Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
quality of basic services; people with access to quality housing, education
and good basic services such as water and electricity are much more likely
to fulfil their potential and to contribute to economic growth. The wider
business environment is also a key factor; research from the
Economist
intel-
ligence unit indicates that clear, business-friendly policies and regulations
are more important factors in attracting international investment than
incentives such as subsidies and tax breaks [8].
Whatever their potential, however, many of today's megacities feature
a catalogue of environmental problems. Congestion, air and water pollu-
tion, waste management and degradation of green areas are familiar issues
in most large cities around the world, and they are particularly extreme in
the megacities of the developing world. There are also huge inequalities in
the distribution of wealth and in economic opportunity among cities. In its
recent report on urbanisation trends, UN-Habitat describes cities as 'the new
locus of poverty'. World Bank estimates predict that although rural areas are
currently home to a majority of the world's poor, by 2035 cities will become
the predominant locations of poverty [8].
The consequences of a failure to improve quality of life for the urban poor
are huge. The UN-Habitat research indicates that people living in slums,
where a large proportion of the urban poor reside, are more likely to be
affected by child mortality and acute respiratory illnesses and by water-
borne diseases than are their non-slum counterparts. They are also more
likely to live near hazardous locations, making them more vulnerable to
natural disasters such as floods. Inadequate access to basic services saddles
them 'with heavy health and social burdens, which ultimately affect their
productivity' [7]. Poverty may be less extreme in the more developed cities,
but social problems still abound.
Historically, cities tend to get rich first and then clean up later. Unfortu-
nately, that approach could be disastrous in the context of climate change;
this is one reason for the growing focus on sustainable urban development.
Sustainable solutions promote greater use of alternative energy sources and
more energy-efficient buildings and transport, measures to combat conges-
tion and CO
2
emissions, water and waste recycling, and the use of vegetation
to filter pollution and capture carbon dioxide. Although several cities have
started implementing at least some of these measures to good effect, there
will be a need for more concerted efforts if the environmental cost of urban-
isation is to be reduced.
Consequently, it is not growth and economic prosperity that cities should
seek; it is rather a more sustainable development that combines efficiency,
accountability and environmental responsiveness. This is a goal that com-
prises the main core of the Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP), a worldwide
technical cooperation activity of the United Nations. The SCP works at the
city level in collaboration with local partners to strengthen their capabilities
for environmental planning and management. Each city-level SCP project
is adapted to the particular needs, priorities and circumstances of that city;
