INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO URBAN PROBLEMS REVIEWED AT DUBAI CONFERENCE, 19-22 NOVEMBER
Press Release
HAB/101
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO URBAN PROBLEMS REVIEWED AT DUBAI CONFERENCE, 19-22 NOVEMBER
19951124 DUBAI, 22 November (HABITAT) -- More than 700 participants at the International Conference on Best Practices in Improving Living Environments, held from 19-22 November, reviewed new and innovative ways to solve such urban problems as the lack of adequate low-income housing, waste disposal and air and water pollution. Organized by the United Nations centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), in collaboration with the Municipality of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the conference's main objective was to share expertise on a global basis with government ministers, mayors, academics and community leaders by analyzing 25 "best urban practices" from around the world.The findings of the Conference will be reviewed at the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June 1996. The Secretary-General of Habitat II, Wally N'Dow, said the Conference's focus on best practices was a "groundbreaking step towards achieving the goals of Habitat II", since the 25 case studies were at the heart of a sustainable and environmentally sound global village. The practices reviewed in Dubai will be the first "best practices" entered into a new worldwide United Nations database.
In preparing for Habitat II, the United Nations centre for Human Settlements is currently reviewing more than 300 best practices nominations for the database and hopes to have 500 in time for the Istanbul City Summit. The following criteria are used to determine best practices: impact, or cities and communities that have achieved the most tangible improvements in people's lives; partnerships, or projects involving cooperation between local and national governments, community organizations, the private sector and international agencies; and sustainability or initiatives resulting in changed legislation, policies and long-term funding.
During the Dubai Conference, the effectiveness of partnerships and community participation was underlined in many presentations. For example, the President of the International Federation of the building and Construction Industry, Ferdinand Sonneville, noted that the best case studies reflected "partnerships and solidarity, as well as a sense of the spiritual values of
the participants, which made the best practice possible." Participants generally agreed that three types of partnerships should be recognized as important in the development process -- public-private, private-private and public-public.
Habitat's best practice initiative has categorized urban practices into five main areas to encourage government to take concrete steps to: reduce urban poverty and homelessness, as currently 500 million urban residents are homeless or poorly housed; improve urban environmental and health conditions, since preventable environmental hazards are responsible for 25 per cent of all premature deaths worldwide; increase preparedness for disasters to prevent such situations as the 1994 plague outbreak in Surat, India, which cost more that $1.5 billion, much more than would have been needed to improve conditions and prevent the outbreak; forge new partnerships between consumers and private industry; and improve government macroeconomic policy, including reviewing subsidies and new taxation policies that encourage private sector investments.
Some examples of best practices highlighted at the Conference included: Curitiba, Brazil; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and the Ile de France region of France, which consists of Paris and its suburbs.
In Curitiba, Brazil, five successful projects have been implemented. A combined land-use planning/public transportation system has resulted in 75 per cent of Curitiba's commuters traveling by bus, despite having Brazil's second highest per capita car ownership. Waste collected by low-income families is exchanged for bus tickets and food, alleviating two of the poor's heaviest financial burdens, while saving the city the cost of waste collection. Green space has been increased from .5 square meters to 50 square meters per capita, because of a combined water and park management program. A combined solid waste/job creation program has employed more than 4,000 people, treated 7,000 tons of waste, and cleaned more than 1,100 acres of public space. Finally, a large number of public libraries have been developed and equipped with modern computer technology suitable for young people.
In 1970, Chattanooga, Tennessee was one of the most polluted cities in the United States and faced economic and industrial decline, as well as general urban decay. By 1993, Chattanooga had, through the combined efforts of government, business and community organizations, cleaned up the air, meeting every United States federal air health quality standard, instituted widespread job training and creation, provided affordable housing, cleaned up and expanded parklands and rebuilt the economy. Chattanooga is viewed as one of the first global examples of the achievement of simultaneous economic and environmental development.
The municipal structure of Dubai, United Arab Emirates was designed for 50,000 people in 1950. It now serves more than 700,000. Nevertheless, Dubai
- 3 - Press Release HAB/101 24 November 1995
has adjusted because of flexible urban policies and a "bottom-up" approach, whereby the most immediate needs of the city are resolved before all others are even discussed. Environmental management, including the participation of the private sector, as well as women's education and urban planning have been strong components of Dubai's agenda.
The Ile de France region -- Paris, and its suburbs -- had more than 40,000 run-down apartment hotel rooms in which mostly immigrants lived. Those residents were at the mercy of landlords who would not improve conditions. Local community organizations began an experimental programme to upgrade one apartment hotel, which led to cooperation with the Ministry of Housing. The programme expanded, and from 1985 to 1991, six buildings were rebuilt to house the residents. Several projects in other European cities, including Brussels, Belgium and cities of the United Kingdom, have used the French project as a model.
"While these cities have demonstrated new ways of dealing with urban problems, too many cities are still hindered by poor management", says Mr. N'Dow. Some examples of the poor practices that are crippling cities include: The disposal of about 95 per cent of the world's sewage straight into rivers and other water flows, where it is joined by growing amounts of industrial waste; the poor urban management of water in the Middle East and North Africa, where growing population and development have overwhelmed traditional water management practices; and, because of poor infrastructure that cannot deal with growing populations, the inability to collect 30 to 50 per cent of the solid waste in many cities of developing countries.
* *** *