STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

institutions and grassroots leaders collaborating on
community outreach schemes, and various programmes
involving the citizenry in the ‘sustainable’ agenda. The city-
State’s ‘compact city initiative’ promotes density, facilitates
mass transit and includes a ‘walkable’ campaign. Under
Singapore’s waste management scheme, 58 per cent of solid
wastes are recycled, another 40 per cent incinerated to
produce energy, and the remaining two per cent goes to a
purpose built off-shore sanitary landfill.
CITIES IN ARAB STATES
Across Arab States, only one-third of local experts consider
that economic development has unintended detrimental
effects on the environment (Figure 2.5.3). However, this
favourable average conceals sharp differences across
cities. Experts that view that economic development has
negative effects on the environment are an overwhelming
majority in Beirut, and 50 per cent in Kuwait City, Shiraz
and Muharrak in Bahrain. These cities have relatively
large populations (Beirut, Kuwait City and Shiraz) and
intense economic activity. In Beirut, local experts see a
direct link between rapid
urban expansion and
environmental problems,
with one describing the city
Figure 2.5.3
as “a metaphor for brutal
real estate speculation”,
per cent
with attendant noise
90
pollution and traffic
congestion. 17
Similarly in Kuwait
City, local experts point
to the construction boom
associated with economic
growth and urban
expansion. As noted by
one, this double boom has
placed “acute pressures on
road networks, with traffic
becoming a nightmare”. 18
Only very few local
experts in Saida (Lebanon),
Basra and Beirut believe
their respective cities
promote environmental
sustainability as a matter
of policy. In Beirut,
“environmental concerns
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Environmental Impact of Growth* – Arab Cities
Beirut
Kuwait City
Muharrak
Shiraz
81
Environmental Sustainability and the Prosperity of Cities
are rarely considered”, with an absence of effective policies
for urban planning, although they are needed in areas
like traffic and waste management. 19 However, in Doha,
Aqaba and Dubai, most local experts report that their
respective cities have proper policies in place. In Dubai,
environmental sustainability policies include the Emirates’
Energy and Environment Rating System and the Air
Quality Management System, among other robust policies
and governance mechanisms promoting environmental
sustainability in Qatar’s capital city. 20
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Two distinct phenomena may be at play here: the region’s
high rates of urban spatial expansion and relatively high
Amman
POLICy
Basra
* As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-Habitat
Source: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 2011
The main message from Arab States is that
urbanisation and economic growth are inevitable;
and if matched with appropriate and effective policies and
governance, the environmental consequences are manageable.
Erbil
Dubai
Doha
Aqaba
Saida
All Sampled
Arab Cities