Planning Sustainable Cities: Global Report on Human Settlements 2009 - Just Released

The 2009 Global Report on Human Settlements, focused on Planning Sustainable Cities, was released this week by UN Habitat. Information is available online. Various background studies prepared for the report will be made available from this link. A blurb and contents list are shown below.


Planning Sustainable Cities — Global Report on Human Settlements 2009


Planning Sustainable Cities reviews recent urban planning practices and approaches, discusses constraints and conflicts therein, and identifies innovative approaches that are more responsive to current challenges of urbanization. It notes that traditional approaches to urban planning (particularly in developing countries) have largely failed to promote equitable, efficient and sustainable human settlements and to address twenty-first century challenges, including rapid urbanization, shrinking cities and ageing, climate change and related disasters, urban sprawl and unplanned peri-urbanization, as well as urbanization of poverty and informality. It concludes that new approaches to planning can only be meaningful, and have a greater chance of succeeding, if they effectively address all of these challenges, are participatory and inclusive, as well as linked to contextual socio-political processes.



Planning Sustainable Cities will be released in October 2009.



GRHS 2009



Chapters

Foreword, Introduction, etc.



Part I. Challenges and Context

Chapter 1. Urban challenges and the need to revisit urban planning

Chapter 2. Understanding the diversity of the urban context

Chapter 3. The emergence and spread of contemporary urban planning



Part II. Global Trends: The Urban Planning Process

Chapter 4. The institutional and regulatory framework for planning

Chapter 5. Planning, participation and politics



Part III. Global Trends: The Content of Urban Planning

Chapter 6. Bridging the green and brown agendas

Chapter 7. Planning and informality

Chapter 8. Planning, spatial structure of cities and provision of infrastructure



Part IV. Global Trends: Monitoring, Evaluation and Education

Chapter 9. The monitoring and evaluation of urban plans

Chapter 10. Planning education



Part V. Global Trends: Future Policy Directions

Chapter 11. Towards a new role for urban planning



Part VI. Statistical Annex

Harnessing the Wind and Africa's future

William Kamkwamba's book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
is truly a story about hope against all odds and points to the real path and goal of development--to support and nurture the power, intellect and creativity already on the ground. You can find out more at William Kamkwamba's blog.

Here is a short video where Kamkwamba himself talks about the book and you can see video of his remarkable makeshift windmill.

Development vs. Democracy?

Does a choice have to be made between the two? Simon Kolawole over at This Day online (one of the main Nigerian newspapers) talks about a "Lagos model" of development--a delicate balance between politicking and technocracy.

In the following excerpt from the full article is the crux of the debate:


"I want to ask: which should come first - democracy or development? Let me put it in a different way: will Nigeria only develop when we have true democracy or is it development that will give us true democracy? I have been involved in serious debates over this. One school of thought argues, quite convincingly, that until we have free and fair elections, Nigeria cannot develop. The logic is that when you know that you derive your legitimacy genuinely from the people and not through INEC manipulation, you will have a better incentive to perform in office so that you can face the people confidently. You are beholden to the people. You will work very hard to deliver the goods and flaunt your achievements as your credential for re-election. You are therefore naturally going to be accountable to the people. But if it is INEC or your party that rigged you into power, your "loyalty" is to INEC or your party. You owe the people nothing.

The second school argues that until we have development - that is, the majority of the people have access to water, electricity, healthcare, education, roads, jobs and generally enjoy a decent standard of living - genuine democracy will continue to elude us. This school is of the conviction that rigging is very easy in an atmosphere of poverty. Voters cannot reject those N500 notes. They sell their conscience at election times. Jobless young men readily make themselves available to be used as thugs and riggers. INEC officials and security agents are also vulnerable to inducement. This school concludes that if the standard of living improves dramatically, the gospel of democracy can be well received by the people. We can then have free and fair elections and enjoy true democracy. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said as much recently." More...

Registration (it's free) is required to view the whole article. The comments (no registration required) also make for an interesting read.

Women and Water

On this mother's day I thought I'd post a sobering reminder of the unique challenges women face in their roles as the primary caregivers and food producers when there is insufficient access to adequate amounts of clean water on a daily basis. 2003 was the International Year of Freshwater. The ongoing website has a facts and figures page on women and water, highlighting the role of women in traditional tasks, agriculture and food security, and the need for gender equity, bringing women into decisionmaking around water development, and the need for sustainability.

And here are a few of my favorite mother's day quotes (You can find a much bigger list of these quotes at The Quote Garden):

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty