STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

The manufacture of bicycles is dominated by China,
India and the European Union, all of which account for
87 per cent of global production. However, China alone
produces more than half the world’s bicycles.
DRIvERS AND CAPACITy-BUILDING FOR
ENvIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITy
Sustainable urban policies are driven by seven main
factors: availability of financial resources, human resources,
appropriate technology, specialised institutions, access to
information, adequate organisational arrangements, and
supportive legal frameworks.
Approximately one-third of local experts across all
regions are of the view that mechanisms for coordination
between city and national authorities regarding
environmental sustainability are already in place
(Table 2.5.1). Less than one-third report that cities are
mobilising investment to support sustainable resource use,
or pulling their resources together in order to enhance
environmental sustainability.
These efforts can only go so far, it would seem, as
experts simultaneously highlight the widespread problem of
inadequate capacity. This refers to lack of not just finance,
but also effective arrangements to facilitate partnerships
with stakeholders, together with weak institutional
frameworks and poor urban governance structures. 44 These
conditions have drastically restraining effects on cities’
ability for effective mitigation and adaptation.
Similarly, cities and local authorities in developing
countries may find it difficult to prioritize environmental
Table 2.5.1
Drivers of Environmental Sustainability in Cities*
Regions
Available mechanism(s) for
coordination between local and
national authorities concerning
sustainability (%)
85
Environmental Sustainability and the Prosperity of Cities
POLICy
Public transport jobs account for 1–2 per cent of
total employment in many countries. In Europe
and the USA, some 30 jobs are created for every USD 1.4
million invested in public transport infrastructure, and another
57 in transport operations proper. 42
POLICy
Pilot projects in the Philippines suggest that
retrofits of two-stroke engines on two- and
three-wheeled vehicles − the most popular public transport
in many developing countries − has cut fuel consumption
by 35–50 per cent and emissions of air pollutants by as
much as 90 per cent. Installing and servicing the kits creates
employment. 43
sustainability issues and challenges over and above
unemployment, poverty, housing shortages, infrastructures
and services, especially where local political expediency
demands this type of action.
This underscores the importance of growth and
prosperity to the capacity of cities to address urban
environmental sustainability issues, and this is also why
they must be innovative and inventive when dealing with
historic urban environmental problems while shaping an
environmentally sustainable future. This situation highlights
the fact that the twin dynamics of sustainability and economic
prosperity are inevitably subject to a number of structural
constraints that are specific to each and every urban area
regardless of size.
Leveraging of investments to
support sustainable resource
use and lower greenhouse
gas emissions (%)
Africa 31 20 20
Arab States 37 35 35
Asia 48 49 48
Latin America & Caribbean 26 18 20
All Regions 34 29 29
* As perceived by local experts surveyed by UN-Habitat
Source: UN-Habitat, City Monitoring Branch, Policy Survey, 2011
Municipalities in same city/
region combining resources
& partnering together for
enhanced environmental
sustainability (%)