The Urbanization Crisis: Opportunities for Good Urban Governance and Sustainable Development

1. People are moving into cities at a tremendous rate. 75% of Latin America is urbanized, 60% of the world. Mega-cites are emerging all over, here are the largest: 1.Tokyo, Japan 26.4 million 2. Mexico City, Mexico 18.4 million 3. Bombay, India 18.1 million 4. Sao Paulo, Brazil 17.8 million 5. Shanghai, China 17.0 million 6. New York City, USA 16.6 million 7. Lagos, Nigeria 13.4 million 8. Los Angeles, USA 13.1 million 9. Calcutta, India 12.9 million 10. Buenos Aires, Argentina 12.6 million

2. And this doesn’t account for the daytime population. With this population growth there is the migration of the poor, mostly to the peripheries. The automobile has conquered the world, using up the oil preserves. New forms of energy are required. China for example proposes producing 5 to 10, 000,000 new cars each year. Roads take up space, and with the housing good or bad, we lose agricultural land. Traffic is slowed to a standstill. Rapid transit is expensive. Services have decreased. Water is both scarce and polluted worldwide. We are losing the natural environment, which gives us more than oxygen.

3. We are in a crisis,However, as I understand the Chinese word for crisis, it includes to ideograms, danger and opportunity. We do have an opportunity, but we cannot remain “in the desert” for forty years.Here I would like to quote from my good friend, Anwar Fazal from UNDP, and a Malaysian:Nothing, however, will work effectively if we don’t have in place a framework of good urban governance. At UNDP, we have identified at least nine fundamental principles or core characteristic that we use as benchmarks for good governance and these must also form the anchors of a good water policy strategy.

4. 9 Principles of Good Governance:1. Strategic VisionLeaders and the public have a broad and long-term perspective on good governance and human development, along with a sense of what is needed for it. There is also an understanding of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded.2. Rule of LawLegal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially, particularly the laws on human rights.3. TransparencyTransparency is built on the free flow of information. Processes, institutions and information are directly accessible to those concerned with them, and enough information is provided to monitor them.

5. 4. ResponsivenessInstitutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders.5. Consensus OrientationGood governance mediates differing interests to reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interest of the group and where possible, on policies and procedures.6. EquityAll men and women have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being.7. Effectiveness & EfficiencyProcesses and institutions produce results that meet needs while making the best use of resources.

6. 8. AccountabilityDecision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society organizations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders. This accountability differs depending on the organization and whether the decision is internal or external to an organization.9. ParticipationAll men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly or through legitimate intermediate institutions that represent their interests. Such broad participation is built on freedom of association and speech, as well as capacities to participate constructively.

7. Ladislau Dowbor* suggested that if Brazil gives up the market model of economics, and returns to Keynesian economics, one can create a program, that can deal with may issues, at the same time.In the USA under Roosevelt, there was created the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Public Works Administration (PWA) and a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). These organizations recruited the poor, hungry, and unemployed, the young and old. They produced almost all the infrastructure of the United States, took them off the streets, fed, educated people, and gave them hope. He asks, “Can this be done in Brazil?” I believe it can, all over the world. In means a commitment to do so. It also offers a possibility of business and government a chance to cooperate.

8. What Healthy Cities offers is a model of a process and a paradigm that must be used worldwide. The crisis we are facing is truly an opportunity fo make great changes in our thinking and doing. We, who are on the frontlines can be the leaders, with values of equity, participation, the uniqueness of each individual and culture, the processes of conflict resolution, kindness and compassion, honesty and integrity, the broad definition of health, the broad definition of community*, the development of shared vision from community values, the importance of an improved quality of life for everyone, diverse citizen participation and widespread community ownership, based upon systems change, the development of local assets and resources and the creation of benchmarks and measures of progress and outcome.

9. SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES WORLD WIDE

10. UN HABITAT has take the leadership in looking at best practices:The Safer Cities Program was launched in 1996 at the request of African mayors who wanted to address urban violence by developing a prevention strategy at city level. The program supports the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, which acknowledges the responsibility of local authorities in crime prevention. Furthermore, the Program is in line with the ECOSOC Resolution 1995/9 of 24 July 1995.The main objectives of the program are to:(1) Build capacities at city level to adequately address urban insecurity; and thereby(2) Contribute to the establishment of a culture of prevention.

11. The BLP works closely with Habitat’s Global Campaigns on Secure Tenure and Urban Governance on the Inclusive Cities Network. Together with Urban Indicators Programme, the BLP forms the Global Urban Observatory (GUO), UN-HABITAT’s facility for monitoring global trends in sustainable urban development and evaluating progress in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and Agenda 21. The policy implications and lessons learned from Best Practices are incorporated into Habitat’s State of the World’s Cities report. *

12. There are programs in cities on Safe Cities, one being that of UN Habitat:The Safer Cities Program was launched in 1996 at the request of African mayors who wanted to address urban violence by developing a prevention strategy at city level. The program supports the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, which acknowledges the responsibility of local authorities in crime prevention. Furthermore, the Program is in line with the ECOSOC Resolution 1995/9 of 24 July 1995.

13. The Safer Cities ApproachViolence does not happen spontaneously. It grows out of an unequal and exclusive society, and out of lack of institutional and social control. An inadequate urban environment and exclusion encourage crime and violence. Moreover, the criminal justice system, including police, courts and prisons, is poorly adapted to the rapidly changing urban environment, and is unable to respond to the concerns and needs of urban dwellers, particularly the poor. This situation leads to distrust, intolerance and in some cases violent reactions such as "mob justice" as a collective form of defense against petty crime.

14. Another example of UN HABITAT is the sustainable cities program*.The Sustainable Cities Program (SCP) is a joint UN-HABITAT/UNEP facility for building capacities in urban environmental planning and management. The program is founded on broad-based cross-sectoral and stakeholder participatory approaches. It contributes to promoting urban environmental governance processes, as a basis for achieving sustainable urban growth and development. Currently the SCP operates in 20 main demonstration and 25 replicating cities around the world, including cities in China, Chile, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Korea, Malawi, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia.

15. UNICEF has its program of Child Friendly CitiesWhat is a Child Friendly City? It is a city, or any local system of governance, committed to fulfilling children's rights. It is a city where the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programs and decisions. It is, as a result, a city that is fit for all.The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) was launched in 1996 after Habitat II, the second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996) and its resolution to make cities livable places for all and, in UNICEF terms, for "children first." The Istanbul Conference declared that the well-being of children is the ultimate indicator of a healthy habitat, a democratic society and good governance.

16. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, now ratified by 191 countries, challenges cities to conceive of themselves-and the services, amenities and quality of life they provide-in a new way. While there may be illegal settlements, from a child rights' perspective there are no illegal children. All children in cities have the right to access basic services and enjoy opportunities for development, whether they live with their families or alone, in informal settlements or on the streets. CFCI advocates the adoption of governance approaches and participatory urban management that aim to ensure that the youngest citizens realize their fundamental rights.

17. In practice the movement for Child Friendly Cities has seen young citizens take part in municipal decision-making and help planners design "the city they want;" and child-sensitive quality indicators have been developed to measure progress against child-oriented goals.With the growth of CFC activities, cities have increasingly expressed the need to exchange notes, share experiences and sort out common problems together. Informal exchanges have gradually developed into networks and regular meetings. After Habitat II, CFCI partners gathered in Accra, Ghana in 1997 and in Italy in four major fora in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

18. And finally complete view of the UN is UNESCO.UNESCO functions thanks to the synergy between diverse community actors that together form an international community. These communities include governments, National Commissions, Parliamentarians, NGOs and Associations. Among them we also find the media, schools, cultural and scientific institutions, private sector partners and the United Nations family of institutions. Together, they give life to UNESCO's ideals and values around the world, at local, national and international levels.

19. Community Care Networks are partnerships focused on achieving better accountability, aligning resources with social needs and improving the health of the population.Report: Public-Private Partnerships to Improve Health CareThe Collaboration Primer: Proven Strategies, Considerations and Tools to Get You StartedCommunity Care Network Demonstration PublicationsRead Community Care Network Briefings:Evaluating Partnerships (Winter 2002)Community Building (Fall 2001)Report: Sustaining Community Health: The Experience of Health Care System Leaders

20. The Communities MovementMany different community based groups and movements with complementary perspectives can loosely be referred to collectively as the "Communities Movement. The Communities Movement entails an effort to link the various community-based movements while maintaining the integrity of each in order to further benefit communities by building on what these movements have in common and highlighting their unique and valuable differences. There is an emphasis then, on integration not merger, on collaboration and synergy toward the common goal of community transformation.

21. The Sustainable Communities Movement - www.sustainable.orgThe Sustainable Communities Movement works to produce communities that are more environmentally sound, economically prosperous, and socially equitable. This movement emphasizes the importance of environmental protection and seeking approaches to long term interrelated human and natural sustainability.

22. The Smart Growth Movement - www.smartgrowth.orgThe Smart Growth Movement recognizes connections between development and quality of life. It leverages new growth to improve the community. In general, smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to central cities and older suburbs. As communities continue to grow, smart growth provides a scaffold to ensure that this growth is well-managed and beneficial for all.

23. The Community Building Movement - www.ncbn.orgThe Community Building Movement works to reduce poverty and create social and economic opportunity through comprehensive community building strategies. In addition, this Movement works to achieve social and economic equity for all children and families. Community builders work on physical and economic community development, but also focus on promoting strong social networks among community residents.

24. The Livable Communities Movement - www.livablecommunities.govThe Livable Communities Movement assists communities to grow in ways that ensure a high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth. There is an emphasis on the integrity and compatibility of the "built environment" with human and ecological well being.The Safe Communities Movement - promotes a community culture of safety and well being by addressing occupational, community and lifestyle issues. There is a particular emphasis on both accident and violence prevention.