Two articles namely "Sustainable Cities-Why They Matter" &?SDG 11-Brief?depicts the role of cities in our life and highlights the importance of cities and keeping them inclusive, safe, resilient & sustainable. The reports emphasise the need to give top priority for minimising inequality and reducing environmental pollution caused due to high level of energy consumption and concentration of people. The inequality can lead to unrest and insecurity, where as pollution deteriorates everyone’s health and affects workers’ productivity and therefore the economy. The cities are also facing enormous other challenges like lack of job opportunities, safety to children & women and public, development of public transport, improvement of air quality etc. These factors are incorporated in the SDG 11 targets.
11.1 safe and affordable housing and basic services
11.2 safe, sustainable transport systems
11.3 inclusive urbanisation and participatory, integrated planning
11.4 cultural and natural heritage
11.5 resilience to disasters
11.6 reduced environmental impact of cities
11.7 green and public spaces
11.a rural-urban linkages
11.b integrated policies and plans
11.c financial and technical support for sustainable and resilient building
- 90 per cent of COVID19 cases occurred in urban areas.
- Even before the coronavirus, rapid urbanization meant that 4 billion people – over half of the global population – in the??world’s cities faced worsening air pollution, inadequate infrastructure and services, and unplanned urban sprawl.
- Cities account for 65 per cent of SDG targets and 86 per cent of SDG indicators. That means making cities more sustainable, safe, resilient and inclusive will help us to achieve many of the SDGs.
- Cities generate over 80 per cent of global GDP
- Only 2 per cent of global land area usage
- 71–76 per cent of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions
- Over 70 per cent of resource use
- Sustainable development in cities can save $3 trillion in infrastructure spending by 2030
- Global urban population is expected to grow from over 50 to 70 per cent by 2050,with a majority of that growth occurring in Africa and Asia
- Approximately 25 per cent of the global urban population (1 billion out of 3.9 billion) live in slums
- 279 million lack electricity
- 780 million lack safe drinking water
- 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation
- De-canonization, detoxification and decoupling will help achieving SDG 11 as well as provide benefits to the public health, health (SDG 3), jobs (SDG 8), innovation (SDG 9) and resource efficiency through the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12), and mitigates climate change by working towards sustainable energy for all (SDG 7).
- Revisiting urban plans:?Sustainable urban planning will help prevent COVID19 like pandemics in future, help citizens to live a decent quality of life, creating shared prosperity and social stability without harming the environment. For example a functional public transport network can benefits economically with minimum cost and can improve quality of life, the environment, overall successful networked city.
- Take Action:?Take an active interest in the governance and management of your city. Create better conditions in your community. Take smaller steps to improve your building, street, and neighbourhood. Creating job opportunities, safety measures for children, women walking on roads, better public transport, improved air quality etc.
- Capacity Development:?Some of the capacities need to be developed include policies and legislations to support urbanization and infrastructure development. Need to build capacity of local actors like leaders, government officials, municipal offices school teachers and committed individuals. Besides these?Smart Sustainable Cities?suggest following strategies
- Facilitate resilience to climate change?by development of green spaces and climate resilient infrastructure protection of biodiversity, land and natural resources, and to ensure integrated sustainable development and resilience to climate-related and natural disasters.
- increase the overall green spaces in the city
- increase the city’s tree canopy (9m2 per person)
- implement a water-harvesting network and reduce reliance on potable water
- promote recycling and provide a second life for unused items
- promote climate-resilient infrastructure – buildings, roads etc
- convert unused spaces of the city more attractive green spaces
- public consultation and citizen engagement actions to raise public awareness of the impacts of increase the overall green spaces in the city
- increase the city’s tree canopy (9m2 per person)
- implement a water-harvesting network and reduce reliance on potable water
- promote recycling and provide a second life for unused items
- promote climate-resilient infrastructure – buildings, roads etc
- convert unused spaces of the city more attractive green spaces
- public consultation and citizen engagement actions to raise public awareness of the impacts of climate change and to co-design implementation plans.
- relocate any vulnerable and non-efficient infrastructure which causes disruption
- install appropriate renewable equipment in both domestic and public buildings
- promote compactness by increasing densities wherever possible. This will have a positive impact on the reduction of energy consumption for heating and transportation.
- foster strategic positioning of trees around buildings to reduce congestion, promote greenery, facilitate air circulation and reduce heating and air-conditioning costs;
- promote affordable climate-resilient housing with good connections to public transportation;
- identify most polluted streets and high-emission vehicles in these areas.
- relocate any vulnerable and non-efficient infrastructure which causes disruption
- install appropriate renewable equipment in both domestic and public buildings
- promote compactness by increasing densities wherever possible. This will have a positive impact on the reduction of energy consumption for heating and transportation.
- foster strategic positioning of trees around buildings to reduce congestion, promote greenery, facilitate air circulation and reduce heating and air-conditioning costs;
- promote affordable climate-resilient housing with good connections to public transportation;
- identify most polluted streets and high-emission vehicles in these areas.
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