Eco2 Cities: Ecological Cities as Economic Cities

“Urbanization in developing countries is a defining feature of the 21st century. Some 90 percent of global urban growth now takes place in developing countries – and between the years 2000 and 2030, developing countries are projected to triple their entire built-up urban areas. This unprecedented urban expansion poses cities, nations and the international development community with a historic challenge and opportunity. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to plan, develop, build and manage cities that are simultaneously more ecologically and economically sustainable.

“Eco² Cities: Ecological Cities as Economic Cities” is a new initiative launched by the World Bank in order to respond to this challenge. Its objective is to help cities in developing countries achieve greater ecological and economic sustainability.

The World Bank’s Eco² Cities Initiative is a broad platform that provides practical, scalable, analytical, and operational support to cities in developing countries so they may harness the benefits of ecological and economic sustainability.”

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTURBANDEVELOPMENT/Resources/336387-1270074782769/Eco2_Cities_Book.pdf  (392 pages, 8.93 MB)

Hidden Cities: unmasking and overcoming health inequities in urban settings

“The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) joint global report, Hidden cities, exposes the extent to which certain city dwellers suffer disproportionately from a wide range of diseases and health problems.

While urban living continues to offer many opportunities, these advantages can be extremely uneven in their distribution. While it is generally understood that city dwellers on average, enjoy better health than their rural counterparts, very little is known about health differences that exist within cities. No city is immune to this problem. The list of potential urban hazards include substandard housing and crowded living conditions, problems with food and water safety, inadequate sanitation and solid waste disposal services, air pollution, and congested traffic, etc.

Many cities face a triple threat: infectious diseases thrive when people are crowded together under paltry living conditions. Chronic, non communicable diseases are on the rise with the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles, which are facilitated by urban life – tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. And urban health is further burdened by accidents, injuries, road accidents, violence, and crime.

Urbanization, both in the developing and developed world, has been accompanied by a concentration of poverty which is becoming a severe, pervasive, and largely unacknowledged feature of urban life. This is accompanied by lack of adequate capacity of Municipal bodies to extend services to the urban poor.

The health sector cannot act alone to tackle those inequities and the various urban health challenges. Opportunities to put health at the heart of the urban policy agenda exist, and it is time for all sectors to work together toward innovative and effective solutions that mitigate health risks and increase health benefits.

This report provides information and tools to help governments and local leaders reduce health inequities in their cities.”

 

PDF:http://www.hiddencities.org/downloads/WHO_UN-HABITAT_Hidden_Cities_Web.pdf  (145 pages, 3.30 MB)

Guide to Municipal Finance

“Interest in cities is increasing around the world, in part, because more people are living in cities than ever before and, in part, because recent trends towards fiscal decentralization and globalization have highlighted the importance of cities. Fiscal decentralization has resulted in the devolution of powers and responsibilities from central and state/provincial governments to the local level making local governments responsible for a wide range of services and infrastructure. Globalization has meant that it is cities that are competing on the international stage. They not only have to provide the services and infrastructure needed to attract businesses and skilled workers but  they have to maintain relatively low taxes on businesses so that they do not adversely affect their competitive position. In short, cities are critical to the success of the new economy.

 A solid financial structure is essential to the success of cities in meeting the challenges of urbanization, decentralization, and globalization. The financial structure affects the quantity and quality of services, the efficiency with which those services are provided.

 The Guide to Municipal Finance describes the current issues in municipal finance and the ways in which local governments finance services and infrastructure. It sets out a basic economic framework that is used to evaluate the different aspects of municipal finance and that can be used to evaluate other options.”

 PDF: www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=2808&alt=1  (90 pages, 558 KB)

Collection of Municipal Solid Waste Key issues for Decision-makers in Developing Countries

“The collection of municipal solid waste is a public service that has important impacts on public health and the appearance of towns and cities. In many Indian cities it has emerged as the number one priority for the urban administrators. But, unfortunately many urban administrations seem to be losing the battle of coping with the ever-increasing quantities of solid waste. The challenge is made greater by the diversity of materials in the waste, especially the low grade plastics, packaging materials and electronic wastes.

The booklet is written for decision-makers in the fields of local bodies who are concerned to upgrade the solid waste collection services. The first chapter of this booklet presents some basic principles of good solid waste collection.  The second chapter summarises the challenges that commonly face decision-makers, and suggests strategies for improving the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of solid waste collection services.  The third chapter suggests key points on decision making. The book emphasizes need for evolving workable local home grown solutions rather than solutions from international ‘experts’. Details on solid waste management can also be had from other two postings viz.,   http://urbangovernance.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/collection-of-municipal-solid-waste-in-developing-countries/    and     http://urbangovernance.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/improving-municipal-solid-waste-management-in-india/   .”

 PDF: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=3231&alt=1

Fighting Corruption in the Municipal Services: Experience of Georgia

‘Georgia after 2003 has embarked on a mission to fight corruption in public services in various departments having wide interface with the public. Georgia seems to have achieved considerable success in minimizing corruption in various institutions. This has been well documented in this World Bank publication titled, ‘Fighting Corruption in Public Services: Chronicling Georgia’s Reforms’, in the form of case-studies.

The publication details how the government went about fighting corruption in various departments including the municipal services (chapter 9). No two countries can be similar. While, it may not be possible to fully replicate the success of Georgia in other countries, the publication will be useful to understand the process involved and adapt the same duly taking into account the institutional setup and other related aspects’.

 

Full PDF: Fighting Corruption in Public Services: Chronicling Georgia’s Reforms

 

Collection of Municipal Solid Waste in Developing Countries

‘The most important problem, often faced by the Urban Local Bodies in the developing countries is Solid Waste Management.

 This publication gives details of the entire process of solid waste management including waste characterisation, methods of waste collection, storage systems, selection of waste collection vehicles, maintenance of vehicles, financial aspects,  institutional arrangements, management of workforce, recycling methods, and disposal of solid waste. It provides a menu of choices from which service providers and local authorities can identify appropriate, cost effective, and affordable options for efficient solid waste collection, handling and disposal systems.

 

This booklet will be a valuable tool for policy makers, municipal engineers, independent service providers, planners, consultants, researchers and other professionals engaged in designing solid waste management systems in urban areas  of the developing world.’

PDF: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3072

Innovative Land and Property Taxation

‘This publication provides an overview of various theories, practices and tools on land and property taxes implemented in different parts of the world.

 

The land and property taxation can contribute to support the provision of infrastructure, services and affordable housing in cities. Local and national governments can effectively use land and property taxation as an effective means to redistribute wealth, create a better city, and invest in infrastructure and services that will ultimately benefit all.

 

The many case studies here provide examples of policies, legal frameworks, tools and illustrative cases from around the world. There is a chapter on India titled, ‘Innovation in Property taxation systems in India’ with case-studies on Bangalore and Ahmedabad.’

 

PDF: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3224

 

Urban Design Toolkit

“Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand has published an Urban Design Toolkit. The Urban Design Toolkit is a compendium of tools that can be used to facilitate high-quality urban design.

 

Urban design is the process of designing and creating neighborhoods, towns or cities to make the urban areas attractive, functional and sustainable.  Urban design involves architecture, landscaping, urban transport, urban planning, municipal engineering etc. 

 The toolkit provides important resources for developing quality urban design projects and provides increased insight into the breadth and depth of urban design and methodologies to achieve the quality design.

 The Toolkit includes a wide range of tools that are typically used by a number of different professions, both in New Zealand and overseas. Various tools are categorised into five different areas viz., research and analysis tools, community participation tools, raising awareness tools, planning and design tools and implementation tools.”

Full PDF: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/urban/urban-toolkit-2009/urban-design-toolkit-third-edition.pdf

Cities Health and Well-Being

‘‘With more than half of the world’s population already living in cities, cities affect the health and well-being of more than three billion urban dwellers. Cities are critical both for enquiry and action in relation to health and well-being. With almost 70 per cent of the world’s population estimated to be living in urban areas by 2050, global health will be determined increasingly in cities.

 Yet while urbanisation has thus far generally been accompanied by many basic health improvements, today’s cities currently provide some of the worst as well as some of the best environments for health.

 Six essays by international and local experts on planning, health, governance and the environment provide an introduction to the key themes and narratives that are shaping the present and future of the Asian city-state, setting Hong Kong into a wider political, geographical and spatial context. The study focuses on the unique conditions of the city-state of Hong Kong, adding seven million residents at the gateway of the People’s Republic of China, a country that, along with India, is spearheading the epochal shift from rural to urban habitation.’’

 PDF: http://downloads0.cloud.lsecities.net/downloads/2011/11/2011_chw_hong-kong-newspaper.pdf

The State of the World’s Cities

‘‘The 2010/11 State of the World’s Cities Report, “Bridging the Urban Divide” by the UN-HABITAT highlights the unprecedented challenges which urbanization throws at the world’s cities today – particularly in the South – and the attendant urban divide. These challenges include grinding poverty, environmental degradation, income inequalities, historical socio-economic inequalities, marginalization and various forms of exclusion.

 Achieving sustainable urban development is likely to prove impossible if the urban divide is allowed not only to persist, but to continue growing, opening up an enormous gap, even in some cities a gulf, an open wound, which can produce social instability or at least generate high social and economic costs not only for the urban poor, but for society at large.

  This edition of the Report underlines the choices available to policymakers across the range of economic, social, cultural and political challenges that are needed to bridge the urban divide. Remedies include removing barriers that prevent access to land, housing, infrastructure and basic services, and facilitating rather than inhibiting participation and citizenship. The report also emphasizes that lasting gains are best achieved through a combination of local action and national enabling policies.’’

Download PDF: http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=2917