities have detrimental effects on the natural environment, sustainability is largely overlooked by policy-makers. given that these cities are among those pursuing environmental sustainability as a matter of policy. South Africa’s economic capital has been systematically promoting creation and preservation of open spaces, pursuing energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gases, and promoting solar energy, energysaving bulbs and insulation as part of a retrofitting scheme. Above all, the city promotes sustainable building design and construction through a comprehensive set of planning regulations, whereby a sustainable approach must pervade all planning stages. 14 POLICy Johannesburg’s approach to environmental sustainability appears to be the most comprehensive of all African cities. FACT Apart from cities in the Arab States, economic development and urban activities in Asian cities are perceived to have the least detrimental effects on the natural environment. POLICy When cities promote environmental sustainability as a matter of policy, they are able to cushion the unintended effects of economic development and urban activities. Environmentally sustainable cities are, almost by definition, more compact, energy-efficient, clean and less polluted, more accessible, and offer better transport choices Figure 2.5.2 Environmental Impact of Growth* – Asian Cities per cent 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Ho Chi Minh City Bangalore Lahore 80 ASIAN CITIES However, the expert opinion survey reveals differences across cities. For instance, economic growth is not perceived to have been matched by adequate infrastructure and services in Ho Chi Minh City, Bangalore, Lahore, and Hyderabad. In Lahore, experts point to ground water pollution, extensive air pollution, traffic congestion and urban sprawl as major effects of economic development and urban activities on the environment, these are compounded by inadequate capacity and weak institutions. 15 Similarly in Bangalore, experts point to poor air quality, depletion of ground water tables and fast receding lakes. 16 These perceptions contrast with those of local experts in Singapore, Turkey’s Gaziantep, and Shenzhen, where very few local experts view economic growth and urban activities as detrimental to the environment (Figure 2.5.2). In Asia, close to two-thirds of local experts report that this type of policy is at work in their respective cities, especially in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City. Singapore is fully committed to environmental sustainability. This includes environmental awareness campaigns, with Hyderabad Davao * As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-Habitat Source: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 2011 Cebu Gaziantep Shenzen Singapore All Sampled Asian Cities
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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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Page 29 and 30: State of the World’s Cities 2012/
Page 35 and 36: Part Two
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Page 49 and 50: Chapter 2.2 Urban Infrastructure: B
Page 69 and 70: Chapter 2.4 Equity and the Prosperi
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Page 89: Part Three Policies for Prosperous
Page 92 and 93: 91 From Comparative Advantage to Ur
Page 94 and 95: Urban planning can contribute to th
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Page 98 and 99: providing adequate infrastructure a
Page 100 and 101: urban poor, particularly in slums a
Page 102 and 103: cities, the business environment is
Page 104 and 105: Chapter 3.2 Innovating to Support t
Page 106 and 107: Innovating to Support the Transitio
Page 108 and 109: model to rebuild local government a
Page 110 and 111: exceptions, modern urban planning h
Page 112 and 113: Working on the five ‘spokes’: I
Page 114 and 115: As suggested earlier, it is in the
Page 116 and 117: Urban Planning/Design & Prosperity
Page 118 and 119: Box 3.2.3 Individual versus collect
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Page 124 and 125: Table 1 City Prosperity Index and c
Page 126 and 127: Table 2 Proportion of urban populat
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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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STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

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