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In This Update:
IHC Global Event: Where's the New Frontier in Sanitation Services?
UNICEF Calls for Child-Responsive Urban Planning
Safe Passage in Chicago Neighborhoods
Are We More Urban Than We Thought?
Linking the Environment and Social Inequity
Linking the Environment and the Urban Economy
Recovering Homeownership in Kathmandu
Spotlight on Urban Transportation
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IHC
Glo
bal Event: Where's the New Frontier in Sanitation Services?
With 4.2 billion people lacking safely managed sanitation, the environmental and health impacts are enormous. IHC Global joined Society for International Development-Washington and AECOM to host a moderated panel discussion addressing the issue from multiple perspectives. IHC Global President and CEO Judith Hermanson moderated the informative and lively discussion featuring key experts in the field: Joel Kolker and Rebecca Gilsdorf of the World Bank; Michael Blair, AECOM; Ruthie Rosenberg, Sanergy; Eddy Perez, Global Communities; and John Sauer of the Toilet Board and PSI. Themes that emerged included the need for comprehensive, integrated approaches, importance of building on local initiatives and practice, the critical role that the private sector can play and the emerging importance of micro-finance in expanding access to sanitation services.
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Child-Inclusive Urban Planning
UNICEF Calls for Child-Responsive Urban Planning
In May, UNICEF acknowledged the shaping role of cities in the life quality of all residents, taking the theme of "inclusiveness" to include their youngest residents, with the publication of
"Shaping Urbanization for Children: A Handbook on Child-Responsive Urban Planning." Planning cities with children in mind
matters, argues UNICEF, because unplanned urbanization can lead to inadequate housing and service deprivation, unhealthy and unsafe environments, and higher environmental stress, which have long-term effects on these most vulnerable residents. The report also recognizes the opportunity presented by urban professionals, city governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations to work together and innovate solutions around children in urban settings and at the same time to localize and advance the SDGs.
Safe Passage in Chicago Neighborhoods
Chicago is responding to a pandemic of violence affecting children through an innovative program. Chicago's Safe Passage believes that the presence of adults around Chicago schools located in dangerous neighborhoods can impede crime. Quantitatively, Safe Passage has decreased violent incidents from 6-17%, but qualitatively evidence suggests that safer commutes may also reduce student absenteeism and improve academic performance. Although the program is costly, says University of Maryland Baltimore County Assistant Professor F. Chris Curan, its benefits may be worth expanding to other cities.
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New Urban Research
Are We More Urban Than We Thought?
The European Commission has estimated that 84% of the world's population is urban, markedly different from the official United Nations estimation of 55%.
CityLab editor-at-large Richard Florida writes: "It is troubling to me that our existing science cannot identify whether the world is 55 percent or 84 percent urban." Methodological differences between UN and EC research mean more than numerical discrepancy. And, IHC Global also believes, that these numbers - even if they meet somewhere in the middle - suggests that this effect should include the level of global and national attention that cities receive, level and types of focused resources on addressing urban challenges, and fostering cross-sectoral partnerships including public, private, and civil society/non-profit sectors.
Linking the Environment and Social Inequality
Yale University released a new report that examined how cities performed at the intersection of environment and social equity. Director of Data-Driven Yale Angel Hsu says their newly developed
2018 Urban Environmental and Social Inclusion index (UESI) provides tools that allow cities to understand whether they are moving towards
SDG 11 to make cities sustainable and inclusive. UESI importantly provides neighborhood-level as well as city-wide data on air quality, climate change, water and sanitation, and transportation to help policymakers identify gaps in services and improve service delivery.
Linking the Environment and the Urban Economy
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group says fighting climate change will drastically improve urban economies globally. According to C40 Executive Director, the demonstrated link between climate change and public health makes the business case for "bold climate action." Cities that embrace low-carbon development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by implementing strict building codes or improving bike lanes will increase both life longevity and the longevity of cititzens' participation in the urban economy. The C40 report estimates that environmentally-minded urban planning could bring 94 world cities a collective $583 billion of benefits and prevent up to 223,000 premature deaths.
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Urban Housing after Disaster
Recovering Homeownership in Kathmandu
The intersection of urban and development challenges is inhibiting the ability of Kathmandu residents to rebuild their homes in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake that left nearly 9,000 dead. Government finance is in trouble, but, for Rakesh Maharajan, the "biggest problem for us is that many people don't officially own their property," prohibiting the government from administering grants to potential homeowners.
With Nepalese banks demanding up to 43% interest for home construction loans, Kathmandu individuals and families are "caught between paying the loan and feeding ourselves," says resident Ratna Awale. Based on experience elsewhere in micro-finance, IHC Global believes that there are intermediate steps such as amending criteria to include different forms of tenure, such as occupancy rights, could accelerate progress.
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Spotlight on Urban Transportation
- Spain Moves to Ban Cars in City Centers: Spain banned cars in Madrid's city center. Now, the plan may extend to 100 other places.
- Indian Drivers Sour on Uber: Indian Uber drivers demand government intervention in working conditions.
- Singapore Tests On-Demand Buses: Singapore hopes on-demand buses will ease congestion.
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A house destroyed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake remains untouched.
(Photo cred:
The Guardian)
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