Volume IV Issue 03 October 2011

Bringing blue skies back to our cities

How China is tackling the threat of climate change
India pioneers solar projects in city of Thane Why local governments must drive action on global warming Can compact planning help the urban poor?

Contents
www.unhabitat.org 2010 UN-HABITAT UN-HABITAT P.O.Box 30030, GPO Nairobi 00100, Kenya Tel. (254-20) 762 3120 Fax. (254-20) 762 3477 E-mail: urbanworld@unhabitat.org EDITOR: Roman Rollnick EDITORIAL ADVISOR: Robert Kehew EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Tom Osanjo, Flossie Mbiriri EDITORIAL BOARD Chair: Oyebanji Oyeyinka Christine Auclair Andre Dzikus Lucia Kiwala Anantha Krishnan Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza Eduardo Lpez Moreno Jane Nyakairu Mohamed El-Sioufi Raf Tuts Edlam Abera Yemeru Mariam Yunusa Xing-Quan Zhang Publishing For Development Ltd 5 St. Johns Lane London EC1M 4BH Tel: +44 203 286 5209 Fax: +44 207 526 2173 E-mail: editorial@pfdmedia.com www.pfdmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR; Richard Forster STAFF WRITERS: Jonathan Andrews, Nick Michell, Kirsty Tuxford PRODUCTION EDITOR: Richard Boal PUBLISHER: Peter Warren SALES DIRECTOR: Willem Fast Urban World is published by UN-HABITAT and PFD Publications Ltd. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect the views and policies of UN-HABITAT. Use of the term country does not imply any judgment by the authors or UN-HABITAT as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. REPRINTS For reprints or feedback please contact editorial@pfdmedia.com Reprinted and translated articles should be credited Reprinted from Urban World. Reprinted articles with bylines must have the authors name. Please send a copy of reprinted articles to the editor at UN-HABITAT.

OPINION
6 7 Message from the Executive Director Why local governments must drive action on climate change Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi

BEST PRACTICES
37 India pioneers use of solar power in city of Thane Andrs Luque

COVER STORY
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CITIES 9 Rising sea levels threaten the worlds biggest cities UN-HABITAT

16 Bringing blue skies back to Urumqi Bernd Franke, Jiarheng Ahati, Ding Xuefeng, Peng Xiaoyan, Christian Hennecke, and Tang Hengzhi 18 Mayor reveals Liaochengs plan for an ecological city Dr. Song Yuanfang, the Mayor of Liaocheng City 22 The need to build regenerative cities Herbert Girardet, Stefan Schurig and Nicholas You 25 Urban strategy must be unified on climate change Harriet Bulkeley, Vanesa Castn Broto and Gareth Edwards 28 Can compact planning help the urban poor? Vanesa Castn Broto, Cassidy Johnson and Adriana Allen 30 How urban agriculture can help tackle global warming Marielle Dubbeling and Henk de Zeeuw 32 Why deny our climate is changing? Edward T. McMahon

Image IStockphoto/chrIStopher hudSon

34 Towards a low-carbon future James Kenny

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IN-FOCUS
39 AFRICA From grass to grace: UN-HABITAT builds new homes for Darfur migrants Tom Osanjo 42 News and project round-up 44 ARCTIC Adaptation brings new challenges to indigenous peoples in the Arctic John Crump 46 ASIA PACIFIC Ho Chi Minh City confronts risk of flooding Harry Storch and Nigel K. Downes 48 News and project round-up 50 LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Environmental degradation in Mexico City 51 Fighting pollution in So Paulo, Brazil 54 News and project round-up 56 CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE News and project round-up 58 WESTERN EUROPE News and project round-up 59 NORTH AMERICA News and project round-up 60 MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA News and project round-up

URBAN WATCH
36 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 62 CONFERENCE REPORT World water leaders support Stockholm Statement to Rio+20 Nick Michell

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OPINION

A message from the Executive Director

ach year on World Habitat Day, the first Monday in October, we bring to the worlds attention a matter of great concern in our rapidly urbanizing world. This year we look at the impact of cities in creating climate change, and, in turn, the impact of climate disruption on cities, and what cities are doing about it. We live in an age where the worlds population will have grown to 7 billion by the end of this month and where more than half of them live in towns and cities. Projections indicate that this will increase to two-thirds in just over a generation from now. How we manage this rapid urbanization is one of the greatest challenges facing us. We must bear in mind that the greatest repercussions of climate disasters both begin and end in cities. According to UN-HABITATs Cities and Climate Change: the Global Report on Human Settlements, it is estimated that by 2050, there could be as many as 200 million environmental refugees worldwide, many of whom will be forced from their homes by rising sea levels and the increased frequency of flooding or drought. Prevention should be addressed through better urban planning and building codes so that city residents, especially the poorest, are protected as far as possible against disaster. Such measures can also help to keep their ecological footprint to the minimum. Climate induced risks such as rising sea levels, tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation events and extreme weather conditions can disrupt the basic fabric and functioning of cities with widespread reverberations for the physical infrastructure, economy and society of cities. These include public health risks in urban areas.

We already know that the impacts of climate disruption will be particularly severe in low-elevation coastal zones where many of the worlds largest cities are located. And always it is the urban poor, especially slum dwellers, who are most at risk when disaster strikes. We need to stress the provision of adequate adaptation measures based on urban planning. Even though we are still trying to understand some of these extreme climatic events, we have the know-how and the strategies to take preventive measures. Urbanization offers many opportunities to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with climate change. Given that most global energy consumption occurs in cities, roughly half of it from burning fossil fuels in cities for urban transport, the solution seems obvious. This is due to the fact that the economies of scale produced by the concentration of economic activities in cities also make it cheaper and easier to take action to minimize both emissions and climate hazards. The social, economic and political actors within cities must therefore become key players in developing these strategies. Many towns and cities, especially in developing countries, are still grappling with climate change strategies, working out how to access international climate change funding and how to learn from pioneering cities. We should reflect on this World Habitat Day on how we turn our cities arguably the greatest achievements of human civilisation into better cities for the future.

Dr. Joan Clos Executive Director UN-HABITAT

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OPINION

Why local governments must drive action on climate change

Global discussions as well as national governments acknowledge that climate mitigation and adaptation will depend largely on co-opting local level stakeholders local governments, the private sector, and the civil society at large in all stages of decision-making. But writes Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, the Programme Director at CITYNET, the Asia-Pacific network of local authorities committed to urban sustainability, the key stakeholder to facilitate micro and local level action is local government.

n cities around the world, local government, the closest administrative body to citizens, is under increasing expectation to act effectively and optimally meet environmental challenges and the needs of people. Expectations are also high for them to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time build a resilient environment and society. Nevertheless, their effectiveness to carry out these and related tasks will largely depend on the room, mandate and resources granted them to perform in the spheres of governance, education, technology and finance. Facilitating this understanding of the critical role of local governments, is important in both the shorter and longer term - to enable them to take concerted action at the local level to tackle climate change. It also requires proper and integrated planning and administrative reform within local governments themselves. Reform promoting efficiency in local governments and tackling global climate change primarily at the local level must function in a symbiotic fashion. This dual process underscores the importance of decentralization and institutional arrangements that will enable local governments to perform effectively.

Yokohama has created a climate change policy headquarters

photo IStock / crankIn

Decentralization and climate change

However, it is important to answer the following questions: Can decentralization really help reverse the effects of climate change? Will local governments be able to step up to the massive challenges associated with adapt-

ing to and mitigating the impacts of climate change if they are given more authority? Are they ready to exercise the flexible decisionmaking power that will be given to them in a fully-decentralized system? Subsidiarity of the decision-making processes of the right decision taken at the right level to handle the myriad of issues of climate change action and the ability to implement the decisions is the key driver for decentralization.

There are a number of current examples showing how governments are utilising existing decentralized structures for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In Japan, the critical role of cities in mitigation efforts is central. Large cities such as Yokohama have institutionalised climate change issues through the creation of a climate change policy headquarters, which primarily deals with greenhouse gas reduction efforts within

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the city, leaving disaster management and preparedness to other units. While innovative, this effort also presents challenges. In the case of Yokohama, as there is no unit coordinating all sectors in terms of adaptation planning, it is a challenge to adapt climate risks, and integrating action into overall development and management of the cities. This is quite understandable as adaptation and disaster aspects at national government level in Japan are conducted by different ministries. Despite these constraints, cities are circumventing these problems by implementing broad multi-stakeholder partnerships. For example Kawasaki city, southwest of Tokyo, has created a number of task forces on climate change adaptation drawing on the private and non-governmental sectors. In many cases, governance structures do not have an appropriate legal system to support regional mechanisms in addressing cross-border or cross-geographical matters. As climate change measures are not limited by administrative boundaries, national governments are required to provide legitimate support for cross-border strategies and solutions as well. Yokohama city provides a good example of an initiative across the border, when it established an agreement with the neighbouring Doshi village of Yamanashi Prefecture to combine the forest and water resources of rural mountainous areas and the human resources and technologies of urban areas to support carbon offset and water resource conservation projects. Indonesia, like a few others in Asia, is a country that is grappling with the complex challenge of ensuring that national climate policies and programmes reflect aspirations and efforts at the local level. The decision to limit greenhouse gas emissions over sectors and over parts of the country is compelling provinces and districts to produce their own low-carbon development plans. Although it is argued that most local governments need to obtain external incentives to adopt climate strategies, studies have shown that adaptation measures taken by local governments were mostly driven by their responsibilities to protect the peoples lives and assets in the cities, as well as facilitate economic stability of jobs and income for its residents. But many local governments do not have sufficient capacity to coordinate all sectors. As a consequence, local governments are seen as weak partners in planning climate resilient cities.

Building resilient local government and society

The situation is particularly stark in developing countries. Some cities have been focusing their activities on adaptation, mostly in responding to disasters. This is due to the fact that local leaders and stakeholders consider cities as being lower emitters of greenhouse gas, and consequently expect cities in more developed countries (which emit more greenhouse gas) to take the onus of identifying and implementing climate change measures. But this does not preclude them from taking action. Since they have limited resources, it is crucial for cities and local governments in developing countries to see risk reduction as part of securing and insuring longer-term investment. Sri Lanka has recently developed a national climate change adaptation strategy which defines priority areas for strategic action, and then clearly delineates the responsibilities of national and local governments, as well as civil society actors, in delivering on each area. The province of Albay in the Philippines,

Incentives offered by national governments for investment in infrastructure with co-beneficial advantages, will definitely enhance the capacity of local governments to build more resilient cities in the long term. As climate disruption, in some cases, has also increased the vulnerability of marginalised groups such as children and women, it is necessary for national and local governments to invest more in policies and strategies which help marginalised groups and which simultaneously deal with climate change impacts.

Mitigation and creation of a low-carbon society

Campaigning for climate change action at the local level is a challenge that both local and national governments need to face. A number of initiatives have been instituted in this regard, particularly related to the creation of a lowcarbon society a society that has minimum emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, as a result of its economic activities. Promoting a low-carbon city or society is being advocated intensively by many local government networks (such as C40, ICLEI, CITYNET and others) and supported by international organizations, such as the Clinton Foundation or UN agencies.

While national governments have not made much progress in climate change negotiations, local initiatives and innovation have been showing considerable promise.

Local governments can and must do more

Pro-poor climate change infrastructure projects that simultaneously address both climate-related and development priorities should be applied in every aspect of development. As climate change is a complex matter, it should not be the responsibility only of environment agencies. For a decentralized system to work in favour of climate change measures, however, local government should be sufficiently empowered to make decisions on behalf of their constituencies. They must be provided with resources that would build capacity to deliver services and engage the citizenry. While national governments have not made much progress in climate change negotiations, and many are still in doubt about the outcomes of the upcoming Rio+20 meeting, on the other hand, local initiatives and innovation have been showing considerable promise. These local initiatives should be enhanced and scaled up, to eventually slow down the impacts of climate change and help build resilient societies.

through the leadership of its governor and participation of various stakeholders, were able to prove that their attempts to reduce and mainstream risks in all of its economic sectors were significant. Albay Province has been a well-known supporter of the World Disaster Reduction Campaign, Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready coordinated by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. In its effort to mainstream risks reduction in Asian cities, CITYNET together with its partners has used such successful practices to inspire other cities and local governments and illustrate the strategic approach of using risk reduction strategies as an investment to secure and insure the future of the cities.

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COVER STORY

Rising sea levels threaten the worlds biggest cities

The global population, today more than fifty per cent urban, faces a very dangerous threat from powerful, human-induced forces unleashed by development and manipulation of the environment in the industrial age. The latest research by UN-HABITAT tells us that the effects of urbanization and climate change are converging in dangerous ways.
he results of this convergence threaten unprecedented negative impacts on our quality of life, economic and social stability. Indeed, never before in history have more people lived in towns and cities. Projections show that as the world urbanizes faster than in any previous age, in little over a generation from now, our planets population will be two-thirds urban.

Difficult challenges
The fact is that in coming decades climate change may make hundreds of millions of urban residents especially the poorest and most marginalized increasingly vulnerable to floods, landslides, extreme weather and other natural disasters. City dwellers may also face reduced access to fresh water as a result of drought or the encroachment of saltwater on drinking water supplies. Indeed, thermal expansion of oceans and melting ice will lead to a rise in sea levels threatening many coastal settlements. These are the forecasts, based on the best available science. While all coastal cities face such threats, the impact of those with populations of over 10 million inhabitants will be substantial. These big coastal cities are Los Angeles, New York, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Buenos Aires, London, Lagos, Cairo, Karachi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Dhaka, Jakarta, Manila, Shanghai, OsakaKobe and Tokyo. And look at what some of these cities actually face: Without extensive adaptation efforts, a 1-metre sea level rise in New York could not only inundate coastal areas, but have a devastating impact on the subway system, sanitation facilities, power plants and factories.

Urban residents are becoming increasingly vulnerable to floods

photo gavIn Spencer

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London is protected from high tides and storm surges by the Thames Barrier. But more frequent storms and the pressure of rising sealevels increases risk to the city. Lagos, Nigeria, like other cities in the region, is built on low-lying marshy ground. Already subsidence, coastal erosion, flooding, salty groundwater and soil, are problems which a rise in sea levels would render potentially disastrous. It is estimated that the cost of adapting about 1,000 Japanese ports to enable them to function under a sea-level rise 1 metre is estimated at USD 110 billion. Just days after Rio de Janeiro hosted the fifth session of UN-HABITATs World Urban Forum in 2010, many people died when unusually heavy downpours washed away some shanty settlements or favelas nestled precariously on steep slopes above the city centre. Besides the big cities, climate disruption also threatens much of the worlds cultural heritage: In 2002, flooding in Europe damaged concert halls, theatres, museums and libraries in the Czech Republic which lost half a million valuable books. St. Marks Square in Venice floods about 50 more times each year today than it did in the early 1990s, caused by land subsidence, according to a European Union report. Rising sea levels will exacerbate the problem of the citys structural integrity. Severe floods threaten many historical sites in northeast Thailand, and have already damaged the 600-year-old ruins of Sukothai, the countrys first capital, and of Ayutthaya, the capital during the 14th-18th centuries. In the Caribbean Sea, the Belize Barrier Reef, a World Heritage Site, has suffered bleaching because of higher water temperatures, and will suffer further should sea temperatures rise as forecast.

It is here where we as individuals can make a difference. Cities after all represent the greatest achievements of human civilisation, and although urban areas, with their high concentrations of people, industries and infrastructure, are likely to face the most severe impacts of climate change, urbanization will also offer many opportunities to develop cohesive mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with climate change. The populations, enterprises and authorities of urban centres will be fundamental players in developing these strategies. While some cities are shrinking, many urban centres are seeing rapid and largely uncontrolled population growth, creating a pattern of rapid urbanization.

and location in relation to natural resources. But urbanization is not only a source of risks certain patterns of urban development can increase resilience.

The implications for urban centres

Temperatures are also rising. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there was an increase of 0.74C between 1906 and 2005. Urban centres have played a key role in global warming, although the extent of their role is not yet fully understood. Human activity in cities such as the combustion of fossil fuels, large-scale industrial pollution, deforestation and land use changes, among

Rising sea levels will increase flooding problems in Venice

photo marc garrIdo I puIg

Urbanization and climate change

The fastest rates of urbanization are currently taking place in the least developed countries, followed by the rest of the developing countries comprising three-quarters of the worlds urban population. Since urban enterprises, vehicles and populations are key sources of greenhouse gas pollution, understanding the dynamics of urban GHG generation is critical. As arguably our planets biggest polluters, cities the heart of human innovation and knowledge, are surely able to reduce or mitigating emissions, adapt to climate change, and enhance sustainability and resilience. The dynamics of urban centres are intimately linked to geography, including climate

But we have the know-how

Yet none of these scenarios needs to occur, provided we act now with determination and solidarity, says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. This is because alongside these threats, lie equally compelling opportunities. We have the science and the know-how to tackle many of the problems cited above. Cities and towns contribute significantly to climate change from the fossil fuels used for electricity generation, transport and industrial production, to waste disposal and changes in land use.

others, have also led to increasing greenhouse gas pollution of our atmosphere together with a reduction of the capacity of oceans and vegetation to absorb filter them. Developing countries generated only 25 per cent of the per capita emissions of developed countries. A select number of developed countries and major emerging economy nations are the main polluters. These uneven contributions are at the core of both international environmental justice issues and the global communitys struggle for effective and equitable solutions. Humanity is therefore facing two main challenges which cities can help address: the need to adapt to climate change, and the urgent need to mitigate those human-induced forces driving climate change.

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COVER STORY

During the next 30 years, cities and their citizens will face an even tougher struggle to mitigate the causes of, and adapt to, increased greenhouse gas emissions, wrote World Bank specialists DH and PB in an article in Urban World (March 2009). How humanity responds will define much of the rest of the Urban Century.

Possible impacts on our cities:

As many as 200 million people will be displaced by climate change by 2050. It is predicted that sea level rise and its associated impacts will, by the 2080s, affect five times as many coastal residents as they did in 1990. In coastal North African cities, a 1-2 degree increase in temperature could lead to sea level rise exposing 6-25 million residents to flooding. By 2070, almost all cities in the top ten exposure to flooding risk category will be located in developing countries (particularly in China, India and Thailand). Today around 40 million people live in a 100-year flood plain. By 2070 the population living at this risk level could rise to 150 million people. The estimated financial impact of a 100-year flood would also rise from USD 3 trillion in 1999 to USD 38 trillion in this time. In Latin America, 12-81 million residents could experience increased water stress by the 2020s. By the 2050s this number could rise to 79-178 million.
Source: UN-HABITAT Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

Linkages between urban areas and climate change

How urban centres contribute to climate change requires an understanding of how transport, heating and cooling systems, industries and other urban activities and buildings act as emitters and as direct causes of climate change. The climate and natural endowments and economic base of a city significantly shape energy-use patterns and GHG emissions. Moreover, affluence has been repeatedly acknowledged as a significant driver of GHG emissions, along with the size, growth, structure and density of the urban population. Urban development can bring increased vulnerability to climate hazards, but a focus on the exposure of urban settlements to climate change hazards alone is insufficient to understand climate change impacts. Attention to urban resilience, development, socio-economic and gender equity, and governance structures as key determinants of adaptive capacity and actual adaptation actions is also necessary. Not all demographic segments of urban populations are equally affected by the hazards aggravated by climate change. The IPCC reported, for example, that women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men in a disaster. Many slum residents around the world are often environmental refugees who have fled from floods, droughts or other calamities in outlying areas. And in the slums themselves, the residents often live in places highly vulnerable to the impacts of disasters such as floods, and are also least able to cope with the effects. The President of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, the Vancouver City Councillor, David Cadman, told Urban World that it would take the same kind of resolve and commitment to tackle climate change as it did to land a man on the moon. We must learn to live gently on the earth to make sure its bounty and abundance will be there for future generations, he said.

David Cadman, ICLEI President and Vancouver City Councillor

photo mogenS engelund

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Urban population projections, by region (20102020)

Region World total Developed countries North America Europe Other developed countries Developing countries Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Rest of Africa Asia/Pacific China India Rest of Asia/Pacific Latin America and the Caribbean Least developed countries Other developing countries
Source: UN, 2010.

Urban population (millions) 2010 3,486 930 289 533 108 2,556 413 321 92 1,675 636 364 674 469 249 2,307 2020 4,176 988 324 552 111 3,188 569 457 113 2,086 787 463 836 533 366 2,822 2030 4,900 1,037 355 567 114 3,863 761 627 135 2,517 905 590 1,021 585 520 3,344

Proportion of total population living in urban areas ( per cent) 2010 50.5 75.2 82.1 72.8 70.5 45.1 40.0 37.2 54.0 41.4 47.0 30.0 45.5 79.6 29.2 47.9 2020 54.4 77.9 84.6 75.4 73.3 49.8 44.6 42.2 57.6 46.5 55.0 33.9 49.6 82.6 34.5 52.8 2030 59.0 80.9 86.7 78.4 76.8 55.0 49.9 47.9 62.2 52.3 61.9 39.7 54.7 84.9 40.8 58.1

Urban population rate of change ( per cent change per year) 20102020 1.81 0.61 1.16 0.35 0.33 2.21 3.21 3.51 2.06 2.20 2.13 2.40 2.14 1.29 3.84 2.01 20202030 1.60 0.48 0.92 0.27 0.20 1.92 2.91 3.17 1.79 1.88 1.41 2.42 2.00 0.94 3.50 1.70

Urban population in different ecozones, by region (2000 and 2025)

Share of urban population ( per cent) Ecozone Coastal Low-elevation coastal zone Cultivated Dryland Forested Inland water Mountain Continent average Year 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 2000 2025 Africa 62 73 60 71 38 48 40 51 21 31 51 62 21 30 36 47 Asia 59 70 56 68 42 55 40 51 28 41 47 58 27 40 42 55 Europe 83 87 80 85 70 75 66 70 53 59 78 82 46 53 69 75 North America 85 89 82 86 75 81 78 84 64 72 84 88 50 60 74 80 Oceania 87 90 79 83 67 72 49 60 36 40 77 80 11 13 66 70 South America 86 92 82 90 67 80 61 75 53 68 71 83 54 67 66 78 World 65 74 61 71 48 59 45 55 37 47 55 64 32 43 49 59

Source: UN-HABITAT/Balk 2011 Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

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COVER STORY

Cities in relation to current climate related hazards

0 1 2 4 5 7 8 9 10
Note: The urban areas included in this figure have populations greater than one million. The hazard risk represents a cumulative score based on risk of cyclones, flooding, landslides and drought. 0 denotes low risk and 10 denotes high risk. Source: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

City size 1m 5m 5m 10m > 10m

The cost of hurricane Katrina The greenhouse effect

The city of New Orleans is located on vulnerable lands at the mouth of the Mississippi River on the Gulf of Mexico. Due to its proximity to the Mississippi and the gulf, the area has strategic economic importance for the petrochemical industry, as well as international trade. New Orleanss longstanding infrastructure and population centres have become increasingly at risk from climate events; coastal defences and other land areas are subsiding as a result of groundwater withdrawal, man-made changes to the flow of the Mississippi River prevents silting and the build-up of new land, and the below sea-level elevation of much of the city requires continuous pumping of water. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to physical infrastructure and the economies of the gulf coast region. The economic losses were in the hundreds of billions of US dollars. An estimated 1.75 million property claims were filed, totalling more than USD 40 billion. Over 250,000 claims were filed as a result of flood damage, which would have bankrupted the National Flood Insurance Program were it not given the right to borrow an additional USD 20.8 billion. In the Gulf of Mexico, over 2100 oil and natural gas platforms and 15,000 miles (24,140km) of pipeline were affected. A total of 115 platforms were lost, with 52 suffering heavy damage; 90 per cent of total Gulf of Mexico oil production and

Source: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

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80 per cent of natural gas were idled, with lost production equalling over 28 per cent of annual production. The damage to the petrochemical corridor, which produces half of the US supply of gasoline, caused disruptions in economic markets worldwide, resulting in the largest spike in oil and gas prices since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) embargo of 1973. In the first two months following Hurricane Katrina, over 390,000 people lost their jobs, with over half coming from low-wage earning jobs. As of 2006, only 10 per cent of businesses in New Orleans had returned and reopened. The full macroeconomic costs of Hurricane Katrina of 2005 are estimated at USD 130 billion, while the gross state product for Louisiana (US) in the same year was USD 168 billion.
(Source: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011)

Climate disruption and the insurance industry

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit southern Florida (US) and resulted in over USD 45 billion in damage (2005 dollars). In the aftermath, 12 insurance companies dissolved. The average annual damage from hurricanes in the US is estimated to increase by USD 8 billion (2005 dollars) due to intensification, assuming a scenario in which CO2 levels double. By the 2080s, a severe hurricane season in the US would increase annual insured damage by 75 per cent, while in Japan, insured damage would increase by 65 per cent. Insured damage in Europe are estimated to increase by 5 per cent as a result of extreme storms, with the costs of a 100-year storm doubling from USD 25 billion to USD 50 billion by the 2080s. Miami (US) has over USD 900 billion of capital stock at risk from severe coastal storms, and London (UK) has at least USD 220 billion of assets located on a floodplain. The gross regional product of the New York City region (US) is estimated to be nearly USD 1 trillion annually and losses from a single large event could be in the range of 0.5 to 25 per cent, or as much as USD 250 billion. In Russia, insurance costs along the Lena River have increased during recent years as a result of more frequent and severe flooding. By 2100, flooding could cause over USD 94 billion in property damage in metropolitan Boston (US) if no adaptive actions are taken, with homeowners on 100-year and 500-year floodplains sustaining an average of USD 7000 to USD 18,000 in flood damage per household.
Source: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

Before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, New Orleans was the fourth largest port in the world in terms of transported tonnage. However, as a result of the damage from hurricanes, port operations were halted for a period of time, which forced a realignment of shipping destinations and functions that, because of the high cost of realignment, could become permanent.

The economic losses from Hurricane Katrina ran up to hundreds of billions of US dollars

photo palmer W. cook

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Bringing blue skies back to Urumqi

The City of Urumqi, fast-growing capital of Chinas Xinjiang Province, has embarked on an ambitious plan to combat air pollution and cut greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts are assisted by the Sino-German research project RECAST Urumqi. Here some of the people* helping bring back the blue skies, Bernd Franke, Jiarheng Ahati, Ding Xuefeng, Peng Xiaoyan, Christian Hennecke, and Tang Hengzhi tell their story.

From 2007 to 2034, emissions from heating Urumqis buildings are expected to fall by 30 per cent

photo recaSt urumqI

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COVER STORY

he City of Urumqi, with a population of 3.1 million, is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and calls itself the central city of Central Asia. It is growing fast and is expected to be home to 4.8 million people by 2020. More than 15 million tonnes of coal were burned in Urumqi annually, half of it for heating in the very cold winters when temperatures plunge well below zero. This raised Urumqis air pollution above the 60 per cent level, and created health problems costing the city millions of dollars annually.

The energy efficiency master plan

To tackle this, Urumqi adopted an Integrated Heating and Building Energy Efficiency Master Plan in 2010. It included an investment plan to retrofit buildings and make them more energy efficient, boost the efficiency of district heating, and impose higher energy efficiency targets on new buildings. Between 2007 and 2034, CO2 emissions for the heating of Urumqis buildings are expected to decrease by more than 30 per cent even though the total built up area will more than double. The heat will increasingly be supplied by coal power plants with cogeneration and equipped with flue gas scrubbers. Thus, it is hoped that the skies of Urumqi will be blue again within the next decade, offering wonderful winter views of the beautiful Tianshan mountains. Currently 33 per cent of the heat is lost before it reaches private consumers. In April 2011, the World Bank approved a loan of USD 100 million to redress this. The aim is to reduce annual heating carbon emissions from the 2007 level of 112 million tonnes to 77 million tonnes by 2034. The plan calls for an acceleration of the building retrofit programme by 2020. The Sino-German project, RECAST Urumqi, funded by Germanys Federal Department of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting this effort with two key projects.

It is hoped that Urumqi will have blue skies within the next decade

photo recaSt urumqI

ing system, it has helped cut heating energy demand by more than 85 per cent. For this project, the Construction Committee of Urumqi, University of Xinjiang and the Xinjiang New Energy Institute worked with the German partners, IFEU Heidelberg, Culturebridge Architects and the Passive House Institute. The energy certificate for the first zero emission building in Urumqi provides a transparent picture of the improvements and serves as a role model for other projects. Experience gained in this project will help to tailor energy retrofit options to other buildings.

The Xingfu Lu project combines a sustainable building design attractive to clients despite higher construction costs. It will demonstrate that a market for energy efficient buildings can be created. The experience gained in this project is of great value to Urumqi and beyond.

The first passive building in Urumqi

RECAST Urumqi is also supporting the construction of the first so-called passive building in Urumqi which is being built by Dacheng Real Estate Co., a major investor in public and private buildings in Urumqi. A passive building has a comfortable interior climate which can be maintained without active heating and cooling systems. It is heated mainly by sources inside such as lights, appliances and the body temperature of residents, hence it is passive. Its heating demand is just 13 per cent that of buildings built as per the 2010 standard for new buildings in Urumqi.

The first zero emission building in Urumqi

For the first project, in the south of Urumqi, an agricultural education centre was transformed into the first zero-emission building in the provincial capital. The heat demand in the very cold winters is supplied by solar heating with an innovative seasonal storage. Combined with better insulation and a floor heat-

*The authors form the energy group of RECAST Urumqi, a Sino-German research project supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and many Chinese partners. Bernd Franke is from the Heidelberg-based Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; Jiarheng Ahati of the Xinjiang Academy of Environmental Protection Sciences is the project director. Ding Xuefeng and Peng Xiaoyan are from the Urumqi Construction Committee; Christian Hennecke is from Culturebridge Architects, Grnstadt/Beijing; Tang Hengzhi is director of Dacheng Real Estate Co., a major investor in public and private buildings in Urumqi and is the sponsor of the first passive building on the Silk Road.

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

Mayor reveals Liaochengs plan for an ecological city

As China makes great strides in its modernization since embarking on its reform and opening-up policy in 1978, many cities are trying hard to speed up economic growth while at the same time ensuring environmental conservation. In this article, which portrays new thinking for cities dealing with climate change, Dr. Song Yuanfang, Mayor of Liaocheng City, says some of the answers lie in changing the way we think from fighting against nature and conquering nature to a harmonious coexistence of people and nature.

Liaocheng, also known as the water city, is seeing substantial ecological improvements for its 5.85 million residents

photo chIlly caSey

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COVER STORY

s an inland city in the west of Shandong Province, less developed than those along the coast, Liaocheng has also gone through momentous change and achieved unprecedented development. However, like many other cities in China, Liaocheng faces great challenges in accelerating economic growth and protecting the environment at the same time. To address this, we have actively encouraged the creation of what we call an ecological civilisation. It conforms with both the Outlook of Scientific Development of the Chinese government and the Communist Party, and the United Nations ideas on socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development. The idea of ecological civilization is a new concept based on lessons learned from the industrial civilization and traditional industry. It is built on the premise of respecting nature and focuses on the harmonious coexistence of people, their culture, economics, nature and society in general and our way of life. This requires a new mindset. We have to change our way of thinking from fighting against nature and conquering nature to a harmonious coexistence of people and nature. We must also change from the extensive growth model of overconsumption of energy and causing environmental damage, to a sustainable, fast and sound development track. The simple ideology that growth is equal to development must be replaced by a comprehensive plan for the development of people. In concrete terms, our government has set out the strategic tasks required to construct an ecogical civilization. They are:

the citys energy consumption per unit GDP decreased by 18.7 per cent compared to 2005, while carbon and sulphur discharges dropped by 16.51 per cent and 9.99 per cent respectively. We are actively committed to ecological construction. At present, we have built seven ecological demonstration sites and an eco-conservation zone at Dongchang Lake, cleaned up waste lands so that forest coverage now reaches 30.2 per cent, and green coverage in urban areas 42.3 per cent, while we have improved the percentage of days of good air quality to 94.2 per cent. In recent years, we have gained a number of honours: the National Sanitary

a new museum, cultural centre, sports stadium and theatre. We have developed cultural tourism projects along the Tuhai and Majia rivers.

3.To develop an ecological economy

In accordance with the requirement for industry to be strong, steady, and sustainable, we have developed a number of well-known large enterprises. For example, the Xiangguang Copper Eco-industrial Park now under construction, will have a copper output of 400,000 tons. Using the most advanced technology, it is classified as one of the Top Ten Environment-friendly Projects. We are encouraging the development of a recycling economy and have developed many pilot companies. Shandong Tralin Group, for instance, produces fertilizer with lignin, a side product of pulping, and irrigates farmland with recycled water. This has led to huge cost savings. More than 80 per cent of our large and medium sized companies have their own technical centres or learning departments. The electric bus produced by the Liaocheng Zhongtong Bus & Holding Co., Ltd is a key national scientific research project. It provided transport during the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

4. To develop an ecological society

In 2009, amidst the global financial crisis, the expenditure on social security and employment promotion increased by 25.18 per cent, education up by 41.36 per cent, medical and health care 29.3 per cent higher, and agriculture, forest and water management up by 32.85 per cent. We continue to improve our social security system, and ensure affordable living standards. The official unemployment rate in urban areas is 3.18 per cent. More than 98 per cent of residents in rural areas have medical insurance, and there are 80 homes for the aged in rural areas. We make great efforts in infrastructure construction and social undertakings in rural areas focusing on water, gas, power, roads, hospitals and schools. Almost every village in the Liaocheng Prefecture has access to telephone and cable TV, and is connected by roads and provided with bus services, while 80.3 per cent of people in villages now use tap water. We are committed to building a safe Liaocheng. Building an ecological city is a concept, and also a target. Liaocheng and our 5.85 million inhabitants are proudly committed to building an ecological civilization.

1. To improve the ecological environment

We are implementing the central government stipulation on energy conservation and emission reduction and have signed responsibility documents with towns (cities and districts) and key enterprises. We strictly conduct a responsibility investigation, and ensure each measure is properly implemented. Thus in the past three years, 30 coal-fired power plants with 75 generators have adopted desulphurization technology while 50 large energy-consumption enterprises and 130 major polluting plants have conformed with the new standard. We have eliminated a number of outdated production works, and shut down dozens of enterprises unable to meet the standard. In 2009,
Dr. Song Yuanfang, Mayor of Liaocheng City photo lIaocheng cIty

City, the Top Ten Recreation Cities, the Top Ten Cities with specific charms, and the Top Ten Green Ecological Cities. Last year, we passed the technical evaluation to be a demonstration city for environmental protection.

2. To cultivate an ecological culture

We encourage people to show respect for nature, and here, construction is a key point in cultivating ecological culture. We value cultural infrastructure construction, and have built facilities like

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SPONSORED STATEMENT

Cemex promotes sustainable development

Having a decent place to live and an honest and legitimate job are essential for the well-being and development of societies. Therefore, as part of its various programs aimed at boosting sustainable development, CEMEX has set up two social programs that encourage self-employment amongst the lowincome populations: Patrimonio Hoy and Productive Self-employment Centers (CPA).

Patrimonio Hoy provides affordable solutions for self-build homes

photo cemex

Patrimonio Hoy
In Mexico, about 330 000 low income familiesapproximately 1.5 million people- have fulfilled their desire to build or improve their home with the support of Patrimonio Hoy. Originated in 1998, Patrimonio Hoy is a self-sustaining program that benefits families and low-income communities, by providing comprehensive and affordable solutions for self building, and assisting them in this process with services such as: financial, professional

and technical advice, and free storage with prices that do not vary over time. The program provides financing access at rates below the market average for families that are not normally subject to credit, without any requirement other than the commitment and perseverance of the family to the project. To date, through Patrimonio Hoy 1,985,000 square metres in 47 countries have been built and the social impact has gone beyond the borders of the country benefiting also low-in-

come families in Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. As the private social program that supports self-building for the biggest number of families in the world and as a model to other business organizations designed to meet the needs of families at the bottom of the pyramid, CEMEX received the World Business Award from the United Nations Organization (UNO) in 2006 and the 2007 Corporate Citizen Award of the Americas issued by the Organization of American States (OAS).

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SPONSORED STATEMENT

Moreover, the Patrimonio Hoy model is a case study in the most prestigious business schools in the United States, like Harvard and Michigan.

Productive Self-employment Centers

Another program that CEMEX promotes for low-income families is the Productive Selfemployment Centers (CPA), which gives unemployed people the opportunity to work formally in the manufacturing of prefabricated elements for self building The scheme operates in partnership with municipal or state authorities, which provide the land on which the CPA is installed. CEMEX provides the materials, machinery and training for those selected for the operation. Recently, other companies, universities and nongovernmental organizations have joined this effort with important contributions in materials, counseling and other support for the population served by this program. These temporary workers registered with the CPA make prefabricated building materials. Half of the production is delivered to them as a payment, so that they take advantage to build or improve their homes, as part of a process of assisted self building. The other half is bought by government authorities for the construction of infrastructure in the community. The pattern of self-employment production center was used successfully to support families in the states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Coahuila, affected by hurricane Alex, which struck the northeast of Mexico in July of 2010. In Mexico, 33 CPAs operate in 31 cities, benefitting 48,261 families generating more than 3,390 temporary jobs. Because of the positive social impact of these centers in 2010, CEMEX received the award for Best Corporate Citizen in the category of Economic Opportunity, awarded by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Foundation of the Americas. CEMEXs Sustainable Development Programs in Mexico, which include the Productive Self-employment Centers (CPA) and Patrimonio Hoy have benefited more than five million people in ten years.

In Mexico, 33 CPAs operate in 31 cities, benefitting 48,261 families

photo cemex

Because of the positive social impact of these centers in 2010, CEMEX was given awards by the OAS and the Foundation of the Americas

photo cemex

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

The need to build regenerative cities

The Kyoto Protocol is up for renegotiation and it will hopefully be superseded by another framework for reducing carbon emissions. But even that is unlikely to provide strategic options on how to move to a low-carbon society where it matters most in our cities. Here, *Herbert Girardet, Stefan Schurig and Nicholas You make a passionate call for low-carbon urban development.

Cities can substantially reduce their carbon footprint by producing more resources from their immediate surroundings

photo thomaS totz

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ith just over half of humanity living in urban areas, cities already generate 80 per cent of all wastes including greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, the future of urbanization - the most carbonintensive mega-trend of our millennium - will need to be addressed at international meetings such as Rio+20 and Habitat III. The transition from a fossil fuel dependent society to a low-carbon eco-society needs to take place in all regions and across all sectors. Whilst there are numerous entry points to pursuing this transition, the outcome is none other than the regenerative city. Such a city minimises its ecological footprint by producing a substantial proportion of its resources from its surrounding environment. For such a city to become reality, urban development will need to undergo a paradigm change. Most of the issues are known and many solutions already exist. These include: compact communities; energy efficiency in buildings; waste recycling and reuse; e-mobility; smart grids and renewable energy production.

water, and up to 50 litres for gardening. No city in the world would be seriously challenged to provide five litres of drinking water per day. Most cities could also easily treat 70 litres of sewerage per day. Very few cities, however, have found a sustainable and cost effective solution to treating 70 litres of sewerage mixed with 150 litres of grey water per day.

available nitrogen constrain how much plants can grow and the amount of carbon dioxide they absorb. In modern agriculture nitrogen is replenished using fertilisers that are mostly synthesized from fossil fuels. Yet our cities discard vast amounts of nitrogen as well as phosphates and potassium, the main macro-nutrients required by plants. The

Metabolism of the city

Much of the debate on carbon reduction has focused on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Transforming our cities into regenerative systems, however, needs to go beyond the energy equation. The metaphor here is the metabolism of cities. The metabolism of modern cities is linear resources flow through the urban system and waste flows out. This is very different from natures circular metabolism, where the waste generated by one organism serves as a resource for others. In a predominantly urban world, cities will need to adopt circular systems to assure their own viability as well as that of the rural environments on which they depend.

More cities are turning to e-mobility in an effort to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels

photo adrIan roche

The water deficit

Water scarcity and poor water quality have gravely affected human health, especially in rapidly growing urban centres. While experts argue over governance and pricing structures to address the looming water and sanitation crisis, few are asking the right question: Why do we flush fresh water down our toilets? Each person needs about five litres of water a day. Of the average 300 litres consumed per day, typically 30 litres are lost through leakage, 70 litres are used to flush toilets, 150 litres for washing and cleaning, which results in grey

Grey water can easily be treated at the neighbourhood or building level for reuse twice: once for cleaning and gardening, the second time for sanitation. The result would be a two-thirds reduction in the volume, cost and energy required for sewerage treatment and up to 90 per cent reduction in fresh water demand. Are we confronted with a water crisis or a water management crisis?

The nitrogen deficit

While considerable progress has been made in solid waste recycling and re-use, one area that is rarely addressed is the relationship between cities and the nitrogen deficit. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for sustaining our food production systems. Limits on

human metabolism only absorbs a fraction of these nutrients contained in the food we consume. For this reason, urea typically contains 70 per cent of the nitrogen and more than half the phosphorus and potassium found in urban waste water, while making up less than 1 per cent of the overall volume. Source separation and on-site treatment of urea can resolve several challenges. It can help close the cycle of nutrient flows required to grow our food. It can support one of the key elements of food security by using local resources as a nutrient base. It can also help reduce the costs and energy intensity of sewage treatment and the ecological damage caused by disposing nutrient rich effluent into aquatic and marine ecosystems.

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

for products and services can be supplied and accessed by non-motorised forms of mobility, will be critical to low-carbon urban development. In the short and medium term, cities have little choice but to pursue alternative mobility options including public transit systems utilizing regionally-supplied renewable energy. A new dimension of low-carbon urban development resides with e-mobility, or electric powered bicycles, pedi-cabs, cars, buses and light trucks. Architects have long used low-energy design to provide comfortable living and working environments. A key reason why these design innovations are not widely used is the need to insulate buildings in urban areas from noise pollution. This compels architects to seal their edifices and to rely on energy-intensive heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The principle source of noise pollution in cities comes from vehicles using the internal combustion engine. E-vehicles generate so little noise that they are now equipped in Japan with noise generators to signal their presence to pedestrians. A promising option for low-carbon urban development will be to reserve access to entire urban districts by e-vehicles only, enabling design options that would far exceed the current benchmarks for energy-efficient buildings.

fluctuating oil and gas prices and more resilient to disasters; and, they make use of off-grid and mini-grid configurations well-suited for small towns and unserviced settlements. But the true promise of the green economy, especially for most developing countries, is the ability of localised energy production to liberate and internalise large amounts of capital that are otherwise used to purchase oil, gas and coal. Oil imports alone for developing countries reached USD 80 billion in 2010 and are likely to reach USD 100 billion in 2011. An annual investment of USD 36 billion, focusing on renewable offgrid and mini-grid options, would ensure universal access to modern energy by 2030, and generate millions of meaningful jobs. In summary, the regenerative city, while assuring a high degree of efficiency in resource use, also replenishes the ecosystems on which its long-term wellbeing depends. The solutions and the creative spirit to put them into practice exist. There is no time to lose in developing the policies and strategies to support their implementation.

Renewable energy and the promise of the green economy

In mature economies, urban areas account for over 70 per cent of energy demand. Of that amount, three quarters is used to heat, cool, light and run residential and office buildings. For this reason, much attention has focussed on energy-efficient building design and the retro-fitting of existing buildings. While the proportion in energy use varies considerably for emerging economies, the trend is clear: as urbanization continues apace, cities will rapidly account for a major portion of global energy demand. The implications for rapidly urbanising countries are evident: invest in energy efficient buildings today and pay much less tomorrow! The benefits of the green economy lie not just in energy efficiency. They reside in decentralized renewable energy production at the city-region level. This includes wind, solar, methane capture and, where applicable, geothermal and mini-hydro. Such systems have numerous advantages: they substantially reduce the carbon footprint of cities while making them healthier; they make cities and national economies less vulnerable to

*Professor Herbert Girardet is cofounder of the World Future Council, consultant and filmmaker. He is an honorary fellow of Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA), a patron of the Soil Association, and a recipient of a UN Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievements. Stefan Schurig is an architect. He is the Director for Climate Energy of the World Future Council and coordinates the Climate Expert Commission on Cities and Climate Change. He was the spokesperson of Greenpeace for nine years and authored numerous articles and publications on the subject of climate, energy and cities. Nicholas You is an architect-planner and economist and former senior policy advisor at UN-HABITAT. He is the Chair of the World Urban Campaign Steering Committee and of the Assurance Group for the Urban Infrastructure Initiative of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and a member of the Expert Commission on Cities and Climate Change of the World Future Council.

As part of an e-mobility strategy, photo en BW cities are turning towards electric-powered bicycles

E-mobility and low-carbon urban design

The transport sector accounts for about a quarter of total urban energy use and contributes about a third of urban GHG emissions, as well as other pollutants which affect the health of urban inhabitants. More than 85 per cent of the energy used in urban transport currently uses fossil fuels. As economic growth and urbanization continue apace, demand for individual mobility and the transport of goods and services will multiply substantially. Unless there is a major shift from current energy and land use patterns, transport energy demand could increase by 75 per cent by 2030 over 2002 levels. In the long run, land use planning, favouring compact urban settlements where daily needs

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Urban strategy must be unified on climate change

Harriet Bulkeley at the Department of Geography, Durham University and Vanesa Castn Broto and Gareth Edwards, both with the Development Planning Unit, University College London, assess urban responses to climate change in global cities.

Many cities have a high political commitment on climate change but action remains weak

photo BIkeportland.org

ver the past decade, climate change has evolved from an issue championed by a few pioneering urban authorities to an increasingly mainstream agenda for the worlds cities. Reflecting a growing realisation about the potential vulnerability of cities to the impacts of climate change and the growing concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in cities, the number of municipal networks engaged with the climate change has increased, and their membership diversified to include cities in all regions of the world. Simultaneously, a growing range of actors, including national governments, inter-

national agencies, charities, foundations and multinational corporations, have sought to mobilize action to address climate adaptation and mitigation at the urban level. There is, however, a paradox at the heart of this new found enthusiasm for urban responses to climate change. On the one hand, research suggests that the translation of political commitments and policy rhetoric into substantial and systemic municipal responses has been limited. Very few municipalities have pursued a comprehensive, planned, approach to climate governance, and most that have tried have encountered significant challenges. Viewed from this perspective, it may ap-

pear that, despite the growing resources and political commitment, cities are able to do little to respond. On the other hand, despite the absence of integrated urban climate policy, numerous initiatives and interventions in cities which seek to address climate change appear to be rapidly proliferating. Whether related to eco-developments, new technologies, specific measures, community-based initiatives, corporate buildings, infrastructure renewal programmes or the like, climate change is increasingly viewed as a critical dimension of urbanization. This paradox of the apparent lack of urban climate policy accompanied by a constant

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

stream of climate-related projects and initiatives requires that we look more closely at how and where we might expect to find climate governance in the city. To date, when seeking to explain the nature and implications of urban climate governance, attention has primarily focused on how and why climate policy has emerged within municipalities and on designing policies to improve urban planning and to address the challenges of limited institutional capacity. These are very real challenges, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods where vulnerability to the effects of climate change is greatest and the ability to cope most limited. As a result, calls are frequently made for more resources, the development of new institutions, or the further integration of climate change into other urban agendas. There are many cities where levels of governance capacity and political commitment are high, but action on climate change remains weak. This suggests that the challenges of urban climate governance cannot be overcome simply by addressing the institutional basis. Additional challenges relate to issues of political economy, of the conflicts emerging between addressing climate change and other fundamental goals of urban economies, as well as managing everyday use of energy, transport and water. Our analysis identified 627 experiments taking place in 100 cities. It showed that urban climate change experiments are a relatively recent phenomenon, with 79 per cent of initiatives having started in the past five years. It also showed that experiments are as likely to be found in cities in the global South as in the North, and that their regional distribution approximates that of the cities in our sample.

tree planting programmes (e.g. Bogota, Caracas, Lima, Quito), but are relatively rare overall. Finally, adaptation projects which are experimental in character are relatively rare, though in our sample they are concentrated in cities in North America and Asia. While experimentation is predominantly technical in character, a large number of experiments seek to develop novel forms of social

intervention for example in the form of new partnerships, behavioural change campaigns, or voluntary codes of conduct. Despite this, however, few experiments explicitly consider issues of social and environmental justice, raising questions about whether such urban responses to climate change incorporate concerns about unequal relationships of access to resources and protection from climate-related risks.

Types of climate change experiment in different regions 250 200 150 100 50 0 Built Environment Carbon Sequestration Urban Form Adaptation Urban Infrastructure Transport South and Central America Oceania North America Europe Asia Africa

Technical and social innovation in climate change experiments 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Transport Carbon Sequestration Urban Form Adaptation Urban Infrastructure Built Environment Social Innovation Technical Innovation

Clear regional differences

We did, however, find clear regional differences in the types of experiment undertaken. Those in Asia, North America and Africa most frequently take place in the urban infrastructure sector, while in Europe and Oceania the built environment sector dominates. Following the pioneering experiences of cities such as Curitiba, Bogot and Mexico City, it is perhaps not surprising that most Central and South American experiments in our sample take place in the transport sector. Carbon sequestration projects are also concentrated in Central and South America, driven by the interest in the Amazon (Brazil) and urban

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Climate change and cities

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Philadelphias row houses, once retrofitted, can substantially increase their energy efficiency

photo komal SoIn

Reconfiguring energy use

In much of the world, the ability of cities to both adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change centre on reconfiguring existing housing and energy systems. Many existing buildings are not thermally efficient, meaning that residents must use more energy than ideal to heat or cool their homes. But in most cases, demolishing and rebuilding with more energy-efficient designs is neither practical nor desirable. Take, for instance, the case of Philadelphia. The fifth-largest metropolitan area in the US, Philadelphia is famous for its row houses, which make up 75 per cent of the citys residential housing stock. Most were constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and because of their age and the fact that their flat or gently sloping roofs are typically coated with black asphalt, row houses in Philadelphia are energy inefficient. This means more energy is required to heat and cool them, which both contributes

to greenhouse gas emissions and results in higher energy bills for residents. However, significant improvements to the energy-efficiency and thermal comfort of row houses can be achieved by retrofitting them with just a few energy efficiency upgrades. Firstly, installing a cool-roof which reflects the suns heat; secondly, installing or upgrading insulation, and thirdly, air sealing to minimize draughts. Carrying out these three steps on 15 per cent of Philadelphias housing stock (around 100,000 homes) is the third target of the City of Philadelphias 2009 Greenworks plan. To raise awareness of energy efficiency and promote its Weatherization Assistance Program, the City of Philadelphia partnered with the Energy Coordinating Agency and the Dow Chemical Company in 2010 to sponsor a competition called the RetroFIT Philly Coolest Block contest. This competition gave residents the opportunity to win a cool roof, air sealing and insulation upgrades by joining together and submitting an entry for their block. Seventy-four blocks en-

tered the competition, and the upgrades were installed on the winning block during 2010-11. Examining how successful this competition was in promoting understanding of energy efficiency in homes and the options available to successfully weatherize them is the subject of ongoing research, but the competition itself is an example of how the interests of multiple actors can converge in ways that may simultaneously facilitate the transformation of urban socio-technical systems whilst constraining the modes of their transformation.

Acknowledgement: This research has been supported by Harriet Bulkeleys ESRC Climate Change Fellowship, Urban Transitions: climate change, global cities and the transformation of sociotechnical networks (Award Number: RES-066-27-0002).

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

Can compact planning help the urban poor?

During the last decade, cities have demonstrated that they can lead climate change initiatives by implementing a wide rage of adaptation and mitigation measures through interventions in urban form, planning, transport systems, service provision and green infrastructure. But as *Vanesa Castn Broto, Cassidy Johnson and Adriana Allen explain, these actions have profound effects on the lives of urban citizens, especially the urban poor.

Only 200 families out of 2,000 were relocated before the mudslides in Terespolis, Brazil

photo luIS SouSa naScImento

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n developing countries, unintended consequences of climate change action may have disproportionate impacts on those who have little access to influence policymaking. This is particularly true for people in slums and other informal settlements. For example, increased levels of hazard risk linked to climate change threaten the

tenure security of those living in informal settlements, especially those located on steep slopes or nearby flood-prone areas. It is often argued that these settlements which have an increased likelihood of disaster events (such as flooding, inundation or landslides) should be removed and their dwellers relocated to safer areas.

This is the case, for example, in Rio de Janeiro State, where experts have linked growing informal urbanization with hillside erosion leading to mudslides. Before mudslides in the towns of Terespolis and Novo Friburgo in January 2011, the State had identified 2,000 and 4,000 families in each city respectively living in high-risk areas, and had started re-

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Climate change and cities

COVER STORY

Bangkok residents take advantage of canals for transport routes and unused spaces

photo Bruce nelSon

locating some of them to safer areas. One of the main criticisms raised against the government, in this case, was that only about 200 families in these areas had been relocated before the tragedy struck. However, before advocating relocation, government policies should question whether being relocated could actually make people worse off. Relocation may negatively affect access to livelihoods, municipal services and social networks. Moreover, in rapidly growing cities, land scarcity may mean that alternatives for relocation may pose additional risks to those being relocated. In short, policies must tackle the structural causes of informal settlements rather than blaming these settlements and their dwellers for their increased vulnerabilities. Another measure which often affects urban informal settlements is the drive towards increased density to achieve low-carbon urban forms. Increased density is often correlated with a decrease in carbon emissions, as it is exemplified in the cities of Barcelona and New York. This has led to a trend towards implementing compact city principles in urban planning, as the city of So Paulo pledged its Climate Change Action Plan. Following Western models of urban development, compact city

planning is often identified with high-rise buildings. However, high rise development responds directly to land scarcity problems and business-inspired models of urban development rather than to the creation of a liveable and low-carbon city. But high-rise may not be the answer for those living in informal settlements. For example, in a meeting with Thailands CODI (Community Organization Development Institute) in Bangkok in May 2011, community leaders working towards the upgrading of their communities rejected high-rise building models as an option for housing. This is not only due to cultural values, but also relates to the way societies and economies are organized in informal settlements. The renowned architect Arif Hassan argued that poor people can create liveable high-density settlements as long as community control, the right technical assistance and flexible designs are in place. Furthermore, in thinking about density, there is a need to recognize the capacity of informal settlement dwellers to reinvent the city in sustainable ways. For example, cities contain many spaces which are generally considered unsuitable for building; yet, people living in informal settlements can transform these unused spaces into productive places.

In Bangkok, for instance, local residents have demonstrated the housing and productive potential of spaces alongside canals and transport infrastructures which otherwise would remain abandoned. A study in the Korail district of Dhaka, Bangladesh, shows that people build their houses to reduce the effects of heat, without relying on costly fans or air-conditioners, by placing windows and roof openings to capture wind and by using plants to offer shade cover in outdoor working and gathering spaces. As part of a study visit in Rangsit, a municipality in the peri-urban area of Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2011, we interviewed a community leader who had attended a workshop which inspired him to develop his community as an energy-saving model for other communities. He saw potential in windmill energy as a way to secure electricity for the whole community, for which he was looking for an external investor. He estimated the investment needed as 40 million Baht (USD 1.5 million). Furthermore, he was lobbying for a collective methane plant which could secure their supply of cooking gas while dealing with their organic waste, two initiatives not beyond the realm of possibility. Understanding how current climate change policies are affecting informal settlement dwellers is therefore an urgent task, especially when considering that some interventions are likely to produce unintended consequences detrimental to the lives and livelihoods slum dwellers. In addition, urban planners and professionals would be foolish to overlook the capacity of people in informal settlements to develop innovative strategies to deal with climate variability, whether it is in building designs or in community organization practices. Climate compatible development can be understood as a synonym of transformative development: this is, finding out the strategies which in the long term will deliver both climate protection and enhanced quality of life.

*Ms. Broto, a lecturer at the Development and Planning Unit in University College London, served as a consultant for the 2011 Global Report on Human Settlements on Cities and Climate Change. Ms. Johnson, is also a lecturer at the same department, and Ms. Allen a senior lecturer.

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Climate change and cities

How urban agriculture can help tackle global warming

In its 2010 report, the World Bank pleads for innovative outside-the-box solutions to climate change adaptation. Here, Marielle Dubbeling, Senior Advisor Urban Agriculture ETC AgriCulture and Global Coordinator RUAF-From Seed to Table Programmes, and RUAF Foundation* Director, Henk de Zeeuw, explain how urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry is one of these outside-the-box solutions.

Rooftop gardens can help reduce heating and cooling requirements

photo chIcago cIty hall

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rban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry can play a strong role in enhancing food security for the urban poor, greening the city and improving the urban climate, while stimulating the productive reuse of urban organic waste and reducing the urban energy footprint. This was recognized at the International Tripartite Conference on Urban Challenges and Poverty Reduction in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries as having high potential for improving the urban environment and urban adaptation to climate change (UNHABITAT 2009).

ductive parks, home and community gardens with fruit trees. Examples here include Amman, Jordan, where urban forestry has been adopted as a pillar of the four major components of the World Bank supported city-wide Clean Development Mechanisms project. Freetown, Sierra Leone has zoned all wetlands and low-lying valleys for urban agriculture. Toronto, Canada has a climate change plan which includes financial support to community based orchards and gardens. Durban, South Africa, is promoting productive green rooftops for storm water management. Likewise, Brisbane,

Reclaiming peri-urban areas in Trinidad, Bolivia

Trinidad, Bolivia is surrounded by seasonally flooded plains. The city is growing fast due to climate-induced migrations and population growth. Urban poor and migrants have occupied low-lying areas vulnerable to floods. Trinidad depends to a large extent on outside food supply transported along an one road for 500 km from Santa Cruz. Weather conditions, increasing fuel prices and social unrest often disrupt supplies. Transport represents about up to 20 per cent of monthly expenses of small food traders and households. In an attempt to support development and reducing vulnerability to food imports and flooding, the Municipality as part of its Five-Year Development Plan, and with the support of FUNDEPCO and OXFAM, has established 100 hectares of raised cultivation fields in the peri-urban areas, prone to both flooding and illegal occupation for settlements. These raised structures resemble an ancient agricultural technique common in the region, and have a ring ditch-and-wall to protect it from floods, wildfires and to retain water in the canals during drought. The crops are grown, and ducks and chickens raised along the canals. The beauty and elegance of the system are expected to become a major tourist attraction. Plans are afoot to build observations posts, a museum, a crafts centre, provide canoe visits, and to serve the local fare in restaurants. Thanks to this innovation, farming again becomes viable in marginal and flood-prone areas.

Toronto provides financial support to community-based orchards and gardens

photo meySam

Urban agriculture cities become more resilient by reducing the incidence and impacts of floods and landslides on the urban poor, and by diversifying food sources, income opportunities and green job creation. Urban agriculture also acts as a safety net in times of economic crisis.

Australia. Makati City, the Philippines promotes fruit tree planting in open areas.

The way forward

To better integrate agriculture and forestry in city climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, it will be important to make available planning guidelines and best practice manuals. It is also important to train municipal staff and local organizations on how to integrate urban agriculture in city climate change strategy and land use planning. There is also a need for demonstration projects, as well as the development of indicators and tools to monitor the adaptation and mitigation impacts of urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry. * The RUAF Foundation is an international network of seven regional resource centres and one global resource centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security. In 1996 the international Support Group on Urban Agriculture (SGUA) took the initiative to set up a Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF), in response to the expressed need of organizations and local governments in the South for effective mechanisms for the documentation and exchange of research data and practical experiences on urban agriculture

City strategies
To strengthen climate change adaptation in urban areas, city governments can stimulate sustainable agriculture and forestry in flood zones and wetlands to prevent construction. Urban wastewater can be recycled and safely applied in a number of uses including floriculture, fruit crop and forest irrigation. They can encourage planted rooftops to reduce heating and cooling requirements, pro-

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

Why deny our climate is changing?

Looking at extreme weather events around the world, Edward T. McMahon, Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute, asks why some politicians views on climate change are so at odds with the scientific community and for that matter, with the rest of the world. This article was carried on Citiwire.net, a UNHABITAT World Urban Campaign partner.

Fires that raged across Arizona, USA, is one example of increases in extreme weather from climate change

photo garret meyerS

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COVER STORY

riends who live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado recently complained that pine bark beetles were bringing devastation to local forests and throughout the Rocky Mountain West. According to recent reports, Colorado and Wyoming have lost 3.5 million acres of mountain forest to the bark beetle, with up to 100,000 trees on average falling every day. As bad as the problem is, scientists with the US Forest Service say the problem is likely to get even worse in coming decades as coniferous forests adjust to climate change. Warmer winters allow the beetles to survive and multiply. Like a canary in a coalmine, the bark beetles are just one of the many early warning signs of accelerating global climate change. Climate change is here. It is affecting us now, in numerous ways, both seen and unseen. Even those who deny the reality of climate change are having trouble denying the accumulating evidence that something is going terribly wrong with our natural world. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2010 was the hottest year in the hottest decade ever recorded. The 2010 heat wave in Russia killed an estimated 15,000 people. Apocalyptic floods in Australia and Pakistan killed 2,000, and left large swaths of each country under water. This year, things have not improved. In the US alone, nearly 1,000 tornados have roared across the heartland, killing more than 500 people and inflicting USD 9 billion in damage. Historic flooding has plagued communities all along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The largest wildfires in memory razed hundreds of thousands of acres in Arizona and New Mexico. Parts of Texas are in the worst drought in more than a century as heat waves plague large tracts of North America. The US Weather Service announced that July 2011 was the hottest month in Washington, D.C. since record keeping began in 1872. People may blame this on hot air from Congress, but the mercury has been rising from coast to coast. In early August, 18 states had temperatures over 100 degrees. Dallas reported 35 straight days of 38 C heat. The sustained high temperatures and drought have turned parts of the Southwest and Great Plains into a parched landscape of cracked earth. Indeed, wherever you look around the globe, communities are reporting extreme weather events of unparalleled scope and

severity: the hottest temperatures, the most severe droughts, the biggest mudslides, the worst wildfires, the longest heat waves, etc. Scientists have been saying for years that as the planet heats up, we will have to deal with more severe weather. While we cant attribute any particular heat wave or tornado to global warming, the trends are clear: global warming loads the atmospheric deck to deal out heat waves and intense storms more often. Jay Gulledge, Director of the Science and Impacts Program at the Pew Center says: Climate change is a risk factor for extreme weather just as eating salty food is a risk factor for heart disease. Despite overwhelming scientific consensus and mounting evidence all around us, why are so many elected officials unwilling to accept that climate change is a serious threat that demands immediate attention? One theory is that climate change is now part and parcel of Americas culture wars. Similar to abortion, gay rights, school prayer and other social issues, climate change has become a partisan political issue.

In 2011, Washington DC had photo rraBI the hottest July since records began in 1872

Climate change is a risk factor for extreme weather just as eating salty food is a risk factor for heart disease. Jay Gulledge
This might explain why House Republicans recently pushed legislation to overturn a 2007 law, signed by former President George W. Bush, that would gradually phase out oldfashioned incandescent light bulbs in favour of new energy efficient bulbs. Having to buy energy efficient bulbs is an affront to personal freedom , they said; never mind the fact that the average home owner would save almost USD 90 a year by switching to the energy saving bulbs, and also never mind that the law, once fully implemented, would eliminate the need for 33 large power plants, according to one estimate. A Gallup poll conducted earlier this year found that a majority of Americans support the energy efficiency bulb law and that most Americans have already switched to more energy efficient bulbs. So what else explains why some politicians views on climate change are so out

of sync with our scientific community or for that matter, with the rest of the world? A cynic might say that fossil fuel interests, like coal companies, have used the tobacco industrys playbook of: disinformation, high priced lobbyists and their own so-called experts to confuse the public and delay action. However, a new study published in the Spring 2011 issue of Sociological Quarterly suggests another reason. It finds that conservatives failure to acknowledge the real threat of climate change, has more to do with its implications rather than scepticism of scientific facts. Conservatives believe in small government, reduced spending, and a go-it-alone foreign policy. But solving climate change will undoubtedly require robust government, increased expenditures, and a great degree of international cooperation. People will go to great lengths to rationalize their deeply held beliefs. Science and logic are a lost cause in the face of ideological rigidity. To accept climate change is to question the wisdom of some peoples core beliefs. I believe the world is getting warmer and I believe that humans have contributed to that, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said recently. It is important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors. While Romneys statement wasnt the least bit radical or controversial, some conservative commentators called it political suicide. Hopefully, like the groundbreaking visit of the late President Richard Nixon to China, thoughtful conservatives will eventually embrace what has become abundantly clear: our climate is changing and we ignore it at our peril.

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COVER STORY

Climate change and cities

Towards a low-carbon future

Sustainable urban planning, eco-developments, smart cities, zero carbon cities each of these terms represents an aspiration for a better way of life. Here, James Kenny discusses zero-carbon cities and eco-development with some of his colleagues from the global design engineering group, Arup.

ranslating aspirations for a low-carbon future into real-world progress is notoriously complex, challenging and often expensive in the short-term. To advance, regional and local governments must accept the premise that a more sustainable way of life is worth working toward by investing time and energy in the outcomes. Government authorities at all levels have to be convinced it is worthwhile. Businesses have to be able to see where they fit in so they can invest. The vast array of technology needed to build a low-carbon future has to be viable in both the functional and financial sense. And most importantly, the needs and behaviour of the citizens have to be hard-wired into the plans if they are to have any real prospect of success. Add to all of this, the massive discrepancies in geography, climate, resources, culture and economic standards in towns and cities around the globe and it is easy to see why ecodevelopments, and low-carbon schemes can be so difficult to build. Yet even in face of all these challenges, and against a backdrop of global recession, there has rarely been such great interest in building for a better future.

Practically zero
The ambition of creating truly zero-carbon cities worldwide may be just a step too far at present indeed some would argue that it is barely worth considering at a time when global emissions are still rising fast. But the good news is that there is great interest in making practical contributions to a low-carbon future today. In recent years, Arups experts, designers and engineers have found a huge appetite for practical change among governments, researchers, stakeholders, NGOs, developers and city authorities around the world as the sustainability debate gains traction.

London, like Stockholm and Milan, has introduced congestion charging to cut vehicle numbers

photo tfl

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People are not just making a token nod in the direction of the latest green engineering trend for the sake of looking good. In many cases, they are fundamentally reappraising the structures, networks, infrastructure and technologies that support peoples daily lives to build a low-carbon future, says Mark Watts, Director at Arup. We are still a very long way from making the changes we need, and of course funding remains a huge issue, but the momentum is slowly shifting in the right direction.

nerability to climate stress, while Arups engineers are increasingly working with cities such as Manila in the Philippines and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to tackle water resource and flood management. David Singleton, Director and Global Planning Leader at Arup, says: Inevitably, the world must transition to a low-carbon economy where we live within environmental limits. We must focus on building the health, resilience and well-being of communities in all that we do.

Copenhagen leading the way

The Danish capital, Copenhagen (population 540,000), has just published a major report on the lessons it has learned, Copenhagen: Solutions for Sustainable Cities. It details the progress the city has made in cleaning up the city its ports to the point where there is now recreational swimming in the harbour, boosting wellbeing and tourism, coping with escalating water demand, creating sustainable, integrated transport networks, using wind for renewable energy making the most of waste (the city sends less than 2 per cent of its waste to landfill, much of which is used to generate heat), and heating and cooling the city more efficiently to the point where 97 per cent of buildings are now connected to a district heating system, which has cut carbon emissions by over a third. The aim of the study is to inspire other urban authorities to follow Copenhagens lead by explaining the approach to green growth. Says Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen: It was thought that environmentally friendly development would limit economic growth. However, quite the reverse turns out to be true. Green growth can, indeed, boost economic development and the quality of life.

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

The C40 represents large cities around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable policies to help address climate change and its report Climate Action in Megacities suggests progressive thinking is taking root in cities as diverse as New York and Addis Ababa. In the area of transport, for example, London, Stockholm and Milan have introduced congestion charges to cut vehicle numbers and carbon emissions. Beijing, Rome and Seoul also operate time/day restrictions on cars entering the central business district. Combined with bus mass transit, smart ticketing, hybrid electric vehicles and popular bike schemes such as the Paris Vlib, it seems that transport is proving to be fertile ground for carbon reduction. This is just as well, since transport is the sector where greenhouse gas emissions are rising most quickly and the number of road vehicles on the worlds roads is set to nearly double from just over 1 billion in 2010 to 2 billion in 2020. The C40 report also highlights the impact of energy use in buildings, which accounts for 45 per cent of the C40 cities carbon emissions. There is evidence that more cities are taking the situation seriously, and not just on buildings. So Paulo, for example, has installed thermoelectric power plants to burn biogas at two landfill sites, while Johannesburg and Warsaw are among the vast majority of cities which have set clear targets to cut waste volumes and CO2 emissions. Bangkok, for example, is creating early warning systems for severe weather and pollution risks, while New York is preparing for increased flood risk through better stormwater management in the form of green roofs and planting schemes. Meanwhile, Addis Ababa is planting an incredible 3 million new trees to reduce vul-

Integrated places
Progress in existing towns and cities around the globe has inspired many developers and government authorities to imagine a zero-carbon future or at least a future where economic development is decoupled from environmental impact. And clearly, it is easier to imagine achieving the ultimate goal working from a blank page where every building, infrastructure link and waste management system can be designed with low-carbon outcomes in mind. In Helsinki, for example, the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra, is working with Arup and development partners, SRV and VVO, on a EUR 60 million low-carbon housing and commercial building complex at Jtksaari, a reclaimed goods harbour to the west of central Helsinki.

Inevitably, the world must transition to a low-carbon economy where we live within environmental limits.
David Singleton, Arup

The Director of Strategic Design at Sitra, Marco Steinberg, said: Our design approach will allow the community to become carbon negative within 10 years.

A global approach
If global development is to continue at the pace witnessed in large emerging economies such as China, Brazil, India and Indonesia, for example, then they will all have to find common cause with other countries around the globe in tackling climate change. First, it is not enough to tinker around with green engineering and technological quick

fixes. If we are serious about the climate threat then planners, architects, engineers, developers, stakeholders and governments at all levels need to understand the need to analyse how communities and businesses interact with the entire eco-system. That means looking at all the linkages in a holistic way, from energy sources and transport modes to flood resilience, health and well-being, all of which are capable of very rapid change. Second, we need to find solutions that take all these variables into account in our ecological urban designs, embedding lowcarbon goals in our thinking alongside business need, risk, and social and cultural parameters, for example. And finally, we need the vision, leadership and imagination to make our aspirations for a better quality of life and a low-carbon future a reality for those on the planet we all share as well as for those who will come after us.

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URBAN WATCH

Calendar of events

Energy
2011 World Green Energy Symposium
19-21 October 2011, Philadelphia, USA

Health
Healthcare Development Conference
26-28 October 2011, Chicago, United States

2011 International Conference on Oil, Gas and Environment

21-23 October 2011, Cairo, Egypt

10th International Conference on Urban Health

1-4 November 2011, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Clean Futures 2011

World Toilet Day Summit

28 October 2011, Sunshine Coast, Australia

22-25 November 2011, Haikou, China

4th NUR International Scientific Research Conference Energy

16-18 November 2011, Butare, Rwanda

Emergency Medicine in the Developing World

15-17 November 2011, Cape Town, South Africa

Transport
Safe Roads Middle East Conference
21-22 November 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Environment
International Seminar on Climate Change and the Role of Local Government
27-28 November 2011, Dhaka, Bangladesh 5-7 December 2011, Putrajaya, Malaysia

IRF International Conference: Innovation in Road Infrastructure

22-24 November 2011, Moscow, Russia

International Conference on Sustainable Development

Water
International forum on Integrated Water Management
23-25 October 2011, Sherbrooke, Canada

Finance
Future Cities
18-19 October 2011, Stockholm, Sweden

Asia Water Summit

Asian Urban Forum 2011: Financing Future Cities

16-17 November 2011, Manila, Philippines

17-18 November 2011, Jakarta, Indonesia

Gender
Gendered Violence Conference
23-25 November 2011, Bristol, United Kingdom

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 17 / CMP 7

Date: 28 November 9 December 2011 Destination: Durban, South Africa Website: www.cop17-cmp7durban.com Description: The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, will bring together representatives of the worlds governments, international organizations and civil society. The discussions will seek to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.

Governance
Inaugural Trans Urban International Conference (ITIC)
12 November 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2nd Annual Building Partnerships within Urban Indigenous Communities

29-30 November 2011, Melbourne, Australia

To feature your events in the Calendar section, please send details to editorial@pfdmedia.com

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October 2011

Renewable energy

BEST PRACTICES

India pioneers use of solar power in city of Thane

Local energy governance plays a key role in the transition to low-carbon urban infrastructure. However, energy planning and local energy governance are largely absent from the agenda of most cities around the world. Here, Andrs Luque of the Department of Geography at Durham Universitys Energy Institute, tells the interesting story of the alternative offered by Thane on the outskirts of the Indian metropolis, Mumbai.

ome to some two million people, Thane is one of eight municipalities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. As a result of its proximity to Mumbai, the city has experienced rapid growth for the past decades. Such explosive growth dates back to the 1980s, when the population was just over 400,000. Today, Thane District is one of the most populous in India. And politicians and public officials are concerned about how to cope with this expanding population and at the same time provide the infrastructure to meet growing demand. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has thus taken steps to increase renewables and energy efficiency for the entire city. Over the past decade, the Corporation has experimented with novel energy schemes for public buildings such as theatres and hospitals, and in 2005 the local legislative body enacted a building by-law making the use of solar water heating mandatory for all new public and private construction. More recently, in 2009, Thane became one of the first cities to join Indias Solar Cities Programme and committed to a city-wide 10 per cent energy reduction over the next five years. Indias Planning Commission considers that in order to meet the energy needs of the country whilst maintaining a GDP growth of 8 per cent per year, electricity generation capacity will have to be increased more than five times over in the next 20 years.

Innovation: public services running on renewables

The Thane Municipal Corporation has pushed for energy innovation in its operations through different small to medium-scale projects, such as solar powered traffic lights, solar water heating for the

Thane has committed to a 10 per cent city-wide reduction in energy use in the next five years

photo andrS luque

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BEST PRACTICES

Renewable energy

citys hospitals, thermal storage at the citys main public auditorium and even a 50 kW photovoltaic system for the municipalitys offices. One of the most recent innovations, for example, is an air conditioning system running on parabolic concentrated solar energy at Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the citys main public hospital. Over 90 solar parabolas are located in the roof of the hospital to generate water steam, which is then directed to a vapor absorption unit acting as a heat exchanger for the purpose of cooling air.

The Maharashtra Energy Development Agency provided additional funding and private sector partners committed to technological delivery. Payment to the private partners occurs only upon delivery, testing and third party verification, and their terms of reference include a five year maintenance period that extends their responsibility and accountability. In this way the Thane Municipal Corporation has succeeded in distributing and managing risk.

tion certificate unless they show proof of installation of solar water heaters. Thane is an exception in this regard, and today its growing urban landscape can be distinguished by its extensive use of solar hot water systems on roofs. The results of Thanes mandatory policy on solar hot water systems can be seen as a success. Just in public hospitals solar hot water is saving the municipality up to 500MW per year and almost USD 50,000 in energy bills. The users experience of solar hot water systems is often tarnished by cheap, low quality and undersized installations and solar industry leaders in the state of Maharashtra are worried that Thanes mandatory requirements for solar hot water have resulted in of low quality systems, potentially damaging the reputation of what still today could be considered as an emerging technology.

Energy planning
Whilst energy efficiency and renewable energy can deliver significant financial and energy security benefits to cities, their implementation often receives a low priority in local agendas. On the one hand, energy decisions are often outside of the remit of local authorities, while on the other, local governments tend to focus on more pressing urban needs, such as water provision, sanitation, flood prevention, waste collection and transport. Through the funds provided, the Municipal Corporation is planning to establish a public energy information and resource centre, the Solar City Cell. It is expected to generate public awareness on energy issues, engage with final users, and help iron out some of the quality problems encountered.

A by-law makes the use of solar-powered hot water systems mandatory for new buildings

photo andrS luque

The hospital provides air conditioning only for the operation rooms and other sensitive medical areas that run during the daytime, so the solar system is appropriate for the specific needs of the building.

Scaling up: mandatory solar hot water systems

In 2005, Thane was one of the first Indian cities to enact a building by-law making the use of solar hot water systems mandatory for all new constructions. Such local policies had already been recommended by the Indian government, although very few cities went on to implement it. But in Thane, builders do not get a final occupa-

Local energy governance

Thanes experience shows the multiple possibilities associated with energy governance activities at the local level. It also points to the pivotal role that local governments will play in a world characterized by resource constraints. Matters of energy conservation, renewable technologies and low-carbon transitions gain a new meaning when seen from the local lens.

Local government taking the lead

Perhaps one of the most notable things of this energy innovation is that the leadership comes from a local government, rather than the private sector or a regional or national level energy agency. As with any other innovation, risks are part of the experience. However, the municipalitys energy efficiency office known as the Energy Conservation Cell, convinced the local legislative body to assign funds for this energy innovation.

Acknowledgements The author would like to thank ICLEI-SA, the Thane Municipal Corporation and the solar industry in Maharashtra for their support in the development of this research. Research leading to this article has been funded by the Durham Energy Institute and the Department of Geography at Durham University, UK.

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Africa

IN FOCUS

From grass to grace: UN-HABITAT builds new homes for Darfur migrants
Tom Osanjo, a staff writer with UN-HABITATs Information Service, recently visited a new housing project for displaced people in Sudans troubled Darfur region. He sent this first-hand account of UN-HABITATs work in the field.

A new classroom offers hope to residents of Sakali camp

photo un-haBItat / t. oSanjo

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IN FOCUS

Africa

hese are some of the most vulnerable victims of conflict anywhere in the world. Displaced in one of Africas worst conflicts, the residents of the Sakali camp outside Nyala, the state capital of South Darfur, occupy a parched corner of the world on the southern fringes on Africas Sahara desert. Today, the camp is home to some 4,000 people. The residents initially fled to a camp called Kalma, also on the outskirts of Nyala, but subsequent hostilities forced them to flee again and they set up camp at Sakali.

Enter UN-HABITAT
It was at this point that UN-HABITAT came on the scene and built six model homes to show the internally displaced survivors of conflict how they can build back better. The agency later entered into an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to improve living conditions in the camp. Using the Stabilized Soil Block (SSB) technology, the two agencies embarked on a training programme teaching the residents how to make cheaper bricks for their homes. The use of SSB technology means that people do not have to cut down trees for kilns to fire their bricks, thus contributing to environmental conservation in a part of the world more and more threatened by climate change. The residents were then encouraged to participate in building houses for their fellow survivors fortunate enough to be chosen as the first beneficiaries of the project. A block of classrooms followed for the local girls primary school. To cater for the health of the residents, a clinic has also been built at the camp. The Paramount Sheikh of Sakali, Mohamed Lein, says that the project has seen his people move from their former grass and straw houses to new houses of grace. According to the Sheikh, after the training on SSB, nearly all of the 866 households at Camp Sakali participated one way or another in building the first six homes, an exercise he said contributed to better bonding for the residents. By working communally, I witnessed a strong bond being developed among my people and this to me was very encouraging, he says. To him, the education the young people received in making the special blocks was the most important.

Mohamed Lein

photo un-haBItat / t. oSanjo

In addition to the girls school, Sheikh Lein is appealing for more classrooms to be built so that as many young people as possible can go to school. Talking to other parents at the camp, what comes out is that the need to offer ones

By working communally, I witnessed a strong bond being developed among my people and this to me was very encouraging. Mohamed Lein
children better opportunities in life seems to be an inborn human trait. Be it in Paris, Rome, Bogota or Saakali, most parents want their children to have a better start in life than they had. Take the case of another beneficiary at the camp, Ms Mariam Ibrahim. The widowed mother of 10 says her biggest dream is for her children to finish school so they can better their own lives. And the house she got at the project is a good launching pad for her childrens education, she says. This house has more rooms and the children can concentrate more on their studies. I am praying that they may excel because education is crucial in this modern world, said the 55-year-old. Similar sentiments are expressed by yet another beneficiary Khalifa Mohammed. The blind father of six doesnt want his children

to go through life relying on well wishers as he himself has done. Having become blind soon after my primary education there was nothing much I could do and when this opportunity to get a house came I could only be grateful. Now my biggest worry is to get my children through school. Both Mariam and Khalifa expressed the hope that a benefactor would help them establish some small-scale business to see them manage sustainable livelihood. A business of my own would be me self-reliant and I am sure my life and that of my family would improve for the better, said a confident Khalifa behind his dark sunglasses.

A model housing project

The UN-HABITAT project has won accolades from many including top United Nations officials saying it was a pioneer in housing the needy. One of the officials to heap praise on the project was the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Undersecretary-General, Valerie Amos. Others include officials of the State Government of South Darfur as well as a sister agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Speaking recently after a visit to the camp, Amos said the importance of finding durable solutions for displaced populations was raised during her discussions during the visit. Everyone, she said had the right to return home or settle in an alternative location of their choosing in appropriate conditions with their safety and security guaranteed.

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Africa

IN FOCUS

It is a move from grass to grace and we are really thankful because our people now live with some measure of dignity. And this, I believe, is how human beings are supposed to live. Mohamed Lein

Humanitarian workers are ready to assist where there is clear humanitarian need, and where the government is not able to provide the required support, said Amos. When displaced people do not want to return to their area of origin, we need to assist their integration into existing communities and support the development of sustainable livelihoods. Also expressing satisfaction with the project were the Senior Engineer in South Darfurs Ministry of Planning Eltayib Abdelrahman and the Director of National Housing Project Mansour Abdallah Yahya. SSB is a cheap technology which is very relevant to our situation and we are happy with the progress so far made, Abdelrahaman said in an interview in Nyala.

When we were looking for cheap ways of helping to resettle the IDPs (internally displaced people), UN-HABITAT approached us with the SSB technology and we fully embraced it, said Yahya.

No trees required
The superiority of SSB over the fired brick is that it is environmentally friendly. For example, for one typical 4 x 4 metre room built with fired bricks, 14 mature trees have to be cut to feed the kilns, while with SSB technology no trees are cut. Considering the growing deforestation problem in Darfur and the number of IDPs this is a huge contribution to environmental conservation. The beneficiaries on the ground are even more enthusiastic. Take the example of Alsurrah Awad.

The elderly widow is one of the beneficiaries who were moved from the informal settlement of Salama within the city to Al Rasheed, some 40 kilometres away. Instead of the hovel she was living in, Alsurrah now has two rooms and a verandah and there is also space to build a pit latrine within her walled compound. I had lost hope that I would live the rest of my life in the slums but now I am living my dream, she says as she cuddles her two granddaughters, Zubar, 7, and Mashaar, 4. UN-HABITAT Field Officer Emmanuel Uwurukundo said the agency was now exploring ways of replicating it in the camps it runs for refugees especially in neighbouring Chad. We want to sensitize the host government officials to the suitability of this technology in addressing the habitat needs of the refugees, he said. But the final words come from Paramount Sheikh Mohamed Lein: It is a move from grass to grace and we are really thankful because our people now live with some measure of dignity. And this, I believe, is how human beings are supposed to live.

The new school at Sakali camp

photo un-haBItat / t. oSanjo

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IN FOCUS

NEWS: Africa

HUMANITARIAN AID Executive Director highlights role of humanitarian staff UN-HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos has praised the agencys humanitarian staff and their colleagues working in disaster zones in many countries around the world, especially in the Horn of Africa which is gripped by conflict, high food prices and drought. The food crisis there is the gravest in the world with over 12 million people already in desperate need of help in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia. EDUCATION Strengthening urban climate change education in Africa In collaboration with Ugandas Makerere University, UN-HABITAT held a workshop for African Universities aiming to strengthen urban education by integrating climate change dimensions. The meeting conceptualized generic modules to be used in urban planning and related courses. These modules covered: an introduction to climate change and urban planning; urban vulnerability assessments; climate change and disaster risk reduction; and climate change and water cycle management. CAPACITY BUILDING East African towns benefit from new training programme Eleven towns in the Lake Victoria Basin are now able to provide improved urban management and basic services following the recent completion of an integrated programme of training and capacity building which targeted municipal councils, service providers, NGOs, Multi-Stakeholder Forums and CommunityBased Organizations. The programme is a component of the Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Phase I, which aims to deliver water, sanitation and solid waste management improvements in the 11 towns of Kisii, Homa Bay and Bondo in Kenya; Masaka, Kyotera Mutukula and Bugembe in Uganda; and Bukoba, Muleba, Mutukula and Bunda in Tanzania. YOUTH First urban youth assembly held in Nigeria At the first African Urban Youth Assembly, held in the Nigerian capital Abuja, young people from 53 African countries called on world leaders to provide justice, dignity and empowerment for youth. With a theme of Youth and Prosperity of Cities, the meeting took place over three days with young people deliberating on how to inspire, empower and enable youths to learn from a network of young active citizens in Africa to promote open societies.

Stakeholders at the workshop in Kigali

photo un-haBItat

Capacity building Lake Victoria Initiative launches capacity building programme in Rwanda
A capacity building programme for Rwanda, as part of the second phase of Lake Victoria Water Initiative, has been launched at a Stakeholders Workshop in Kigali. The programme, to be implemented by UN-HABITAT, will provide technical assistance and training to the East African Community and five East African countries to ensure the effective implementation and longterm sustainability of the second phase of the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation, which is being funded by the African Development Bank. The workshop was attended by representatives of the Government of Rwanda, the Rwanda Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) and the mayors and vice-mayors of the three towns in Rwanda that will be targeted by the programme. It is important to start the capacity building activities as early as possible to ensure that the infrastructure facilities are well integrated into the long-term development plans of the towns and that the necessary capacity is in place to effectively manage the facilities once they are completed, said Robert Goodwin, Chief of the Lake Victoria Section, in his remarks at the opening ceremony. UN-HABITAT is committed to working closely with the government, the implementing agency and town councils to ensure the success of the programme. The Deputy Director-General of EWSA, James Sano, who opened the workshop on behalf of the Rwandan government, called on UN-HABITAT to give early attention to building the capacity of EWSA in utility management and operations and to assisting the towns in establishing efficient systems for the delivery of solid waste management and environmental sanitation services. During the workshop, a number of priority capacity building activities were identified and focal points established to facilitate the work of UN-HABITAT in the participating towns. A work plan for the capacity building programme will now be prepared to enable UN-HABITAT to start the capacity building activities in late 2011.

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Youth Ugandan President launches youth centre in Arua

As part of activities to mark this years International Youth Day celebrations, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni opened a One Stop Youth Centre (OSYC) in Arua, a town in the northern part of the country. The aim of the project is to enhance the capacity of the Ugandan government and the municipality council of Arua to empower vulnerable urban youth and improve socio-economic inclusion and development. Through the establishment of a One Stop Youth Centre (OSYC) in Arua, the municipality will enhance the capacity of youth and youth organizations to acquire entrepreneurship skills for income generation and also strengthen their capacity to undertake youth development activities. Establishing youth centres in several towns across East Africa is part of a project contributing towards goal three of the UN Joint Programme on Population, which aims to ensure that youth and vulnerable groups have competitive skills and opportunities to participate in the economy including urban development. This goal looks to contribute towards building youth skills and providing opportunities to actively participate in the economy for sustainable livelihoods. President Museveni also launched the Ugandan phase of the Dream Balls for Hope and Development Initiative, where Right To Play, a Canadian-based NGO and UN-HABITAT will distribute 30,000 footballs across the country. The aim of the project, jointly implemented by Hyundai and UN-HABITAT, is to promote youth development, responsible citizenship and peace, urban development and harmony. The Hyundai Motor Company has donated 874,000 footballs (dream balls) to UN-HABITAT as a part of their corporate social responsibility programme to support disadvantaged children and youth in Africa. UN-HABITAT, through its partners and Youth Branch, has agreed to provide technical support for the distribution of the balls to selected countries in Africa. Other activities to mark the International Youth Day included tree planting throughout the week, cleaning up the town, painting of zebra crossings in the town to reduce accidents, a radio talk show, a football tournament, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), blood donation and public dialogue with young people. The discussions in the dialogue focused on the national theme of the youth day, which was accelerating youth empowerment through skills development.

SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT Football helps communities in Korogocho slums The United Nations at Nairobi (UNON) football team recently joined hands with Mathare United Football Club for a football clinic, as well as a cleanup exercise of the Korogocho slums in Nairobi. Korogocho is one of the slums earmarked to benefit from the Dream Balls for Hope and Development Initiative, which aims to promote sports development in urban areas. (See main news story) SLUM UPGRADING Understanding residents needs key to slum upgrading At an international meeting called Change by Design, held at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi and co-organized by Architecture Sans Frontieres UK, The Pamoja Trust, and UN-HABITATs Housing Policy Section, local and international actors working on slum upgrading emphasized the importance of understanding the wide range of views of residents when working to improve the standard of living in urban areas. WATER Kenya Vice-President inaugurates UN-HABITAT water project in Kisii prison The Vice-President and the Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, Kalonzo Musyoka, the Commissioner of Prisons, Isaiah S.M. Osugo, Robert Goodwin, Chief of UN-HABITAT Lake Victoria Programme and S.M.F. Karioki, Chairman of Global Victims Support Programme, have inaugurated a new water and sanitation facility for the staff and inmates of Kisii Prison. The objectives are to provide a sustainable supply of clean water for prisoners and detainees, to improve hygiene and sanitation systems at prisons and detention centres, and to ensure prisoners basic human rights. YOUTH UN-HABITAT announces finalists for Zanzibar Urban Youth Fund UN-HABITAT, together with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and Ministry of Social Welfare Youth, Women and Children Development, marked International Youth Day, with the announcement of the finalists of the 2011 UN-HABITAT Urban Youth Fund Zanzibar Window. The fund was launched in February 2011 by Ms. Zainab Omar Mohammed, Zanzibars Minister of Social Welfare, Youth, Women and Children Development, and Mr. Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister of Environment and International Development.

The youth centre will help develop young people as entrepreneurs

photo un-haBItat

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Arctic

Adaptation brings new challenges to indigenous peoples in the Arctic

The Arctic was once a region out of sight and out of mind. If it was considered at all it was seen as frigid, inhospitable, unimaginably wild and untouched. But, writes John Crump, Senior Advisor/Climate Change, at the UNEP/GRID-Arendal Polar Centre in Norway, the Arctic has always been a homeland, inhabited in some places for nearly 30,000 years by successive waves of people and cultures.

lthough people in the Arctic have learned to adapt to changing environments, rapid climate change there is making adaptation more difficult and has significant implications for communities and cultures. Since many indigenous peoples continue to rely on their environment for their food, climate induced change has the potential to affect not only human health but the complex system of sharing of food that is an integral part of many indigenous cultures. Traditionally nomadic hunters, herders, fishers and gatherers, Indigenous Peoples moved across the land, sea and ice following a seasonal cycle. Throughout the Arctic, indigenous peoples were required to adapt in varying ways to the efforts of the State to assimilate them. Despite having been relocated into settlements, they have managed to retain strong links to the land and environment which has nurtured their cultures for generations. Resettlement took place throughout the Arctic -- mostly in the mid-20th century -- for a number of reasons including facilitating the administration of government services like education and welfare, such as in Canada; or promoting a vision of industrialization, as in the former Soviet Union. Indeed, indigenous cultures are not frozen in time. But they have adapted to many changes -- from the use of new tools, clothing, food and technologies to living in communiThe Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world for climate change photo xxxxx xxxxxxx

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ties. In fact, Inuit advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier likes to point out that her people have been adapting to outside forces for centuries. But, she says, climate change poses new challenges to that ability to adapt.

Climate change the new adaptation challenge

According to the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world when it comes to climate change. There is strong evidence of the ongoing impacts of climate change on terrestrial and freshwater species, communities and ecosystems, throughout the region, says the report. Its findings echoed those of the 2004/05 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). The first regional assessment of its kind, the ACIA stated that surface air temperatures in the Arctic have been warming at twice the global rate. Supporting evidence comes from the widespread melting of glaciers and sea ice -- and the latter phenomenon has gained speed since the ACIA report came out. Accelerating Arctic climate change will also affect vegetation zones, the diversity, range and distribution of animal species. It is further expected to disrupt transport and other infrastructure and will directly affect indigenous peoples. The threat to local food supplies will also affect indigenous peoples local resourcebased economies, food sharing practices and cultural and social identity. In many places, indigenous peoples are finding it more difficult to travel, hunt and harvest as the ice thins. Governments in the Arctic region have, to varying degrees, begun to look at the need for adaptation. But the key role in design of integrated climate strategies should belong to regional and local authorities and to planners. However, efficient outcomes also require co-ordination between decision-makers, business representatives, academia, civil society and the general public at various administrative levels: local, regional and federal. Only by such open, inclusive and coordinated action will Arctic peoples be able to adapt to the climate change challenges they face now and will face in the future.

SOURCE: Arctic Pollution Issues: A State of the Arctic Environment Report. Stefansson Arctic Institute, 2004. Arctic Human Development Report. Graphic design: Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

The Arctic region encompasses approximately 40 million square kilometres or about 8 per cent of the Earths surface. Yet it is home to only 4 million people, many members of indigenous cultures which have survived and thrived for millennia. The largest population is in northern Russia (about 2 million people, of whom approximately 250,000 are indigenous), followed by Scandinavia and Alaska. Inuit comprise the majority in Greenland (88 per cent). Half the population of the Canadian Arctic are Inuit, First Nations or Metis. In Norway, Finland and Sweden, Saami constitute about 5 per cent of the population. In Russia, the percentage is smaller with 44 distinct Indigenous Peoples making up less than 4 per cent of the total. According to the 2004 Arctic Human Development Report about two-thirds of all the people in the Arctic live in relatively big settlements of 5,000 or more people. However, there is a great variety in this pattern as well, ranging from 80 per cent in Russia to just over 40 per cent in Arctic Canada to only one-third in Greenland. In Alaska, Anchorage is the largest city with 260,000 people (40 per cent of the total state population). There are nine cities over 50,000 each in Russia which are home to about one million people (49.5 per cent). On the other end of the spectrum, there are only three small cities in the Canadian Arctic, the largest of which is Whitehorse, Yukon (19,000). Greenlands capital, Nuuk, has a population of 15,000. There is a trend towards migration to larger centres throughout the Arctic, a process that has been going on for decades. In the Canadian Arctic, only 11 per cent of the population lives in settlements of 100-499 people; in Russia, its below 1 per cent.

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Asia-Pacific

Ho Chi Minh City confronts risk of flooding

The threat of a changing climate is likely to influence Asian delta cities in both the nature of their urban space and profoundly in their liveability and functionality write Harry Storch and Nigel K. Downes of the Brandenburg University of Technology (Cottbus) in Germany.

The city has a network of 8,000 km of canals exposing it to flooding

photo eSchu1952

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ituated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometres from the South China Sea and northeast of the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh is Vietnams largest and most populous city, home to some 7.2 million people (2009 figure). However, if the estimated 2 million migrants and individuals residing on a non-residential and seasonal basis are included, the actual population may well be closer to more than 9 million. This megacity in the making is currently undergoing further urbanization to such an extent that by 2020 official estimates forecast a population of approximately 10 million. The city has pushed rapidly into former wetland surroundings, primarily at the expense of urban green space and valuable natural areas. The city has a network of some 8,000 kilometres of canals. These waterways are affected by a semi-diurnal tide which peaks in September and October at the height of the monsoon season, causing floods in many neighbourhoods. The dimensions of this flooding are however constantly changing due to the ongoing rapid urbanization. The results of a planning assessment study show that a significant proportion of the actual built-up area is already exposed to flooding. Across Ho Chi Minh City, about 160 square kilometres (32 per cent of the total currently built-up area of 500 square kilometres) is exposed to flooding at the current max-tide level of 1.5 metres above mean sea level. Most areas with the highest exposure to flooding are low lying recent urban developments carried out in the last ten years. Without any further urban development, a climate change induced sea level rise of 1 metre would expand the exposed built-up area to 230 square kilometres (45 per cent of the presentday built-up area). By implementing the land-use plans for the years 2010 - 2025 and thus increasing the total built-up area to 750 square kilometres (an increase of 50 per cent), the total built-up area exposed may double. The combined effect of urbanization and climate change (a sea-level rise of 1 metre) could see total exposure grow even more dramatically up to 450 square kilometres. This level of exposure would multiply by three times the presentday area at risk of tidal flooding by 2025. The current Ho Chi Minh City development strategy, focuses development which began in the year 2000, towards the sea in a south-

Rapid urbanization means Ho Chi Minhs population will be 10 million by 2020

photo xenIn

Projected sea level rise scenarios for Vietnam (in centimetres)

IPPC Emission Scenarios High A1F1 High 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 11.6 17.3 24.4 33.4 44.4 57.1 71.1 86.1 101.7

easterly direction into low-lying risk prone areas. This was encouraged by the development of the Hiep Phuoc port project in the southern Nha Be district. The aim has been to move port activities towards the sea to receive much larger container ships and create space for inner city renewal of the old port areas. However, the degradation of low-lying wetlands will increase and lead to the creation of more hardscape features, the loss of space for water, including natural detention and retention areas, which ultimately will exacerbate the surface water flood risks significantly. It is envisaged that these new developments will face enormous difficulties to effectively incorporate and adapt to the effects of both the climatic and non-climatic drivers of future risk. The concentration of future exposure to sealevel rise in rapidly growing cities in Southeast Asia, such as in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasises

the urgent need to take steps to integrate the considerations of climate change into land-use planning, urban development strategies, and flood risk management. Any delay to develop and integrate effective adaptation strategies into the spatial planning system would inevitably have not just citywide, but regional or even nationwide economic repercussions.

This article is based on results of the Integrative Urban and Environmental Planning for Adaptation of Ho Chi Minh City to Climate Change study, part of the Sustainable Development of the Megacities of Tomorrow research programme of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

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NEWS: Asia-Pacific

HOUSING New smart town for Japan Panasonic is teaming up with eight private sector companies to build a revolutionary sustainable smart town in a project with Fujisawa City in Japan. One thousand homes will be fitted with energy efficient solar panels and storage batteries and the solar power systems that will be used are the first of their kind in the world. Completion of the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (Fujisawa SST) is scheduled for the end of March 2014. ENVIRONMENT Singapore to be a city in a garden Singapore is rolling out a 10-year development plan to become even greener, with trees and plants permeating every aspect of city life. At the National Day Rally 2011, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the aim to create a City in a Garden. Singapores vision has three components: pervasive greenery, rich biodiversity and a strong sense of community ownership. Despite continued urbanization, the city has steadily been increasing its green spaces. Satellite photographs show that almost half of Singapore (47 per cent in 2007) was covered in greenery, compared to about 36 per cent in 1986. URBAN DEVELOPMENT New UN-HABITAT report on Asian cities New light is shed on the issues and challenges faced by Asian cities in the latest UN-HABITAT report, The State of Asian Cities 2010/11. The report highlights innovative practices from countries with differing demographics and concludes that sustainable human settlements are within reach. UN-HABITAT outlines the need for cooperation between public authorities, and the private and voluntary sectors in order to achieve sustainable urban development, and also highlights critical issues relating to poverty, inequality, the environment, climate change and urban governance. The report can be downloaded from UN-HABITATs website. ICT Singapore develops IT solutions for cities Future cities could be developed with an IT backbone to allow integrated urban management thanks to Singapore Management University (SMU). Cloud technology and business knowhow are being used by experts from SMU and IT services firm Tata Consultancy to create interactive iCities, which will offer an improved quality of life for citizens. The new technology will be particularly relevant for fast-growing economies such as China and India and will offer cloud-based IT service delivery solutions for healthcare, education, transport and other services.

Energy USD 7 million retrofit planned for Sydneys buildings

Sydneys Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has revealed an ambitious new plan to overhaul the energy and water systems in major public buildings with the aim of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions. The project will cost AUD 6.9 million (USD7.37 million), but will ultimately reduce the citys energy bill by an estimated AUD 1.3 million per year. Retrofitting the citys buildings with energy and water efficiency technologies will significantly reduce our costs in fact, the project will pay for itself within six years, the Lord Mayor said. It will also cut 7000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, taking the citys overall emissions reductions from 6.8 per cent to 19.9 per cent well on the way to our target of 70 per cent by 2030 (on 2006 levels). A total of 46 buildings will be retrofitted, including the town hall. Measures taken will include energy-efficient lighting, air-conditioning and heating, centralized power management systems to monitor energy use by computers, and voltage reduction units for pumps, fans and lights. Devices to help save water will also be installed on taps, showers and cisterns. The energy saved per year will be the equivalent of that consumed by about 1,000 homes 7.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh), a saving that equates to AUD 840,000 (USD 897,036) annually. Water consumption will also drop significantly by 61,360 kilolitres a year, saving AUD 200,000 (USD 213,580) annually. Maintenance costs will also be reduced. This project shows what a local authority can achieve in delivering rapid, large- scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, said Allan Jones, the citys energy efficiency expert. The project was put out to tender and awarded to Origin Energy Systems. To ensure the targets are met, the contractor is obliged to guarantee the reductions, and energy and water performance will be verified independently.

Sydney expects to reduce its energy bill by AUD 1.3 million a year

photo cIty of Sydney

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ENERGY Success in saving energy after Japan earthquake To combat the threat of blackouts following the earthquake in eastern Japan this year, Kanagawa Prefecture initiated a Power-Saving Challenge campaign calling on governments, businesses and households to minimize their use of energy. The aim was to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent compared with the same day the previous year. Households were asked to raise air-conditioning temperatures to 28 degrees Celsius or use fans, factory lights were switched off and people utilized public facilities. The campaign achieved a 13.4 per cent reduction in energy usage (and a 20.5 per cent reduction at the prefectural government building). Power-saving efforts are set to continue. TRANSPORT Guangzhou bus system produces big cuts in CO2 emissions A new study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) says that Guangzhous 22.5-kilometre Bus Rapid Transit system will reduce CO2 emissions by 86,000 tonnes annually. The Bus Rapid Transit corridor was opened in 2010 with the aim of cutting congestion on one of the citys busiest roads. The ITDP began collecting data prior to the BRTs opening. The buses have led to an improvement in travel time for motorists and bus riders along the corridor of 20 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. Part of the project is also a bike-sharing scheme, which has seen the number of rides increase by 50 per cent since its inception. URBAN DEVELOPMENT Shanghai plans seven new satellite cities Development in downtown Shanghai will cease and seven new satellite cities will be created in the suburbs. The citys latest five-year plan for 2011 to 2015 was unveiled this summer and is focused on avoiding overcrowding in the centre. The new cities will house industrial and manufacturing businesses, as well as emerging industries. Schools, hospitals and cultural centres will be constructed in the seven new cities in an attempt to attract residents, and links are to be developed with other cities in the Yangtze River Delta. URBAN DEVELOPMENT China copies Austrian town The Austrian UNESCO village of Hallstatt could be reconstructed in an identical form in China. A secret team from a Chinese state corporation have been in the Alpine village for months, measuring buildings and taking photos so they can rebuild an exact copy near Hong Kong. The news came to light when a Chinese guest at a 400-yearold inn showed sketches to the inns owner.

Anote Tong, President of Kiribati

photo un

Climate change UN Secretary-General warns of climate change threat to Pacific islands

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, have stressed that climate change poses the most serious threat to the livelihoods, security and survival of the island nations residents and the inhabitants of the wider Pacific region, saying the phenomenon is undermining efforts to achieve sustainable development. Both leaders reaffirmed the need for urgent international action to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and underlined the need to make climate change adaptation funding available to finance the implementation of critical programmes to tackle the impact of climate change on communities in vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS). President Tong welcomed the first ever visit by a UN Secretary-General to Kiribati. During his visit Ban took note of the measures undertaken by Kiribati, including mangrove forest management, major biodiversity conservation initiatives such as the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, water resource management, and efforts to enhance coastal resilience. The Secretary-General acknowledged the value of initiatives like the Tarawa Climate Change Conference, organized by Kiribati in November last year ahead of the Cancn Climate Change Conference in Mexico. The two dignitaries joined young islanders to plant mangroves on a beach at Stewart Causeway to help protect the area from the effects of rising sea levels. Planting mangroves is one of the cheapest and surest ways to protect coastal environments. Planting mangroves may be simple and may not [seem] much, said Mr. Ban. But it even helps the economy. It generates some income. Planting mangroves gives us a good lesson that if we are for nature we will be better off in making the Earth more environmentally hospitable and environmentally sustainable. The Secretary-General has described Kiribati as being at the front of the frontlines on climate change. I have seen for myself the real threats that are impacting on people, he said. People are afraid of their own future, particularly young people. I am urging world leaders to act now. The high tide shows that it is high time to act. I was so surprised to see the impact of these high tides, inundating these villages and roads. That can be prevented if we act now.

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Latin America and the Caribbean

Environmental degradation in Mexico City

he water management system of Mexico City has developed features which do not allow it to cope with floods and droughts. It is overexploiting not only its water resources by between 19.1 and 22.2 cubic metres per second, but also the water of two providing basins (Lerma and Cutzamala). According to projections where no consideration is given to global warming, between 2005 and 2030 the population of Mexico City will increase by 17.5 per cent, while between 2007 and 2030 available water will diminish by 11.2 per cent. The situation might get worse if, as expected, climate change brings lower precipitation to this area. Those water users who already face recurrent shortages during the dry season, or when droughts hit Mexico City, will be especially affected. For example, 81.2 per cent of people affected by droughts during 1980 to 2006 live in Netzahualcoyotl, one of the poorer municipalities of the city. This overexploitation of water resources creates two sources of vulnerability: first, problems of water availability (scarcity) that make water users (especially poor sectors already facing scarcity) vulnerable to the changes in the availability of water that are expected from climate change. Second, groundwater levels are continuously falling, which historically has caused subsidence (and continues to do so in some areas), thus undermining the foundations of buildings and urban infrastructure and increasing the vulnerability of these areas and the populations within them to such hazards as heavy earthquakes and rains.
Source: Romero Lankao, 2010

Those water users who already face recurrent shortages during the dry season, or when droughts hit Mexico City, will be especially affected.
Mexico City is facing a water crisis because of overexploitation of its resources photo nyn-WSW

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Fighting pollution in So Paulo, Brazil

Energy use accounts for 75 per cent of So Paulos emissions

photo trevISan

he So Paulo Metropolitan Region has a population of 18 million and is the largest urban area in Brazil. The city is a major driving force for the national economy, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of USD 83 billion in 2003. The service industry is the main driver, accounting for 62.5 per cent of GDP. This is followed by the industrial sector, which accounts for 20.6 per cent. A comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory was conducted in 2005. It shows that energy use accounts for more than three-quarters of the citys emissions (see figure below). Approximately two-thirds of this was associated with diesel and gasoline, and 11 per cent with electricity generation. However, the contribution of urban transportation to GHG emissions is still relatively low as a result of the mandatory blend of

ethanol (23 per cent) and gasoline (77 per cent) used in most of the private fleet. Similarly, the contribution of the electricity generation sector is low as the city relies heavily on hydroelectric generation. Solid waste disposal accounted for almost one quarter of the citys emissions, or 3.7 million tonnes of CO2eq. However, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects at the Bandeirantes and So Joo landfills will prevent the generation of 11 million tonnes of CO2eq by 2012 almost removing the contribution of solid waste to the citys emissions. Per capita emissions from the city are low, at about 1.5 tonnes CO2eq per year (in 2003), compared to a national average for Brazil of 8.2 tonnes (1994 figure). Despite this, the growing importance of reducing global GHG emissions means that cities in middle-income countries will

increasingly need to identify their emissions reduction potential and act on this. It is important to note that although the city of So Paulo accounts for 6.8 per cent of the population of Brazil, its GHG emissions are relatively small. This is because Brazil is a large emitter of GHGs from agriculture, land-use change and forestry. In the case of deforestation, due to high rates, emissions account for 63.1 per cent of total national emissions of CO2 and methane. The agriculture sector as a whole is responsible for 16.5 per cent of the same gases, mainly because of the size of the national herd. In the case of the extremely urbanized city of So Paulo, these emissions are insignificant.
Sources: Dubeux and La Rovere, 2010; La Rovere et al, 2005; Ministrio da Cincia e Tecnologia, 2004

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NEWS: Latin America and the Caribbean

WORLD HABITAT DAY Aguascalientes, Mexico to host World Habitat Day Mexicos Minister for Social Development (SEDESOL), Heriberto Flix Guerra, has announced that Aguascalientes will host this years World Habitat Day. He made the announcement at a news conference flanked by his Vice Minister, Ms. Sara Toppelson, the Governor of Aguascalientes, Luis Armando Reynoso Femat, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Magdy Martinez-Soliman, and other officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SEDESOL and UNHABITAT. Martinez-Soliman welcomed the hosting of World Habitat Day in Aguascalientes, a city that is taking the lead in urban planning and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. ENERGY IDB supports renewable energy investment in Uruguay The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a USD 200 million loan for Celulosa y Energa Punta Pereira S.A. and Zona Franca Punta Pereira S.A., two companies belonging to the Montes del Plata Group in Uruguay. The loan will help finance the construction and operation of a mill to produce pulp from eucalyptus wood and generate power, meeting high environmental and social standards and adding value to Uruguays renewable forest assets. CONSERVATION Eastern Caribbean countries to protect fragile marine ecosystems The World Bank has approved an USD 8.75 million grant from the Global Environment Facility to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable management of fragile marine ecosystems in the Eastern Caribbean, including the protection of over 100,000 hectares of marine habitat. The Sustainable Financing and Management of Eastern Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Project will establish conservation trust funds to provide reliable and consistent sources of funding for biodiversity preservation. WATER AND SANITATION Spain grants USD 25 million to Honduras Honduras will receive a USD 25 million grant from the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean to expand and improve drinking water and sanitation services in rural communities with fewer than 2,000 people. The programme, which will be implemented by the state water and sanitation utility SANAA, will provide 13,700 households with new water connections, 15,900 homes with individual sanitation solutions, and 2,200 homes with rehabilitated drinking water systems.

Urban development UN-HABITAT launches its first country programme in Cuba

Cubas Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, Mr. Orlando Hernndez Guillen, and UN-HABITATs Officer in Charge of the Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean Countries, Mr. Alain Grimard, have announced a USD 2.5 million programme for Cuba for 2011 to 2013. The programme has three main work areas: urban governance and climate change, urban infrastructure/basic services, and the environment, as well as support for the housing sector. Responding to the priorities of the country programme, UN-HABITAT has started implementing two projects totaling USD 570,000 with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Colombian NGO Back to the People (Volver a la Gente). These two projects consist of the systematization of housing recovery experiences in three Cuban provinces and a South-South cooperation with Colombia to strengthen citizen capacity in adapting to climate change and fostering disaster risk reduction in seven municipalities. Furthermore, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the National Housing Institute, the Institute of Physical Planning, and Municipal governments, UN-HABITAT will implement a recovery project and support improved housing policies. This project is in line with Cubas updated economic and social policy guidelines discussed during Cubas sixth party congress. Following the congress, which opted to support limited privatization of the housing sector, including issues related to ownership and construction materials, among others, UN-HABITAT will spearhead a breakthrough technical cooperation with national institutions that consist of creating a housing profile, carrying out exchanges and specialized studies, developing an institutional and financial monitoring strategy and implementing demonstrative projects throughout the country.

The Cuban programme will strengthen citizens capacity in adapting to climate change

photo un-haBItat

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EDUCATION New partnership to benefit one million children in Colombia The World Bank Group has endorsed a new Partnership Strategy for Colombia, which will help the country consolidate economic reforms and improve results in infrastructure development and the social sectors, with the aim of aligning itself more closely to the standards of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The partnership will benefit 1.2 million vulnerable children, who will be able to access early education programmes from 2014. The initiative will also contribute to the formulation of a national policy for the promotion of low-carbon development. SECURITY UN-HABITAT targets safety in Latin American cities In its quest for safer cities around the world, UN-HABITAT has teamed up with the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile, to produce a new set of guidelines aimed at the Spanish-speaking world, where many cities, especially in Latin America, are notorious for high levels of violence and crime. Improving a neighbourhood involves an overhaul of all dimensions of its life, including the right of citizens to lead lives free of risk of injury, danger, and crime, said Elkin Velasquez, Coordinator of UN-HABITATs Global Safer Cities Programme. GENDER IDB launches photo contest to challenge gender stereotypes The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) has invited amateurs and professionals to participate in its 2011 photo contest, which seeks to show how women and man in Latin America and the Caribbean are challenging traditionally held gender norms and stereotypes in the workplace. The winning and finalist images will be part of the permanent photo gallery that will be showcased on the IDB website and in MIF publications. HEALTHCARE World Bank backs improved healthcare in El Salvador Two million people in El Salvador, living in the 92 poorest municipalities, will have access to better quality health care services as a result of a USD 80 million project approved by the World Bank. The initiative will finance investments in medical equipment, infrastructure rehabilitation and the strengthening of institutional capacities to provide medical and emergency services. El Salvadors Strengthening the Public Health Care System project will be managed by the Health Ministry (MINSA) and is aligned to MINSALs National Health Strategy (2009-2014).

Raquel Rolnik at the Tapis Rouge camp for displaced people in Port-au-Prince

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Migration UN calls for an end to forced evictions in Haiti

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, has made an urgent plea to put an immediate stop to all forced evictions of earthquake survivors in Haiti. During a visit to the country where she toured camps that are now home to survivors of the earthquake, Ms. Rolnik, described every eviction of persons without the provision of an adequate housing alternative as a grave human rights violation. There is a vital need for rapid reconstruction and the safe return of internally displaced persons to their neighbourhoods of origin, said Rolnik. Reconstruction must be seen as an opportunity for improving housing conditions in unplanned settlements, but this has to be guided by sound urban planning. The earthquake on 12 January 2010 was one of the most devastating to hit the country in 250 years, claiming an estimated 250,000 lives and destroying homes, property and large sections of the capital and other major towns. Rolnik supported UN-HABITATs proposal for a comprehensive strategy for reconstruction and return, and participated in a workshop on the right to adequate housing in post-disaster Haiti, organized jointly by UN-HABITAT, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Mission for the Stabilisation of Haiti. Participants agreed on the importance of a rights-based approach to reconstruction that does not leave out tenants and other vulnerable groups. The Special Rapporteur welcomed an initiative presented by President Michel Martelly to launch large-scale reconstruction through the sustainable return of the residents of six camps, facilitated by owner-driven repairs and reconstruction of homes and the provision of improved services in their neighbourhoods of origin. Criteria of vulnerability should be used to identify priority camps, such as those most prone to disasters and floods, as we enter the cyclonic season, said Rolnik. Rolnik recognized the successful work carried out by UN-HABITAT in Haiti. She also cited a survey initiated by UN-HABITAT and adopted by other agencies to establish the pre-earthquake occupancy status of residents in unplanned neighbourhoods, as an effective means to strengthen tenure security and inform reconstruction and return.

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NEWS: Central and Eastern Europe

ENERGY Uzbekistan signs energy efficiency agreement with World Bank The World Bank and the Government of Uzbekistan have signed a USD 25 million credit agreement for the Energy Efficiency Facility for Industrial Enterprises Project (UZEEF) in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The projects objective is to improve energy efficiency in industrial enterprises by energy saving investments. Typical energy efficiency investments will involve replacements or upgrades of boilers, replacement of outdated equipment and machinery, and the use of waste for heat and other purposes. CULTURE Europe opens doors for heritage The Europe-wide festival, Heritage Open Days, will see 50 countries open their doors to cultural heritage sites for free. Fifty countries across Europe, from Albania to Serbia, will be throwing open the doors of their historic monuments and buildings from 10-12 October, all in the name of heritage. The Council of Europe created the Heritage Open Days to bring people closer to their cultural heritage and to spark an interest in local history and includes properties that are normally off-limits to the general public. The Heritage Open Days aim to highlight not only the diversity of Europes heritage, but also its intercultural links. TRANSPORT Bulgarian capital expands e-ticket system across transport network The Bulgarian capital of Sofia aims to modernize its public transport system with assistance from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The financial package, worth a total of EUR 24.96 million, will increase the quality, safety, accessibility and also the energy efficiency of transport in the city. One area of focus will be to support efficiency improvements by introducing an e-ticketing system across all public transport modes, currently only available on the citys trolley buses. GOVERNANCE Kosovo citizens draft vision for a new municipality A workshop organized by UN-HABITAT brought together civil servants, business leaders and citizens to define a vision statement including a declaration and motto for the new Partesh/Partes municipality. A vision statement was agreed to that aims to be ecoconscious and sustainable. Two mottos that came out of the workshop included: Visited, observed, remained and New municipality, new opportunities. The results from the four-day workshop will be used as a foundation for guiding the process of drafting the municipal and urban plans document.

The new trains will run on Warsaws existing metro line

photo pIotr kotkoWSkI

Transport Warsaw Metro to introduce new energy-efficient trains

Warsaw Metro will purchase 35 metro trains, consisting of 210 individual wagons, as part of the modernization of its network with more energy efficient rolling stock. The new trains will run on Warsaws existing metro line as well as a second line which is under construction. The second line is a long-awaited investment in the expansion of highcapacity public transport in Warsaw. It is expected to substantially reduce traffic congestion in the city centre and create crucial linkages with the first metro line by allowing users to transfer efficiently from the east side of the Vistula River to the west side of the city. The project is an important step contributing to the improvement of the operational efficiency of the Warsaw Metro system, said Jerzy Lejk, the President of the Management Board of the Warsaw Metro Company. The new metro trains to be supplied by the consortium of Siemens and Newag will require less frequent maintenance reviews than the existing rolling stock while the regenerative breaking technology, together with other advanced technology solutions, will be able to reduce energy consumption by approximately 30-40 per cent as compared with the existing rolling stock. The existing metro line requires 15 new trains and the new line 20 new trains. Once the second line is finished, the annual number of passengers using the underground system is expected to rise from 117 million to 179 million by 2014. The project is an important step towards implementing Warsaws sustainable urban transport strategy, which aims to shift people away from using motorized transport private cars and buses to zero-emission public transport. By expanding its metro system, Warsaw city council believes it will be able to reduce its CO2 emissions by approximately 200,000 tonnes a year. The principal carbon benefit is expected to come from a shift by residents to a cleaner, quicker and more energy efficient metro with new innovative rolling stock and regenerative breaking technology that helps to reduce energy consumption. Finance will in part come from a EUR 80 million (USD 114 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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Governance Tajikstan signs development finance deal with World Bank

The government of Tajikistan and the World Bank signed Financing Agreements for three development projects that will support the governments reform efforts in social protection, improve the water supply services in Dushanbe, and develop hydro-meteorological services in Central Asia. The current Country Partnership Strategy is aimed at poverty reduction and overall economic development, said Mr Safarali Nadjmiddinov, the Tajik Minister of Finance. These projects are an integral part of these efforts, and are expected to provide social protection and support to the most vulnerable people, cleaner water for residents of Dushanbe and better hydro-meteorological services throughout our region. The Tajikistan Social Safety Net Strengthening Project has the overall development objective of improving the capacity of the government to plan, monitor, and manage social assistance for the poor through the development of a national registry of social protection, and the provision of training, equipment and related items for improving this capacity.

TRANSPORT Istanbul renews city buses As part of a fleet renewal project, which aims at providing a safe, efficient and affordable mass transport service to the people of Istanbul, Istanbul Bus Operations Inc. will put 250 new buses into service for public transport. The winners of the tenders are expected to deliver services on the bus routes that deliver value for money, and that balance the expectations of passengers against the costs of improvements, said Istanbul Bus Operations Inc. ICT Tackling cybercrime in eastern Europe Representatives from the six Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) met in Chisinau, Moldova, to discuss challenges and best practices for enhancing regional and international law enforcement and judicial co-operation against cybercrime. Strengthening the co-operation between high tech crime units, increasing the efficiency of the 24/7 network as well as mutual legal assistance were some of the issues addressed at the seminar. ENERGY New wind farm for Romania The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, are supporting Romanias strategy to increase its renewable energy production by lending EUR 73.3 (USD 104) million to co-finance the operation of the 90 MW Pestera wind farm. The Pestera and Cernavoda wind farms in the Dobrogea region of Romania will together comprise one of the largest wind farms in the country, with a total capacity of 228 MW. This will represent roughly 40 per cent of the total wind generation capacity in Romania. TRANSPORT Istanbul residents vote for safer taxis Istanbul will shortly introduce a new taxi chosen by popular plebiscite by its citizens. The Taxi Design Contest, run by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), ended with Istanbul residents choosing the B model as their new taxi design.The vote took place over the Internet with 340,000 people participating. The B model taxi received 41.2 per cent of the votes. Istanbul residents have also chosen the designs for buses, trams and ferries in recent years. The IMM Taxi Design Contest aimed to provide more comfortable services for the citys residents. The new taxi design is geared towards new technological developments and focuses on security and accident-prevention technologies as well accessibility features for the disabled. The taxi will utilize the most up to date plug-in hybrid technology. Inside the spacious interior a large LCD display will be made available to passengers to use the Internet and passengers will be able to pay by credit card.

Central Asia is developing its hydro-meteorological services

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The Second Dushanbe Water Supply Project, with a total investment of USD 16 million, intends to improve water utility performance and water supply services in selected areas of Dushanbe through water treatment and distribution infrastructure upgrades. New metering programmes and improved billing and collection systems together with technical assistance and capacity-building activities will strengthen the Dushanbe Vodokanal management and operational performance. The objective of the USD 27.7 million Central Asia Hydrometeorology Modernization Project is to improve the accuracy and timeliness of hydro-meteorological services in Central Asia, with a particular focus on the Kyrgyz Republic and Republic of Tajikistan. The project will help reduce human and economic losses from hazardous weather events and diminish economic losses related to the high degree of uncertainty for businesses and agriculture caused by weather and climate-related risks.

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NEWS: Western Europe

Urban planning Greater social space needed in city planning

UN-HABITAT called for better urban planning to provide greater space for walking in cities, at the 5th Cities for Mobility Congress in Stuttgart, Germany. Speaking at a workshop session, Mr Christian Schlosser, Chief of UN-HABITATs Urban Transport Section, said that pedestrian space is paramount. We need to plan for walk-able streets and active neighbourhoods; we should not waste space and thus plan for compact cities, he emphasized. Building dense, people- and transit-oriented urban districts where land use planning allows people to walk, cycle and use transit options was overwhelmingly supported by delegates. UN-HABITAT, through its Sustainable Transport Solutions for East African Cities project, promotes an approach Participants took to the streets to see first hand the benefits of city walking photo cIty of Stuttgart that supports compact cities, non-motorized transport options as well as transit systems working towards more sustainable mobility scenarios. Redesigning public space and transforming it into a social space where people not only move around as quickly as possible but where they feel comfortable, where space for social interaction is available and at the same time preserves natural resources, was on top of the congress agenda. Cities for Mobility is a worldwide network aimed at the promotion of urban mobility. The network brings together more than 600 members from 82 countries representing a diverse range of sectors such as politicians, economists, science and civil society leaders to support sustainable mobility solutions. The workshop also served as a platform to share the ideas of the United Nations Committee of Local Authorities on their 2011 key theme Urban Mobility. The United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) advises UN-HABITATs Executive Director on sustainable urban development and consequently on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The activities implemented under the annual theme Urban Mobility will centre on knowledge dissemination promoting the implementation of more efficient mobility systems.

Energy EU bans traditional light bulbs

Since the beginning of September most frosted incandescent light bulbs have been banned within the European Union (EU), in the continents latest attempt to cut greenhouse gas emissions by forcing people to switch to energy saving light bulbs. Less powerful clear bulbs will be slowly phased out by 2012 when all incandescent bulbs will no longer appear on shop shelves. More energy efficient fluorescent or halogen lamps that use up to 80 per cent less electricity will be the only option for consumers. The law came into force after all 27 EU countries agreed to the measure last year. While retailers can continue to stock the bulbs, the manufacture or import of them has been banned. Many people across the continent have begun to stockpile the bulbs as they feel the new ones are not bright enough and can cause headaches, reading difficulties and other problems in people Old bulbs will be banned photo BartoSz BoreckI with light sensitive disorders. The new bulbs are up to 20 times more expensive compared to the traditional incandescent bulbs that have been in use since the 19th century. However, EU officials say that the new bulbs provide energy savings of up to EUR 50 (USD 71) a year for each household, meaning a total savings of EUR 5 billion, continent-wide. Other nations including Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the Philippines have also announced plans to phase out traditional bulbs.

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Healthcare US First Lady helps build 2,000th playground

US First Lady, Michelle Obama, joined more than 500 volunteers to celebrate building the 2,000th playground by KaBOOM! at a Washington DC elementary school as part of The Congressional Day of Service Event. The First Lady, members of Congress, volunteers from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and hundreds of volunteers from the Southeast Washington DC community built the new 1,200 square metre playground in less than eight hours to celebrate KaUS First Lady, Michelle Obama, helping out on her second KaBOOM! playground build photo k a Boom! BOOMs! 15th birthday. Ive known and worked with KaBOOM! long before being First Lady, said Obama. To see this organization grow as it has, impacting so many communities, so many schools, so many young people, it is really a source of pride to be here today to celebrate the 2,000th build. This was Mrs Obamas second time helping to build a playground with KaBOOM!, and her third visit to one of their playground sites. KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization founded by author, Darell Hammond, is dedicated to saving play for children and has raised more than USD 200 million dollars to support the cause since 1996. In that time, the organization has directly led the construction of 2,000 play spaces across North America that collectively serve 5,501,334 children. When KaBOOM! started at a table in a Washington D.C. deli 15 years ago, no one believed play was important or thought we would even last a year and here we are celebrating our 15th birthday and our 2,000th playground build, said Hammond. For 15 years, KaBOOM! has fought the play deficit among children and the participation of the First Lady and members of Congress in this playground project validates the notion we have firmly believed since our inception, which is that every child deserves a great place to play. The project is one of more than 160 playground builds KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2011 in an effort to fight the play deficit and provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. KaBOOM! playground builds create a sense of community spirit that drives residents toward taking action for the improvement of their neighbourhoods, said Damian Thorman, national programme director for Knight Foundation. Knight Foundation is focused on increasing community engagement and we believe these playground projects will inspire individuals to take on additional projects that will enhance their communities.

Transport New Toronto Rocket subway train launched

A next generation subway car has been launched in Toronto that improves ride experience, reliability, energy efficiency and increases passenger capacity. Dubbed the Toronto Rocket, government members hope that through the new design, the subway system will become the major mode of transport in Canadas largest city. The launch of the next generation subway car is an important step in our strategy to build a transport city that will make subways the backbone of rapid transit in Toronto, said Mayor Rob Ford. The new cars will also make public transit a more efficient and pleasant experience for commuters. The Ontario government believes the Toronto Rocket will provide families and businesses with greater transit options while reducing traffic congestion. Our government is committed to helping the City of Toronto increase its public transit use, The new Toronto trams photo toronto tranSport commISSIon improve air quality and build stronger communities, said Ontario Transport Minister, Kathleen Wynne. We are improving public transport and creating jobs to ensure the province remains strong and competitive for years to come. The overall cost of the 78 cars is CAD 231.2 (USD 236.5) million. These cars are a portion of the 234 new subway cars being supplied to the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission between 2010 and 2013. Over the next two years, older cars on the Yonge-University-Spadina line will be replaced with the new Bombardier model. The full-length open design of the train and extra-wide cab doors allow for more comfort and accommodate more passengers.

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NEWS: Middle East and North Africa

CLIMATE CHANGE Reforestation helps poor in north Africa Poor rural communities can benefit from increased revenue from carbon markets generated by reforestation schemes, according to a new report by the World Bank, which was released at the Africa Carbon Forum in Marrakesh. The report documents seven years of experiences in afforestation and reforestation from 16 developing countries involved in the Banks BioCarbon Fund. Despite regulatory, capacity, finance and land tenure issues, the report concludes that reforestation is successful in mitigating climate change, improving rural livelihoods, restoring degraded land and conserving biodiversity. BEST PRACTICES UN-HABITAT DIA Best Practices Award 2012 launched The ninth UN-HABITAT DIA Best Practice Awards will be hosted by Dubai in March 2012. The city has sponsored the Awards since their inception in 1996 recognising innovative urban programmes that demonstrate a balance of success and sustainability. Prizes also go to cities that have successfully transferred such programmes to other cities, and to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to such programmes. HEALTHCARE UAE launches Cure One Million Children campaign in east Africa The UAEs global campaign to cure one million children arrived in the Kenya-Somalia border zone this September. The campaign was launched by the Zayed Giving Initiative through the UAE Humanitarian Field Hospital for Children (Riaya) and visited several countries in Asia before it moved on to Africa. Volunteer doctors and surgeons are offering help to assist malnourished and diseased children as part of the initiative. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Masdar unveils carbon capture project Clean fossil fuel is a step closer thanks to a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project between Masdar and the independent non-profit research institute, RTI International. The initiative is being co-funded by the US Department of Energy and Masdar. Masdar hopes that the project will revolutionize both the economies and technology of CCS practices. Carbon capture and storage technology aims to capture carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels for power production or other industrial purposes.

1.2 million people will benefit from better sanitation in Egypt

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Sanitation USD 200 million loan to improve rural sanitation in Egypt

A World Bank loan of USD 200 million will benefit 1.2 million people in rural Egypt with improved wastewater and sanitation services. The loan is supporting Egypts Second Integrated Sanitation and Sewerage Infrastructure Project in the Delta Region and in Upper Egypt. Wastewater infrastructure systems will be constructed in 19 village clusters in collaboration with the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage and the Holding Company for Water and Waste Water and its four subsidiaries. We are particularly pleased to continue supporting improved access to sustainable rural sanitation services in Egypt, given its strong linkages to health and environment, said David Craig, Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti. The Egyptian government has a National Rural Sanitation Master Plan specifically designed to improve wastewater disposal in rural areas. The aim is to achieve comprehensive sanitation coverage to populations of all rural governorates by 2037. Priority is also being placed on encouraging sector investments. Support from the World Bank began in 2008 with a loan for USD120 million to help finance an Integrated Sanitation and Sewerage Infrastructure Project in Beheira, Gharbeya and Kafr El Sheikh (ISSIP1). The project is now in its second phase (ISSP2), which involves providing sanitation coverage to the less-developed areas of Upper Egypt. With ISSIP2, the government is scaling up the sanitation coverage in the Delta and Upper Egypt and, in the process, building the capacity of the implementing agencies, said Parameswaran Iyer, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist and the projects Task Team Leader. The project is helping the government to reach its goal of accelerating development in Upper Egypt, whilst also adhering to the World Bank Country Assistance Strategy goals of reducing disparities between Upper and Lower Egypt, enhancing the provision of public goods through expanded supply and improved efficiency of infrastructure services, and strengthening the accountability of public sector agencies such as those in the water and sanitation sector.

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Energy African ministers to set renewable energy strategy

Representatives from African countries have agreed to begin mapping their readiness for renewable energy in a collaborative process to assess the current status of renewable energy and establish where opportunities lie for further development. The decision was announced at a conference in Abu Dhabi organized by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to discuss partnerships to accelerate renewable energy uptake for Africa. Ministers of Energy and Heads of African delegations, together with the African Union Commission and the Conference of Energy Ministers of Africa (CEMA), met at the invitation of IRENA in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in July 2011. Participants included regional economic communities, the UN-Economic Commission for Africa, the EU-Africa Energy partnership, the World Bank and UN-HABITAT. An official communiqu from the meeting said: We will use the 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All to carry forward Africas renewable energy strategies. We agree to work towards formalizing IRENAs strategic presence in Africa and concretizing institutional arrangements for cooperation with African regional bodies and strategic partners in the sector; furthermore, we urge all African states who have not done so to become full members of IRENA. Discussions were guided by the February 2009 African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government decision to develop renewable energy resources in order to provide clean, reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly energy and the November 2010 Maputo Declaration from the Conference of Energy Ministers of Africa to promote renewable energy in a joint effort with others to address issues relating to climate change.

HOUSING Saudi Arabia devotes 80 million square metres of land to new housing The Saudi Ministry of Housing has announced that 80 million square metres of land is to be given to housing projects. The land will be made available in various provinces in the Kingdom in order that 500,000 houses can be built at a cost of SR250 billion (US$66.66 billion). Prince Dr. Mansour Ibn Meteb Ibn Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipalities and Rural Affairs, has agreed to deliver the land to the Housing Ministry. CONSTRUCTION Dubais Index is one of the Best Tall Buildings of 2011 The Index building in Dubai has been named as one of the Best Tall Buildings for 2011 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The other three winners were New York by Gehry, New York; Guangzhou International Finance Centre, and KfW Westarkade, Frankfurt. Winners were chosen for their design, technical innovation, sustainability and the manner in which they enhance the lives of their inhabitants. The award ceremony will take place on 27 October in Chicago. On the night, an overall Best Tall Building Worldwide winner will be selected. ECONOMY EUR20 million investment in north African SMEs Transport, agribusiness, IT, telecoms and food processing businesses are to benefit from a EUR20 million equity investment in the Maghreb Private Equity Fund III (MPEF III). The investment from the African Development Bank is destined to fund SMEs in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. The strategy is that the funds will help create cross-border jobs and employment opportunities triggered by the multiplier effect of direct investments. INFRASTRUCTURE New motorway to create two thousand jobs in Tunisia Unemployed workers in one of Tunisias poorest regions will benefit from the creation of 2,000 new jobs with the construction of a new Tunisia-Libya highway and up to 30,000 jobs could later be created in the tourism sector once the road is operational. A 195km, twin-lane motorway will be built between Gabes, Medenine and Ras Jedir at the Tunisian border. The project is part of Tunisias 11th Social and Economic Development Plan, which foresees work starting on the new road by 2015 in order to alleviate the predicted saturation of the national RN1 motorway. The African Development Bank has approved a loan of EUR137.34 million to fund the project.

2012 will be the year of International Sustainable Energy for All

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Conference report

World water leaders support Stockholm Statement to Rio+20

World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden, 21-27 August 2011. by Nick Michell
World water leaders at the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, made an impassioned plea for water and sanitation to be provided to all by 2030, by supporting a Stockholm Statement to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20 Summit). The Stockholm Statement calls on leadership at all levels of government to commit to achieving universal provisioning of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and modern energy services by the year 2030 and to adopt intervening targets to increase efficiency in the management of water, energy and food. It is important that we focus on increasing the efficiency of our water production and use if we are make real strides towards sustainability, said UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Joan Clos. This is particularly important in urban areas, where the misuse of water for food production and industrial and domestic use is often high. By planning now for the cities of the tomorrow we can reduce the cost and efficiency of providing basic services like water.
UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Joan Clos, addresses delegates at the opening of World Water Week photo thomaS henrIkSon -SIWI

It is important that we focus on increasing the efficiency of our water production and use if we are make real strides towards sustainability. Joan Clos
Over 2,600 politicians, business leaders, representatives from international organizations, scientists, mayors and water professionals gathered in Stockholm for World Water Week, which this year carried the theme Water in an Urbanized World, to discuss ways of advancing water and sanitation provision.

The number of people living in cities is expected to reach 80 per cent of the worlds population by 2050, outnumbering the total world population of today. Most of this growth is happening in areas at risk of both water shortages and disastrous floods. If we do not take dramatic, immediate strides to create more resource-efficient societies, then water shortages will constrain economic growth and inhibit food and energy production in many regions, said Anders Berntell, Executive Director, of Stockholm International Water Institute. There are tremendous opportunities to save water and stimulate development by cutting water losses in energy production, by generating energy from water reuse and by reducing the losses

and waste of food from the field on its way to the consumer. The targets of the Stockholm Statement, to be achieved by the year 2020, include 20 per cent increases in total food supply-chain efficiency, water efficiency in agriculture, water use efficiency in energy production, the quantity of water reused, and a 30 per cent decrease in water pollution. The Rio+20 Summit is a great opportunity to review how water, energy and food are perceived and managed by human society, said Adeel Zafar, Chair of UN-Water. UN-Water, through its members and partners, has identified ways in which the global water, energy and food security challenges can be addressed - leading to a climate resilient and robust green economy.

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