31/7/2010 - Local governments mobilized in July
31/7/2010 - Small Cities Fill CNN's 'Best Places to Live'
31/7/2010 - Innovation Union needs cities
30/7/2010 - Thirsty Australia Turns to the Ocean
29/7/2010 - Results and impact of the URBAN Community Initiative in 2000-2006
29/7/2010 - Another milestone for city transport
28/7/2010 - 4th Global Forum on Human Rights in the City
28/7/2010 - Sacramento Chooses Practical Over Transformative in Downtown Revitalization
27/7/2010 - 48th IMCL Conference on Planning Healthy & Child-Friendly Communities
26/7/2010 - Post-Doctoral Fellowships “Mobility Cultures in Megacities”
26/7/2010 - Webinar Event: All Eyes on the Ball: The Role of Sport in Integration
25/7/2010 - Cable Cars Could Link London's 2012 Olympics Venues
24/7/2010 - ELAC for migrant elders
23/7/2010 - Designing Cars for Future Megacities
23/7/2010 - New advisory body for EFTA local and regional authorities
22/7/2010 - Child in the City Conference: how to make cities child friendly
21/7/2010 - An Eye on the Cities of the Future
21/7/2010 - Register for Local Governments' Day on local water strategies in a changing climate
20/7/2010 - Innovation - city based, city led, city supported
20/7/2010 - New EUKN publication: 'Urban Development in Europe'
19/7/2010 - Streetcars Getting Serious Again
19/7/2010 - Adios amigos, Tibaijuka tells the world's youth
19/7/2010 - Can an Operating System be Developed to Run a City?
18/7/2010 - Biodiversity guide for local governments launching soon
17/7/2010 - Wujin admitted as the first “Living Practice City” in China for the World Urban Campaign
16/7/2010 - Main Streets Revitalized
16/7/2010 - Another milestone for city transport
15/7/2010 - Bridging the urban gender divide
15/7/2010 - SHIFT to EcoMobility program now underway
14/7/2010 - Homes Shrink As Lower-Priced Homes Sales Surge
14/7/2010 - Busan City, Republic of Korea, to host major climate change panel
14/7/2010 - A new stage for sustainable urban development in Asia and the Pacific
13/7/2010 - Invitation for Sustainable Energy Communities Newsletter
12/7/2010 - Asian Cities Must Look For A Sustainability Beyond the Economic
12/7/2010 - Debate on "Mobile City – From Urban Transport to Mental Mobility"
11/7/2010 - CEMR welcomes recognition of local and regional authorities by Belgian EU Presidency
10/7/2010 - Test phase starts for European sustainable city framework
9/7/2010 - Newsbit on May/June Bonn Climate Talks
9/7/2010 - ICLEI Secretary General appointed chair of World Economic Forum's Council on Urbanization
8/7/2010 - Creative City Network of Canada releases Public Art Toolkit
8/7/2010 - Wal-Mart Gains Foothold In Lucrative Urban Market
7/7/2010 - CEMR to take lead in preparation of instrument for development of sustainable cities
6/7/2010 - World cities, water and sanitation top the agenda
5/7/2010 - The 2010 International Cities of Migration Pre-Conference
4/7/2010 - As Developing Countries Urbanize, Food Booms
3/7/2010 - Twinning: bringing Eastern Europeans closer to the EU
3/7/2010 - New York's Expensive Parks
2/7/2010 - Three Australian cities achieve Water Campaign™ Milestone 4
1/7/2010 - The Nine Cities With the Best Hope of Becoming Carbon-Neutral
1/7/2010 - Human settlements professionals active at WUF5
Local governments mobilized in July
proposed amendments to the Outcome Document of the MDGs Summit
The Summit of the Millennium Development Goals shall take place from 20-22 September 2010, at the United Nations General Assembly, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
In the framework of the preparation of the event, a MDG Summit Outcome Document is being negotiated daily until the end of July by national government representatives in New York.
Whilst the MDG Summit Outcome document recommends a number of actions in areas where it can be argued that local governments should hold greater responsibility, the references to local governments are disappointingly few. To see the report, please click here.
http://www.cities-localgovernments.org/upload/docs/docs_en_telechargements/ZeroDraftOutcomeDocument_31May2010rev2_%282%29.pdf
United Cities and Local Governments calls upon their members to write to national governments requesting that they give serious attention to the role of local and regional governments in writing their national MDG report, and asking them to consider our proposed amendments which focus on the areas of local ownership, the importance of governance and the cultural dimension of the MDGs.
Small Cities Fill CNN's 'Best Places to Live'
Apparently metropolises are out- CNN Money's annual list of the "Best Places to Live" is filled with small cities like Eden Prairie, Minnesota and Overland Park, Kansas.
While CNN isn't explicit about their criteria, they do say they favor cities that "boast plenty of jobs, great schools, safe streets, low crime, lots to do, charm, and other features that make a town great for raising a family."
While the criteria aren't fully revealed, there are plenty of stats to go around on the site, with Top 25 lists for most affordable homes, most expensive homes, top-earning towns, job growth, fastest commutes,
slowest commutes, hottest, coldest, most rich and single people, youngest, and the cleanest air.
Logan, UT has the shortest commute in the report, with commute times averaging around 10 minutes.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/
Innovation Union needs cities
EUROCITIES addresses research ministers on EU innovation policy
Addressing an informal meeting of research and industry ministers today, EUROCITIES secretary general Paul Bevan pressed for EU innovation policy to capitalise on the full value of cities as Europe’s innovation hubs.
Commenting on the Europe 2020 strategy’s flagship initiative aimed at turning the EU into an ‘Innovation Union’, Mr Bevan said:
“We have the opportunity to deliver the Innovation Union more concretely on the ground by exploiting the catalytic role of cities in their territories. This requires including Europe’s big cities in the proposed Innovation Partnerships.”
In EUROCITIES’ view, the future prosperity of Europe rests on the EU’s ability to work with and in cities to get results. Reminding ministers that cities account for 85% of EU GDP and are home to 75% of the EU’s population, Mr Bevan contended:
“We will not achieve the Europe 2020 goal of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, without smart, sustainable and inclusive cities”.
Presenting several striking examples where city governments across Europe are supporting new economic development, Mr Bevan prompted ministers to also consider the lesser known aspects of city-driven innovation:
“Cities not only facilitate the technological and market innovation that naturally preoccupies our agenda here. Cities are also innovators themselves. They lead and support ‘public’ and ‘social’ innovation, which are themselves significant elements in Europe’s global competitiveness.”
Decentralisation, integration, personalisation and commissioning are some examples of new ways in which cities are working with the private and third sectors to design and deliver improved public services. There are broader benefits of this pioneering approach according to Mr Bevan:
“What is on offer here is ‘smart government’: modern, slicker, digital administration, ever fitter for purpose and capable of providing a model of local government that would give Europe a competitive edge globally.”
Thirsty Australia Turns to the Ocean
Arid Australia is investing big-time in a water desalination project that will attempt to ease some of the country's water woes.
The project will build plants in the country's five largest cities.
"In one of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects in its history, Australia’s five largest cities are spending $13.2 billion on desalination plants capable of sucking millions of gallons of seawater from the surrounding oceans every day, removing the salt and yielding potable water. In two years, when the last plant is scheduled to be up and running, Australia’s major cities will draw up to 30 percent of their water from the sea."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/world/asia/11water.html?_r=2&hpw
Results and impact of the URBAN Community Initiative in 2000-2006
URBAN II, the Community Initiative for boosting depressed urban areas, has made a positive contribution to tackling the challenges of neighbourhoods in crisis. This was one of the key findings of the evaluation carried out by the European Commission. Between 2000 and 2006, URBAN II enabled converting and renovating 2314,000 m² of buildings, the creation of 3,238,000 m² of green space, and support for 6,000 small businesses and start-ups, resulting in new 2,000 jobs.
247 projects aiming to reduce local crime, including street wardens, landscaping and street lighting, were implemented in collaboration with community groups and neighbourhood watch schemes. More importantly, regeneration continues in many of the programme areas even after European funding has ceased: 60% of the projects continued beyond the URBAN II funding period. The key factor for successful projects was local ownership: projects had a stronger impact when selected and delivered with commitment from local stakeholders.
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/expost2006/urban_ii_en.htm
Another milestone for city transport
Council conclusions support sustainable and integrated urban mobility. The Transport Council of the EU has unanimously adopted conclusions on the European Commission’s Action Plan on Urban Mobility, published last September 2009. The conclusions represent a milestone for urban transport and an achievement for EUROCITIES work in this area, since the Council has finally acknowledged the importance of the urban dimension in the EU’s transport strategy. The Council’s conclusions reflects the positions on urban mobility developed by the EUROCITIES in the past few years.
Specifically, the Council welcomes the integrated approach presented in the action plan and reaffirms its support for cities that are aiming to deliver on it. It also promotes the development of sustainable urban transport policies, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity. The Council encourages the development of sustainable urban mobility plans by cities on a voluntary basis, as well as the promotion of soft modes and public transport.
The Council recognises that local and regional transport infrastructures should be improved and that they should be properly interconnected with national long-distance networks and the Trans–European Transport Networks (TEN-T). It also supports the Commission’s initiative to identify available resources specifically for urban mobility within the existing financial framework. Potential funding opportunities for attaining sustainable, healthy and safe urban mobility should be explored.
The Council has invited the European Commission to ensure that the new white paper on transport, to be published by November 2010, contains targets and policies for promoting more efficient, sustainable and safe and healthy urban mobility.
4th Global Forum on Human Rights in the City
From the 28th of June to the 1st of July, the city of Nantes hosted the fourth edition of the Global Forum on Human Rights in the City. The Forum, which was originally put forward by UNESCO, takes place every two years thanks to the support of the Greater Nantes Metropolitan agglomeration, the Loire Region, the county of Loire-Atlantique, and the city of Nantes, and has been under organization, since 2008, of the International Permanent Secretariat on ’Human Rights and Local Government’.
Focusing on the question "In a world in crisis, what about Human Rights?", the Forum featured around thirty round tables and gathered a record 2800 participants- the highest number in the history of the Forum. The message which featured throughout all the debates was that ’none of the economical, social, food related and environmental crises could justify drawbacks in the safeguarding of human rights around the world. Far from being inevitable, these crises force us to rethink the implementation of human rights and to imagine answers for the future’.
The local government representatives gathered at Nantes recalled the importance of the solidarity networks which are created or strengthened at each Forum, and highlighted the fundamental role played by cities in upholding human rights. This makes it all the more of a priority to support the network cooperation encouraged by the world organization of cities, UCLG, as well as projects as the Global Charter on Human Rights in the City.
Sacramento Chooses Practical Over Transformative in Downtown Revitalization
Spurning an elaborate but costly proposal to transform two blighted blocks of Sacramento's ailing downtown K Street mall the city council chose a less costly, mixed-use plan restore the blocks sooner with four story buildings and 256 housing units.
"Today may be the most significant moment for K Street since the day 41 years ago when automobiles were taken off the mall. Tonight (July 13), the City Council decides which development proposal it prefers out of four submitted for the rundown 700 and 800 blocks of K Street."
The article continues, "Council appears poised to embrace a big, bold plan despite a significant financing gap – rather than a more modest proposal from downtown's most dependable developer."
However, by a 5-4 vote (with Mayor Kevin Johnson in the minority), council did the opposite, choosing the less elaborate, less costly project that may not have the 'transformative' effect on the blighted street the Mayor had hoped for.
Nonetheless, what one councilman called the more 'practical' plan will result in "more than 200 housing units, shops and restaurants" built with less city debt, and sooner (by 2012) according to developers D&S Development and David Tayor.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/13/2885904/sacramento-council-to-vote-on.html
48th IMCL Conference on Planning Healthy & Child-Friendly Communities
Charleston, SC, USA October 17-21, 2010
International Making Cities Livable Council & City of Charleston, SC.
www.LivableCities.org
The conference will focus on how to plan healthy communities, and how to improve children's health and development by improving the built environment. The conference will bring together 350-400 delegates - elected officials, practitioners and scholars in planning, public health, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation planning, pediatrics, child development, land use development and architecture from around the world to present health effects of the built/natural environment, health impact assessment tools, guidelines for planning healthy neighborhoods, and examples of cutting-edge improvements in the way developers build, and how cities reshape existing neighborhoods.
Post-Doctoral Fellowships “Mobility Cultures in Megacities”
The Institute for Mobility Research (ifmo), a research facility of BMW Group, is pleased to announce an international call to researchers for up to 6 post-doctoral fellowships within the strategic field of “Mobility Cultures in Megacities”.
The major objective of the program is to generate a profound understanding of mobility patterns and mobility cultures in megacities in different parts of the world. Fellows with a regional background in these cities are asked to collaborate on a set of research questions in an attractive, interdisciplinary and intercultural environment.
Fellows will be working on these topics at mostly the same time in Munich, Germany. They are asked to contribute substantially to the interdisciplinary collaboration on mobility from the perspective of one specific megacity. This should include previous research work and where appropriate additional in-depth investigations. Scientific exchange between the fellows is an integral part of the program in order to learn from the respective experiences and results in a transdisciplinary approach.
The fellowship program will be accompanied by scientific supervision on behalf of Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt. Additionally the program is incorporated into a broad international expert network of scientists and practitioners from several disciplines.
http://www.sv.bv.tum.de/index.php/de/aktuelles/94-post-doctoral-fellowships-mobility-cultures-in-megacities
Webinar Event: All Eyes on the Ball: The Role of Sport in Integration
Whether on the field, in play or as enthusiastic supporters, team sports have a unique ability to rally the whole community behind local champions and celebrate the hero amongst us. Sports participation inspires confidence and a sense of belonging in the individual team player, builds bridges across cultural differences, and contributes to community cohesion long after the winning goal has been scored.
Join us on July 27 (for North America)/ July 28 (for New Zealand/Australia) for a conversation about integration and sport when Cities of Migration brings together:
Dr. Arif Saeid, Community Services Manager, Refugees as Survivors (RAS) in Auckland (NZ), and
Dr. Hass Dellal, Executive Director, the Australian Multicultural Foundation (AU), with
James Demetriou, Chair, Sport without Borders and past President of Arden Street Learning and Life Centre in Melbourne (AU)
Sash Herceg, Manager Community Programs, North Melbourne Football Club, The Huddle (AU)
Refugees as Survivors is using the universal sport of soccer to help integrate young people from refugee backgrounds into New Zealand society by reducing social isolation and improving self esteem.
In Melbourne, Australia, the North Melbourne Football Club has found a home at the newly re-developed Arden Street Learning and Life Centre where education and sport work hand-in-hand to bring all of North Melbourne’s youth into the city mainstream and wider Victorian community.
Free Webinar. Register online now! http://citiesofmigration.ca/integration-learning-exchange/register-to-events/lang/en/
Cable Cars Could Link London's 2012 Olympics Venues
Officials in London have announced a plan to link the city's 2012 Olympics venues through a system of cable cars.
The plan will cost £25 million, but will be financed privately.
"The £25m scheme, devised by Transport for London (TfL), would increase the number of river crossings east of Tower Bridge, serve as a tourist attraction, and cut travel times between two major Olympic and Paralympic venues – the O2 and ExCeL – ahead of the 2012 games.
According to TfL, the cable car system could provide a crossing every 30 seconds and carry up to 2,500 passengers an hour in each direction — the equivalent of 50 busloads. It would be fully accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and pushchairs."
ELAC for migrant elders
First “European Local Authorities Competition on Good Practices on the Support for Migrant Elders’ Initiatives“
Cultural and ethnic diversity of an ageing population - an opportunity for Europe’s towns and municipalities
Local authorities are key players when it comes to improving the quality of life of their citizens. In 2010/2011 a first European competition will award municipalities for their innovative initiatives in the mutual integration of migrant elders.
The prizes awarded will revolve around local authority initiatives for the mutual integration of migrant elders in all municipal fields of activity for the improvement of the quality of life of elderly people:
- housing,
- leisure and culture,
- social and intergenerational activities
- support of economic activities related to culturally sensitive products and services
- support of volunteering by and for migrant elders
http://www.aktioncourage.de/ELACinenglish
Designing Cars for Future Megacities
With the global urban population on the rise and cities expected to become densely populated mega-cities, automakers are trying to design cars for future cities.
The New York Times reviews some of the concept cars under development that would mobilize the dense cities of the future.
"Automakers are looking at ways to reduce the automotive footprint. General Motors has shown its EN-V, for Electric Networked-Vehicle, a podlike two-seater for the megacities of 2030. It is currently being demonstrated at the Expo 2010 world’s fair in Shanghai.
Ford showed its Start concept car at the Beijing auto show this year. The Start is built of composite panels on a metal frame, with a shape that recalls the New Beetle and Mini Cooper." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/automobiles/04MEGACITY.html?_r=1&hpw
New advisory body for EFTA local and regional authorities
Norwegian and Icelandic local and regional governments have created a forum so as to involve local and regional elected representatives from EFTA member states in European Economic Area (EEA) matters.
The EEA EFTA Forum of Local and Regional Authorities.aims at establishing cooperation between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and European Union institutions with regards to local and regional issues. One of the reasons for the forum's foundation is that municipal activities and budgets are often strongly influenced by EU legislation and programmes incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
Member of the Municipality of Bærum Council and President of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), Halvdan Skard, is to be the Chair of the Forum. Moreover, Halldór Halldórsson, President of the Association of Local Authorities in Iceland (SAMBAND), will be Vice-Chair. Both the Norwegian and Icelandic associations are members of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).
Thus far, the Forum has 12 members, six from Iceland and six from Norway.
Child in the City Conference: how to make cities child friendly
The Child in the City Foundation and the European Network Child Friendly Cities (ENCFC) are organising the Child in the City Conference, to be held from 27 to 29 October 2010 in Florence, Italy.
The overall aim of the conference is to promote child friendly cities and to inspire these to reduce child poverty, notably in the context of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
Other themes will include assessing the degree of child friendliness of cities and communities, promoting active citizenship of children and young people and identifying concrete local initiatives in terms of promoting and defending a child's right to play.
The conference should bring together local, regional and national authorities, youth policy makers, designers and producers of playground equipment, urban designers, planners and developers, UN agencies and NGOs, among others. http://www.childinthecity.com/
An Eye on the Cities of the Future
Designing the city of the future has long been the playground of architects and planners. A New York non-profit design group led by architect Mitchell Joachim keeps that tradition alive.
The group's output is near prolific, according to this review from the Guardian's Rowan Moore.
"The company has designed soft cars, so no one is killed in a car accident ever again, and proposed a way of training trees so that they can be grown to form houses – a theoretically zero-carbon technique. It also wants to put houses on to big trucks, and rebuild America's roads so that they are packed with "intelligent renewable infrastructure", into which the mobile houses can be plugged. This idea is less obviously zero carbon, but the company claims it will 'create a truly breathing, interconnected metabolic urbanism'." http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/04/sustainability-design-cities-future-terreform-one
Register for Local Governments' Day on local water strategies in a changing climate
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Climate Alliance and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability are organising a Local Governments' Day to be held on 13 September 2010 in Munich, Germany.
The event, entitled “Cities adapt: local water strategies in a changing climate”, will aim at bringing together European local and regional elected representatives to look into major challenges related to adapting water management to a changing climate.
Building knowledge on the impacts of climate change on local water systems and identifying key ingredients for a successful adaptation strategy will be among the topics discussed during the Local Governments' Day. The governance dimension will also be addressed through good examples of cooperation on a municipal and regional scale. Thus, the contribution of local governments to the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change will be outlined.
The Local Governments' Day is to be held in conjunction with IFAT ENTSORGA, the International Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Refuse and Recycling, at which some 4000 participants interested in water issues will gather from 13 to 17 September.
http://admin5.geniebuilder.com/udata/ccre/docs/local_governments_day_registration_form_2010_en.doc
Innovation - city based, city led, city supported
Experts discuss innovation at Innovation and Cities roundtable held by EUROCITIES and the Belgian EU Presidency
On 7 July EUROCITIES and the Belgian Presidency jointly hosted a roundtable on innovation. A selected group of experts and practitioners representing EU institutions, networks, think tanks and city administrations gathered to discuss the way forward for EU innovation policy. This took place in advance of the July Informal Research Ministerial that will discuss the planned EU Commission Innovation Strategy.
A central theme for the roundtable was that innovation should not be simply equated to R&D and technology, or moves to boost GDP growth. A rounded understanding of innovation recognises that new products, services and ways of working can contribute to addressing all the EU’s shared challenges, be it social inclusion, combating climate change or improving employment levels.
Participants explored innovation methodologies, acknowledging that the market innovation that has been the centre of EU policy should be complemented by both social and public innovation. These involve different actors, often from the public, community and voluntary sector, and a shift away from profit as the end objective.
Case studies from Liverpool, Lyon and Barcelona illustrated how these three types of innovation are supported and driven in cities. This was a timely argument given the Belgian Presidency’s objective of localising the Europe 2020 Strategy.
Liverpool’s activities have long supported social enterprise, with funding, training and institutional organisation providing a favourable landscape for innovations that address social, public and market needs.
New EUKN publication: 'Urban Development in Europe'
Cities play a crucial role in creating a sustainable, social and innovative Europe. Nowadays, cities have to face many challenges, especially since the arrival of the economic recession. For this reason, it is important to involve all actors and governmental layers and to exchange good practices, proven policies, skills and experiences. In other words, an integrated approach from local to European level. This key publication provides an overview of urban policy in 15 EU Member States. http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Policy/New_EUKN_publication_Urban_Development_in_Europe
Streetcars Getting Serious Again
Once a major part of cities transportation networks, streetcars have over the last half a century devolved into mere tourist attractions and novelties. But the pendulum may be swinging back.
Governing's Todd Newcombe writes that moer and more cities are seriously integrating streetcar lines into their transportation planning efforts.
"While many single streetcar lines play to the tourist crowds and trolley fans, numerous cities seriously are considering and planning legitimate streetcar systems as part of their mass transit network. In addition to Seattle, which plans to add a second line, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Salt Lake City and Charlotte, N.C., are exploring adding streetcar lines to existing transit systems. Tacoma, Wash., operates a short modern line; Portland, Ore., has a popular service in its downtown; and Washington, D.C., is constructing a streetcar line in its Anacostia neighborhood."
Adios amigos, Tibaijuka tells the world's youth
In her last official mission to South Africa as UN-HABITAT's Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka had a meeting with a constituency close to her heart- the young people. The historic visit also saw Mrs. Tibaijuka meet the former South Africa's President Nelson Mandela at his home.
And what a better place to do so than the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa? In a packed programme that included visiting with young people to a South African township, workshop and bonding sessions, the penultimate mission accorded Mrs. Tibaijuka yet another opportunity to put up a strong case for the young people of the world who more often than not are left on the periphery of development plans by their respective governments.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8600&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Can an Operating System be Developed to Run a City?
Melissa Lafsky asks if citizen initiative facilities like '311' and 'fixmystreet' should be expanded into an "operating system" for cities.
In order to reduce the distance between citizen and bureaucracy, Lafsky proposes a web friendly system "that closes the loop between the "eyes on the street," the problems they spot, and the authorities charged with responding to them."
The program would likely take the form of an "issue-tracking board [that] would provide citizens with a variety of congenial ways to initiate trouble tickets, whether they're most comfortable using the phone, a mobile application or website, or a text message. It would display currently open cases, and gather resolved tickets in a permanent archive or resource," explains Adam Greenfield. http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/07/08/should-cities-be-run-like-software/
Biodiversity guide for local governments launching soon
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study will launch its report aimed at local policymakers on 9-10 September 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.
ICLEI is a co-host of the launch event alongside the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in partnership with the City of Cape Town, South African National Parks (SANParks) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
The report will guide local governments on how to handle biodiversity loss and establish how they can manage the use of natural resources. The report also promises insight on how to support biodiversity local and regional urban and spatial design and economic approaches such as Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES).
Wujin admitted as the first “Living Practice City” in China for the World Urban Campaign
Since the launch of “The 100 Cities Initiative for Sustainable Urbanisation”, the number of cities worldwide has exceeded 10 till July 5, 2010. The 11th city is “Wujin, China”, which is also the first Chinese city to join in the “The 100 Cities Initiative for Sustainable Urbanisation”. Prior to this, there were 10 cities including Chicago and Philadelphia of the USA, Vienna of Austria, Alicante of Spain, Pushchino of Russia, São João da Barra of Brazil, Makati of the Philippines, Medellín of Colombia, Rabat of Morocco, and Mumbai of India.
The three initiatives that Wujin submitted were all very relevant to the Paris Principles of the World Urban Campaign.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8567&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Main Streets Revitalized
The Project for Public Spaces has begun to publicize improvements it has made to main streets across the country with a new web feature, reports Kaid Benfield.
The new website has proved a novel way to highlight progress in placemaking and celebrates the new partnership between PPS and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The Trust has had a highly regarded Main Street Program for years, using a structured approach to preservation-based economic development involving organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring."
Together they have revitalized numerous downtown neighborhoods such as 14th st. in St. Louis, which had been suffering disinvestment and decline in the second half of the 20th century. http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/kaidbenfield/13043/revival-main-streets
Another milestone for city transport
Council conclusions support sustainable and integrated urban mobility. The Transport Council of the EU has unanimously adopted conclusions on the European Commission’s Action Plan on Urban Mobility, published last September 2009. The conclusions represent a milestone for urban transport and an achievement for EUROCITIES work in this area, since the Council has finally acknowledged the importance of the urban dimension in the EU’s transport strategy. The Council’s conclusions reflects the positions on urban mobility developed by the EUROCITIES in the past few years.
Bridging the urban gender divide
A Special Ministerial Roundtable Breakfast Meeting on the theme Bridging the urban gender divide: An imperative for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, was held in New York as part of the ongoing high level segment of the Economic and Social Council.
This year the annual review is spotlighting actions and progress aimed at achieving the global agenda on women’s issues and international efforts to promote higher standards of living, full employment and socio-economic progress — particularly for women and girls.
The breakfast meeting was co-hosted by the Government of Brazil and UN-HABITAT. The aim of the meeting was to understand the special problems faced by women in cities especially as they form the majority of the population in slums and informal settlements.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8541&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
SHIFT to EcoMobility program now underway
The SHIFT to EcoMobility project is an innovative step toward creating a certification scheme for EcoMobile cities, neighborhoods, and facilities such as hotels schools, and business firms.
Only those cities and organizations whose performance fulfills the expectations of several EcoMobility categories will be entitled to certification.
The program's ultimate objective is to support tangible measures toward a sustainable urban mobility culture.
The three-year project is expected to yield a reliable and comprehensive EcoMobility certification scheme to be applied in interested cities through a rigorous audit system.
A number of dissemination materials will be made available, including a website, a brochure and fact sheets, as well as the EcoMobility certification manual.
The project is a centerpiece of the EcoMobility Alliance work plan and benefits from the European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation funding.
http://www.ecomobility.org/index.php?id=8691
Homes Shrink As Lower-Priced Homes Sales Surge
More first-time, energy-conscious, urban home buyers with smaller households have contributed to a noticeable reduction in home size as shown in 2008-2009 housing Census data. Concurrently, lower-priced home sales outpaced more expensive homes.
Thirty years ago homes averaged 1700 sq. ft. Nonetheless, the 50 ft. drop to 2,422 sq.ft. from 2008-2009 is considered significant as home sizes had been increasing steadily.
"(T)he data do not indicate that buyers are looking for smaller homes because they think small is beautiful," Philadelphia economist Kevin Gillen, vice president of Econsult Corp, said. "Rather, they want homes that are more energy-efficient, with a more urban location and with fewer bedrooms, and that all naturally translates into a smaller home."
"On average, home sales for less than $350,000 have increased 12 percent year-over-year during the months since January 2009, while sales of houses priced from $350,000 to $900,000 have decreased 8 percent, said Michael Feder, president and CEO of Radar Logic of New York."
Busan City, Republic of Korea, to host major climate change panel
More than 1,000 government officials, climate experts and non-governmental organizations from 190 countries will gather in Busan City, Republic of Korea, to discuss issues pertaining to environmental disasters.
The panel will also discuss the schedule for the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report on the science, mitigation and impact of climate change. The reports are written in non-technical language for the benefit of policy makers.
The Intergovernmenta Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, aims in part to provide reliable climate change information to policy makers and other interested parties. The IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its work.
Busan is an appropriate choice to host the IPCC; the city has an ambitious mandate to reduce 10% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2015.
A new stage for sustainable urban development in Asia and the Pacific
The third session of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development wound up on Thursday with fresh commitments to improve housing and sustainable urban delivery in the region.
Mr. Agung Laksono, Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare of Indonesia, said that 30 countries had attended the meeting, present with 14 ministers, and 85 high officials, as well as three Indonesian ministers.
In a keynote address, he said the objective of the meeting was very important for the region to help it overcome the challenges of urban development for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It would also be beneficial for good governance in the Asia Pacific, and improve human capacity in housing and settlement development.
Invitation for Sustainable Energy Communities Newsletter
Five Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE) Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) projects have joined forces to disseminate news and information on innovative local action that can inspire cities and regions to meet EU targets for 2020 on greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. The five projects, listed below, which represent more than 100 communities throughout Europe, will produce a joint newsletter in several European languages to be sent to thousands of sustainable energy actors:
- ENNEREG,
- Energy for Mayors,
- CITY-SEC,
- come2CoM,
- ENESCOM
Please register for this newsletter on: http://www.regions202020.eu/secregform.php
Asian Cities Must Look For A Sustainability Beyond the Economic
As Asian economic prowess powers the continent's businesses toward prosperity, governments need to find a way to accommodate the 2 billion extra people that will inhabit its major cities by the middle of the century.
Already "the physical manifestations of the dash for gross domestic product are obvious over much of the continent. In Mumbai, shanty towns breed resentment among street dwellers starving next to the luxury apartment blocks of the rich. In Hong Kong and Shenzhen, air pollution clogs the lungs of billionaires and their immigrant maids alike. In Kuala Lumpur, cars belch fumes in barely moving traffic jams because no government has yet built a metro system."
Some governments are beginning to take notice of the need to plan for a future beyond economic realm that is equally sustainable. "What is really needed, though, is a new approach to growth. Noeleen Heyzer, head of the UN's economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific, says the impact of trying to maintain the existing growth pattern over the next 15 years would be environmentally and socially devastating. Governments in Asia, she says, “simply do not have the luxury of growing first and cleaning up later."
Debate on "Mobile City – From Urban Transport to Mental Mobility"
Debate held on 10 June as part of the exhibition “Vienna Know-how: Urban Technologies and Strategies”
On Thursday, 10 June, the exhibition "Vienna Know-how: Urban Technologies and Strategies" at Wiener Planungswerkstatt provided the setting for a moderated debate on the topic “Mobile City – From Urban Transport to Mental Mobility” between Jens Dangschat (Vienna University of Technology) and Bernhard Engleder (Municipal Department 28 – Road Management and Construction). The debate was moderated by Claudia Schanza (editor-in-chief of the magazine “Forschen & Entdecken”) http://tinavienna.at/index.php?p_id=1267176557&last_id=1267176557&l_id=en&s_id=c848aa5f7a9bb8b8598548eeb1620f7a&e_id=1278062657
CEMR welcomes recognition of local and regional authorities by Belgian EU Presidency
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) welcomes the programme of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU in that it notably recognises the need to involve local and regional authorities in its activities.
While the programme mainly focuses on exiting the crisis and implementing the EU 2020 strategy, it underlines the Presidency's will to “ensure that the main stakeholders, including those at regional and local levels, are brought together in order to implement the strategy in such a way as to obtain optimum results”.
The Presidency also intends to further emphasise “the dynamic role played by towns and cities, as well as their sustainable social and economic development” in the context of economic, social and territorial cohesion.
CEMR is very pleased with the Belgian Presidency's suggestion to redirect the unused budget of the European economic recovery plan to energy efficiency and renewable energy related projects.
In their manifesto, the Associations of Belgian Cities and Municipalities, CEMR members, called upon the European institutions and member states to apply the Lisbon Treaty provisions notably relating to local and regional governments so as to establish a coherent and effective system of multi-level governance.
Test phase starts for European sustainable city framework
EU ministers responsible for urban development commend the European Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities (RFSC), which EUROCITIES has been helping to develop together with a group of EU member states, institutions and cities.
At their meeting in Toledo on 21-22 June, the ministers agreed to now move the framework into its testing phase.
The prototype presented in Toledo will initially be tested by a small group of European cities, and then among a broader group of 70 as of 2011. The final tool will be available in most EU languages by the end of 2011.
The new framework will help users develop integrated urban planning and assess the sustainability of their urban strategies. The idea behind its development is to have in place a common tool across Europe that would encourage the exchange of practice and comparability of results. Use of the tool will be on a voluntary basis. http://www.rfsustainablecities.eu/
Newsbit on May/June Bonn Climate Talks
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) attended the two-week session of the Bonn Talks from 31 May to 11 June 2010 – representing local governments around the world. The team on the spot was also supported by the active involvement of several European local government representatives.
In general the big step forward was a move by the UNFCCC and the Parties to ensure stakeholder participation (i.e. non-parties such as the NGOs and local governments) as an active part of the process. Further to this there is movement to obtain general agreement on finances and adaptation - as some of the clearest points under negotiation. The local government references in the negotiating text advocated by the Local Government Climate Roadmap partners is still on the table – this is being monitored for developments, and remains the main topics addressed by the local government team during the negotiations (more information on the Bonn Climate Talks are available on the following website: http://unfccc.int/meetings/sb32/items/5573.php).
ICLEI Secretary General appointed chair of World Economic Forum's Council on Urbanization
Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has appointed Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI, to serve as Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Urbanization 2010.
The World Economic Forum created the Network of Global Agenda Councils in 2008, which comprises Councils on the foremost topics in the global arena.
Each Council convenes 'leaders in thought' from academia, government, business and other fields to capture the best knowledge on each key issue and integrate it into global collaboration and decision-making processes.
CREATIVE CITY NETWORK OF CANADA RELEASES PUBLIC ART TOOLKIT
The Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC) released a toolkit on public art today. The Public Art Toolkit was developed to assist local governments, arts, cultural and heritage organizations with the management of public art. The Toolkit is intended as a how-to guide when planning a public art program or evaluating an existing one, and contains resources for the management of public art projects.
From how to go about developing a program mission and operating principles to details about selection processes, the Toolkit covers all phases of completing a public art project. It also includes links to examples and resources from around the world, detailed case studies, images, and project examples of varying scales.
The approach used by the authors is to characterize the process as a series of dynamic relationships of production and reception involving different Points of View: the artist, the commissioning agency, and the publics who encounter the artwork.
“Our hope is that this toolkit will inspire and assist in achieving excellence in all areas of your work, regardless of the scale of the project—in the artwork itself and the ways in which it is selected, produced and presented.” – CBH Consultants
From this valuable resource, communities will gain enhanced knowledge on planning and maintaining public art
projects and programs, and will develop better capacity to deliver such projects
and programs. The Public Art Toolkit is available as a free PDF download from creativecity.ca.
The Public Art Toolkit is a project of the Creative City Network of Canada and has been generously supported by 2010 Legacies Now and the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Creative City Network of Canada is a national non-profit organization that operates as a knowledge-sharing, research, public education and professional development resource in the field of local cultural policy, planning and practice. Through its work, CCNC helps build the capacity of municipal professionals and by extension local governments to nurture and support cultural development in their communities.
For more information visit us at creativecity.ca.
Wal-Mart Gains Foothold In Lucrative Urban Market
Wal-Mart is succeeding in convincing Chicago politicians that it will create sustainable "employment and revenue for the city." The predominantly suburban-based supercenter chain is trying to move into denser urban areas.
Having exhausted the suburban and small town markets which were the base of such rapid success, Wal-Mart refocuses its expansion toward inner city areas, and Chicago is first in line. The South Side has long been the scene of economic deprivation. “We need jobs for our neighborhood, and Wal-Mart is willing to come, and they’re willing to provide the jobs,” said the Rev. Dr. D. Darrell Griffin, the pastor at Oakdale Covenant Church.
"Wal-Mart said it was planning several dozen stores in Chicago that would add 12,000 jobs over five years, and more than $500 million in sales taxes and property taxes for the city." On Thursday, the plans for the South Side store were unanimously approved by a city council committee and are expected to pass through the full City Council next week.
Analysts are divided on whether this will be a model for other urban areas. David Strasser, an analyst for Janney Montgomery Scott, said he expected the Chicago store would encourage a similar response in other cities. “On the corridor from Boston to D.C., Wal-Mart is so under-penetrated,” he claimed. Dorian T. Warren, a Columbia University professor disagreed; "New York has so much more density of small businesses, the City Council is much more unified ideologically against Wal-Mart."
CEMR to take lead in preparation of instrument for development of sustainable cities
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) was chosen to take the lead in the preparation of a web-based instrument for the development of sustainable cities at the occasion of the informal meeting of urban development ministers held in Toledo, Spain, on 22 June 2010.
Indeed, CEMR was offered the possibility to replace the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea as chair of a working group dubbed “Member States / Institutions” (MS/I) until the end of 2011, for the duration of the testing phase. This group will serve to prepare the European Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities (RFSC), which will allow users to develop an integrated urban development strategy or to check whether their strategy is in line with the concept of sustainable urban development.
CEMR Vice-President, Anders Knape, who represented CEMR at the informal meeting, underlined that “many cities, municipalities and regions have already engaged in initiatives aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, etc. However, a lot still remains to be done to implement an integrated approach”.
He also called on member states to “provide organisations such as CEMR with a place at their meeting tables, as these represent democratically elected and representative entities” and that they “consider the local and regional levels as their partners”.
World cities, water and sanitation top the agenda
UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka joined an array of government ministers, mayors and other urban leaders for the Singapore International Water Week and the World Cities Summit to discuss leadership, governance and new ways of building sustainable green cities.
“It has been most important to keep closely in touch with our global network of urban partners in governments and municipal offices, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, schools, universities, and companies which strive for smarter, sustainable cities,” she said in a keynote address at the opening plenary on Tuesday.
Conference officials said the second biennial World Cities Summit (WCS) in Singapore had attracted 25 ministers and 45 mayors and governors from 20 countries, including China and Australia.
Mrs. Tibaijuka, who said she hoped the meeting would feed into the World Urban Forum process, shared the podium at the opening debate with a group of leaders including Mr. Jumaa Al Kaabi, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture of Bahrain which will host the next session of the Forum in 2012.
She cited Singapore’s veteran leader, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew “for his vision in turning this great city into one of the world’s models when it comes to leadership, governance, and I will add, sustainability.”
The 2010 International Cities of Migration Pre-Conference
Before the start of the Metropolis Conference, participants will have the opportunity to attend the 2010 International Cities of Migration Pre Conference entitled 'From Migration to Integration: An Opportunity Agenda for Cities' on October 3 and 4. Metropolis delegates will receive a pre-conference event discount on the Cities of Migration full-conference fee.
As Developing Countries Urbanize, Food Booms
A new study shows that agricultural output in the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China will be three times as great as those in the developed world. Increasing urbanization is seen as one of the drivers of this growth
These findings are from a joint report by the United Nations and the OECD.
"Livestock and crop prices will stay above long-term averages, it added.
And rising incomes and urbanisation in developing states will drive growth.
'Developing countries will provide the main source of growth for world agricultural production, consumption and trade,' the report said."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10320149.stm
Twinning: bringing Eastern Europeans closer to the EU
Twinning serves as a vital instrument in bringing Eastern European countries closer to the EU and in co-financing actions that help prepare municipalities in the context of their pre-accession to the Union. These were the major conclusions identified by Balkan state representatives at the occasion of a seminar dubbed “Which twinning for which Europe”, held in Malta from 17 to 18 June.
The importance of the implementation of and support for cooperation and dialogue between citizens and local authorities as a political tool within the EU was also among the seminar conclusions.
The seminar, organised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and its Maltese member association, the Local Councils' Association, with the support of the European Commission, brought together 50 or so representatives from Southern Europe and the Balkans.
A first seminar on twinning in Northern European countries had previously been held in Tallinn on 25 and 26 March. The next seminar, which will focus on Central and Eastern European countries, is to take place in Cologne, Germany on 9 and 10 November 2010. The objective of these three regional seminars is to allow for a debate on twinning and its role in the context of European citizenship.
The conclusions from the three twinning seminars will allow for CEMR to prepare a political message to be presented at the Twinning Congress planned for next year in Rybnik, Poland, in the framework of the Polish EU Presidency.
New York's Expensive Parks
Patrick Arden reports that "No other parks system in America relies as much on other people's money" as New York. Arden examines the public-private partnership, and problems inherent in relying on donations to maintain parks.
Arden says that some see "disparities between lavish, showplace parks for the haves and cast-off parcels for the have-nots" in New York. Half of the city's parks rely on private funding or assistance. Park maintenance was cut drastically during a 1970s budget crisis, and has never quite recovered. Bloomberg's new budget will reflect "a record low of 0.37 percent, or $239 million" for the Parks Department.
http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/2402/
Three Australian cities achieve Water Campaign™ Milestone 4
The cities of Wyndham (Victoria), Joondalup and Subiaco (Westen Australia) have all achieved the Milestone 4 Corporate module of the Water Campaign™. Milestone 4 is the implementation stage of the program and is an opportunity to celebrate the success of projects and to see the real change that the Water Campaign™ encourages.
Visit ICLEI's World Secretariat website for more information about the Milestone Approach to water conservation.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1116
The Nine Cities With the Best Hope of Becoming Carbon-Neutral
Popular Science gives a brief intro to nine cities that are setting the bar for the reduction of carbon emissions. The best U.S. site? The fortuitously-named Greensburg, Kansas.
Greensburg was hit by a tornado in 2007 that took out almost the entire town, opening up the possibility of starting again with today's sustainable techniques. According to Popular Science, "A few of the city buildings even power themselves with their own wind and solar generators, and a 10-turbine wind farm outside of town went online in March."
The entire country of Costa Rica is another promising site: they already get 90% of their electricity from renewable energy sources.
http://www.popsci.com/science/gallery/2009-06/gallery-nine-worlds-most-promising-carbon-neutral-communities
Human settlements professionals active at WUF5
Ms. Désirée Martinez, Mr. Derek Martin, Mr. Stig Enemark, Mr. Pablo Vaggione, Ms. Christine Auclair, Mr. Nicolas Buchoud, Ms. Louise Cox, Mr. Xavier Crépin, Mrs. Christine Platt, Ms. Alison Brown, Mr. Mohamed Faouzi Zniber.
At the Fifth Session of the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro in March, human settlement professionals made a mark by their active participation at the event.
Representing a large spectrum of urban practitioners from architects to planners, the professionals’ presence was felt across all types of events, through the different dialogues, networking events, special sessions, roundtables as well as the exhibition.
The Habitat Professionals Roundtable was focused on the theme “What role for urban professionals in the World Urban Campaign?” This was a key event for the professionals to debate and highlight best practices and principles for achieving urban sustainability. It was organised by the Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF), a platform established after the Habitat II Conference to foster cooperation and partnerships between professionals and UN-HABITAT. The Professionals Roundtable was also the opportunity for presenting the Draft of the HPF Charter: The role of human settlement professionals in delivering a sustainable and equitable future. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8494&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1
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