S U S T A I N A B L E U R B A N I S A T I O NBridging the Green and Brown Agendas

UN-HABITAT

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)constitutes a milestone to assess progress in response toAgenda 21. Over the last decade, this Agenda has inspired

innumerable global initiatives and local innovations in the search formore sustainable forms of social, economic and environmentaldevelopment. Since the adoption of the Habitat Agenda, a systematiceffort has also been made to document these initiatives andinnovations, providing a wealth of knowledge, experience and lessonsfor further reflection, action and consolidation. This book examinessome of these lessons and their institutional and policy implicationsin the belief that more sustainable forms of development willincreasingly depend on creating strong links between local initiativesand national and international responses.

Prefaced by Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director UN-Habitat, this book is a companion of Implementing the Habitat Agenda:In Search of Urban Sustainability, also jointly produced by theDevelopment Planning Unit (DPU) University College London and theUnited Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) withfinancial support from the Infrastructure and Urban DevelopmentDepartment (IUDD) of the UK Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID).

Like its companion, this book isintended for decision-makers at alllevels, community leaders and womenand men concerned with and engaged inenvironmental and development issues,be it in preserving the global commonsor in improving the local livingenvironment. We hope that the ideas andcase studies presented stimulate furtheraction and debate for a sustainable andurbanised world.

Directed & written by Adriana Allen Nicholas You

Managed & researched by Sonja MeijerResearched & written by Adrian Atkinson

Patrick McAlpine Nathan Marom Salma NimsAnna SoaveJulian Walker

With contributions from Julio Dávila Edesio Fernandes

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Cover photographs by: Adriana Allen, Julio Davila, Hallam Goad, Babar Mumtaz, Anna Soave, Claudy Vouhé and Patrick Wakelyba

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CONT

ENT

T he world’s development and environmental

communities came together for the EarthSummit in Rio in 1992. The Summit produced

a comprehensive vision for the future under the bannerof Sustainable Development. Agenda 21, a globalaction plan for the implementation of this vision, wasendorsed by more than 160 countries. It emphasisedthe importance of the role of local authorities and com-munities in working towards a more sustainable future,especially through the development of Local Agendas21. Indeed, the phrase 'think globally act locally' popu-larised by the Earth Summit advocates local action asthe path towards sustainability.

Four years later, the Habitat Agenda and its politicalstatement - the Istanbul Declaration - endorsed andexpanded on Agenda 21 and highlighted the impor-tance to be given to urbanisation and the relatedissues of land, housing and urban management. Itcalled for effective action to provide adequate shelterfor all and sustainable human settlements in an urban-ising world. These two agendas set the stage to bridgethe so-called 'green' and 'brown' perspectives onurbanisation, environment and development.

Agenda 21 and the Habitat Agenda are milestonesin a significant shift in perspective that took place dur-ing the 1990s. This change in perspective moved thetraditional 'environment versus development' approachto one that recognises that environmental concernsare inextricably linked to social and economic develop-ment processes. Furthermore, the Habitat Agendarecognises that, in an increasingly urbanised world,cities are the locus of critical social, economic andenvironmental problems, as well as the source ofunique opportunities for a more sustainable future.

The new perspectives embodied in Agenda 21 andthe Habitat Agenda also highlight the link between sus-tainability and governance. Rather than being the exclu-sive domain of governments and experts, sustainabledevelopment is now seen as a process involving ordi-nary people in their every day lives. Both agendasunderline the need to combat poverty and to include

those people who are traditionally disenfranchised andexcluded from mainstream decision-making processes.In this context, sustainability and governance becomethe two overriding policy considerations for the interna-tional community in the new millennium.

The World Summit on SustainableDevelopment, also known as Rio+10, consti-tutes a unique opportunity to assess the out-comes and impacts of Agenda 21 and toprovide renewed impetus for implementation.How much has the consensus that wasreached in 1992 resulted in a more sociallyjust, environmentally sound, economicallyvibrant and politically accountable world?When measured in terms of tangible out-comes, the answer is far from satisfactory.Many have therefore argued that the agendasfor a sustainable future have failed to fullymobilise people, governments and the busi-ness community in addressing the urgentproblems affecting cities and societies todayand in the future.

The argument of this book is that the mainproblem does not lie with the principles advocated bythe sustainable development paradigm per se, butrather the structural barriers that have inhibited localactions towards sustainability. One key barrier is thedifferent approaches of environmentalists and develop-ment planners. A major aim of this book is to build abridge between these two by exploring the added val-ue of integrating both approaches. Another key barrieris the political and institutional context within whichlocal communities and cities operate. As cities andlocal communities do not function in isolation from thewider spheres of power and decision-making, much ofwhat can be achieved through local action can only besustained, institutionalised and scaled up by removingthe obstacles at the national or international levels.

Throughout its four chapters, the book explores howto move from 'localising' to 'globalising' local actiontowards sustainability.

BRINGING SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION INTO FOCUS

This chapter sets the challenges faced to enhance therole played by cities and local actors in the realisation of

sustainable development and calls for a newunderstanding of the environment and urbanisation.

The Steps that Create the ProcessCanada: Stepping beyond our cities’ limits: Vancouver’s ecological footprintChile: Applying ecological footprints at the city level in Santiago de Chile Uruguay: Rapid Visual Diagnosis in Montevideo Canada: VISION 2020 in Hamilton Wentworth Mexico: The Compatibility Matrix - Urban Agriculture in Mexico CityUnited Kingdom: Local Environmental Auditing Australia: Small towns, Big Picture in the State of Victoria

3.1 Working with NatureGhana: A ‘nutrition’ cycle in Kumasi Tanzania & Ecuador: Urban agriculture & food security in Dar es Salaam and Quito Cuba: Urban agriculture Sri Lanka: Land use planning for disaster mitigation in Rathnapura Canada: Planning a liveable region in Greater Vancouver India: Catching rain in the drain in Chennai Philippines: Watershed management in Nueva VizcayaIndia: Minimising waste, disseminating experience Zimbabwe: Benefiting communities by recycling waste in Mutare Cyprus: Large-scale utilisation of solar energy USA: Sustainable consumption of energy: green pricingin California Philippines: Phasing-out polluting fuels in Manila International: Cities for climate protection China: Greening the mother river in Taiyuan

3.2 Sustainability and the BuiltEnvironmentInternational: Eco-Neighbourhoods USA: Land value taxation inPennsylvania Colombia: The ‘TransMilenio’ bussystem in BogotáInternational: Innovations in urbantransport International: Cycling and health in citieBangladesh & Tanzania: Communitiesmanaging their water supply andsanitation Mauritania: Community managed water supply for informal settlements in Nouakchott Brazil: Slum upgrading inGuarapiranga China: Turning disaster into a new,green beginning in Baotou United Kingdom: new approaches tourban design in SuttonInternational: Innovative buildingtechnologies: low-tech approaches South Africa: Nurturing environmentalideas in Johannesburg Canada: Healthy housing in Toronto Ecuador: Recovering historic treasures in Quito

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LOCAL STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY

Drawing on a multitude of experiences from cities around the world, this chapter explores how

the five dimensions of urban sustainability – ecological,physical, economic, social and

political – unfold in practice.

LOCAL AGENDA 21 AND THE HABITAT AGENDA:

A COMMON BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION?Here the contents of Agenda 21 and Habitat Agenda

are examined vis-à-vis the green and brown agendas,highlighting the scope for them to complement each other.

This chapter explores the blueprint for action that hasemerged from the implementation of both agendas and

examines the steps and tools that can be used in practice.STRU

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3.3 Promoting sustainable LocalEconomic DevelopmenNepal: Rural-urban partnershipsSenegal & Thailand: Communitycurrency systems United Kingdom & International: Local Exchange Trading SchemesThe Netherlands: social economicnetwork development in Groningen Japan: Exchanging know-how in linking solutions to local situations inKitakyushu Nepal: Dynamics in partnershipapproaches in Biratnagar Argentina: Private provision of waterand sanitation to the urban poor inBuenos AiresSouth Africa: The informal economyframework in Durban United Kingdom: Labelling fair trade in Garstang Indonesia: Going public on polluters Japan: Development links betweenfarmers and consumers in Sanchoku Europe: Buying green: cityadministrations and green procurement

3.4 Working Towards the Fair CityUnited Kingdom: Ethnic participation in environmental initiatives Russia: Addressing gender through the Habitat Agenda Brazil & Mexico & Philippines: Inclusionthroughout the ages of life India: Crossing the interface bydeveloping plans of action in Hubli-Dharwad Sudan: Small scale enterpriseprogramme in Kassala Brazil: Concession of the real right touse land Kenya: Catalysing community actionin Nairobi Bolivia: Bringing judicial reform in linewith environmental concerns Colombia: Addressing the multiplecauses of urban crime and violence inMedellin International: Healthy CitiesProgrammeIndia: Healthy habits from an early ageSouth Africa: Making use of existingresources to fight HIV/AIDS inMsunduzi United Kingdom: Communitiesrenewing their neighbourhoods

3.5 Strengthening Local Governance Mozambique: Civil society participation in urban governance in Dondo Senegal: Decentralisation as an entry point for LA 21 in Rufisque International: Adding value to environmental policy- making through participatory processesBurkina Faso: Improving urban living conditions in Ougadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso Uganda: Challenging the community in Jinja Brazil: From participatory budgeting to participatory planning in Porto Alegre

United Kingdom: Groundwork UK: a network of environmental partnershipsInternational: Healthy urban planning Brazil: Building institutions forsustainable development in Rio Grandedo Sul Peru: ‘Cities for Life’Sweden: Scaling-up local change Brazil: Environmental tax redistributionin Minas Gerais USA: Changing private sector practices Arab States: Local Agenda 21 in theArab States: attempts and challenges International & Asia: A regional networkof local experience

FUTURE DIRECTIONS: A PROGRAMME FOR ACTION AND

NEGOTIATIONThis chapter examines the barriers which

have stood in the way of efforts toinstitutionalise and expand local action for

sustainability and considers possiblestrategies to overcome them using four

complementary paths: grounding thedecision making process at the local level,

institutionalising local change, going-to-scaleand local advocacy for global change

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Sus ta i nab le U rban i sa t i on : B r i dg i ng t he G reen and B rown Agendas

THAILANDSWIFT RECONSTRUCTION OFHOUSING IN BANGKOKThe Human Development Centre's SlumHousing Project provides disaster reliefand promotes squatter settlement rightsthrough community organisation.Klong Toey is a squatter settlement builton a large swamp in central Bangkok. The8,000 households living in the area hadillegally occupied land, which, thoughowned by the Port Authority of Thailand,had been an informal residential area fordecades. Residents in Klong Toey include

those with their own houses, and those(the poorest, about 30 percent) who rentrooms or houses from owners. In the past, the Port Authority ignored theinhabitants, but by the mid-1990s, cam-paigns were started, assisted by theNational Housing Authority (NHA), to clearthe land for development. The PortAuthority bought two plots of land to reset-tle the residents, who were given theoption to buy serviced plots at a subsidised

was to help organise responses to emer-gencies that arose in the community (par-ticularly the frequent outbreaks of fire inslum housing). High density timber housesin Klong Toey (assisted by the use of fireand candles in houses without electricityand the high proportion of drug dependentand alcoholic residents who tend tobehave carelessly) led to serious and quickspreading fires.

HDC helped vic-tims of fires toorganise them-selves and overadministrative bar-riers anddelays toreach swift recon-struction. Thiscommittee wast h e n e n d o r s e dAuthority (BMA).This committeecan then work withBMA to establish

the residents affected by the fire. This com-mittee can then work with BMA to establishthe residents affected by the fire.

price of US$ 3,300 (a day's work forunskilled construction work is US$ 3). Thisapproach was unsuccessful because theplots were too expensive and too far frompeople's workplaces and schools. In addi-tion, criminal gangs in the squatter areatook control of a quarter of the plots, byacquiring other residents' papers as collat-eral for high interest loans. The PortAuthority's second approach was to buildlocal rental apart-ment blocks (1,200units were built, with800 still inprogress), let out tolocal households ata monthly rent ofabout US$ 8.Despite these initia-tives, through which2,200 householdswere resettled,6,000 householdsremained and newresidents (such as illegal immigrants fromCambodia and Laos) continued to moveinto the area.The Human Develop-ment Centre (HDC)was a grassroots organisation designed tomeet the needs of people living in KlongToey. Founded in the early 1970s, it ran 32schools where 55,000 children had beeneducated, a 'mercy centre,' which cateredfor the needs of homeless children and act-ed as an AIDS hospice. It also ran a creditunion, adult vocational education and vari-ous other activities. HDC was largely sup-ported by volunteers and funded primarilythrough donations. One of the most important roles of HDC

narrative

reference to case studies no.

bibliographic sourcewebreference

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further information

contributor to the case study

contactdetails

case study

case study no.

1Levy C. (1998),The Process of

InstitutionalisingGender in Policy

and Planning,DPU WorkingPaper No. 74,DPU, London

1Levy C. (1998),

Policy andPlanning, DPUWorking Paper

DPU, London

www.carfree.org

1www.iclei.org

THE INCLUSIVE CITYThe last two decades have seen a

dramatic increase in the number ofurban civil society organisations dedi-cated to local social and environmen-tal development. [26] These rangefrom powerful international NGOs,through national organisations to localcommunity groups, residents' associa-tions and single-cause pressuregroups. It is useful, however, to distin-guish between international andnational levels of NGOs 1 and localcommunity-based organisations(CBOs). The former are invariably runby and have access to, professionalswho are at ease in the company ofsenior government and corporatedecision-makers. In contrast, CBOsare characterised by their preoccupa-tions with local issues and the devel-opment of their constituents. 1 Theytend not to communicate with theestablishment, to whom the organisedurban poor are often perceived as aserious and important threat.

NGOs are increasingly required toprovide support to the organisationand development of low-income.They tend not to communicate with theestablishment, to whom the organisedurban poor are often perceived as aserious threat. 1

Ms. Linda Harvey, MAVISION 2020 CoordinatorPlanning and DevelopmentDepartment, Strategic andCommunity PlanningCity Hall, 71 Main StreetHamilton, Ontario, L8P4Y5 CANADA

tel: +1 905 643 1262 fax: +1 905 643 7250liharvey@city.hamilton.on.ca

Wakely P. (2001),Implementing the HabitatAgenda: In Search forUrban Sustainability, DPU,London

www.bestpractices.orgwww.iclei.org

3FUTURE DIRECTIONS: A PROGRAMME FOR ACTION AND NEGOTIATION

by Kate Clifford

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Designed by Anna Soave, DPU

Printed by Jenner City Print LtdTiptree, Essex (UK)

Sustainable Urbanisation: Bridging the Green and Brown Agendas

New and far-reaching approaches to the participatory governance of cities areessential to the sustainability of urban life. This is the unequivocal messagethat emerged from both Agenda 21, that was endorsed by more than 160countries at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and the Habitat Agenda thatcame out of the City Summit in Istanbul in 1996. Sustainable urbanisationmeans recognising and acting upon the need for strategic alliances andpartnerships between central and local government, NGOs and civil societyorganisations, urban communities and households, and the private sector. Itmeans addressing urban economic development, social justice and culturaldiversity as parts of the same political process of development. It meansbridging the gap between urban environmental degradation (the BrownAgenda) and changing attitudes to the patterns in the use and reuse of theearth's resources (the Green Agenda).

This book makes the case for sustainable urbanisation by bridging the greenand brown agendas. It advocates that in a rapidly urbanising world, the questfor more sustainable development will increasingly depend on how well wemanage and govern cities. It shows, through the analysis of more than 70case studies, that these approaches are already being implementedthroughout the world. It argues, however, that the impact of many of theseexperiences have been confined to the place and society where they tookplace, yet they all offer lessons that could be transferred to others. Towardsthe end, the book presents a set of interlinked approaches to scaling upsustainable urbanisation strategies to a global level.

ISBN 1 874502 40 4HS/672/02E

Published in 2002 by the Development Planning Unit University College London9 Endsleigh GardensLondon WC1H OEDUnited Kingdomwww.ucl.ac.uk/dpuFor more information on the publication: www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/rio10.htm