June Headlines - click to see the full story
29/6/2010 - A new beginning for Europe’s urban agenda
29/6/2010 - Suburban Decline and Urban Growth Predicted
28/6/2010 - Peripheral cities gathered in Getafe
27/6/2010 - High-Speed Rail Will Mean 150,000 New Jobs
26/6/2010 - EU Commissioner gives strong backing for cities
25/6/2010 - UCLG is discussing the future agenda of Local and Regional Leaders World Summit ONLINE! JOIN US
25/6/2010 - Commission launches consultation on combating violence against women (Deadline: 9 July)
24/6/2010 - Executive Director bids government envoys farewell
23/6/2010 - UCLG organising first Local and Regional Leaders' World Summit
23/6/2010 - How Cities Can Take Advantange of Their Data
23/6/2010 - Cities and municipalities: submit your strategies for support of migrant elders
22/6/2010 - An important year for ‘Inclusive Cities’
22/6/2010 - Regions and cities warn Member states that Europe 2020 does not have the means to deliver on its promises
21/6/2010 - A New Direction for New Urbanists
21/6/2010 - World Urban Forum to be held in Bahrain
20/6/2010 - Register for the 'Cities and Active Inclusion' conference!
19/6/2010 - Cities discuss Intelligent Urban Planning
18/6/2010 - Cities of the Future – Three Turkish cities to lead by example
18/6/2010 - City planners urged to stop building look-alike cities with "identical faces"
17/6/2010 - CEMR Policy Committee: Euro crisis reveals lack of governance
17/6/2010 - Countering Car-Orientation
16/6/2010 - Participate in the European Local Democracy Week
16/6/2010 - ZOOM Kids on the Move for Climate Action 2010!
15/6/2010 - Cities’ creative capital crucial to EU economy
15/6/2010 - Keeping Bad Property Investment Out Of Your City
14/6/2010 - Vienna ranked city with highest quality of living
13/6/2010 - “Dream of a smoke-free city” event held at the United Nations Pavilion
12/6/2010 - Greek debt crisis: what impact on local and regional authorities?
12/6/2010 - Cities of the Future, 2030
11/6/2010 - Migration to Integration
11/6/2010 - Gearing up for the World Urban Campaign
10/6/2010 - New EUKN Brochure
10/6/2010 - World Cup's Impact on Transit in South Africa
10/6/2010 - Messages from Dunkerque 2010, 19-21 May 2010
9/6/2010 - Washington D.C. is the Healthiest City in the U.S.?
9/6/2010 - Agenda 21, Italian style
8/6/2010 - UN-HABITAT and partners to host training on urban policing
8/6/2010 - World City Prize winner revealed
7/6/2010 - European cities and towns shaping low carbon, greener futures in Dunkerque
6/6/2010 - Cities Seek to Quantify Rise in Bicycle Ridership
5/6/2010 - Community Trees: A Living Investment
4/6/2010 - Call for research proposals “Location of economic activities and city-regions sustainable development”
3/6/2010 - “We need to protect and reinforce our cities”
3/6/2010 - Maintaining Public Spaces may bankrupy City
3/6/2010 - Getting Smart About Climate Change
2/6/2010 - Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution
2/6/2010 - UN-HABITAT joins the Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence
1/6/2010 - Budget commissioner expresses willingness to collaborate with decentralised governments
1/6/2010 - ICLEI Oceania gets $258,000 boost from Australian government
1/6/2010 - How The Census Affects Cities
A new beginning for Europe’s urban agenda
Urban ministers adopt declaration on sustainable cities
Two significant outcomes from the informal ministerial meeting on urban development held on 21-22 June in Toledo, Spain, have given huge impetus to the case for fully involving cities in the EU policy making process and delivery on Europe 2020 goals.
The first of these - the Toledo Declaration - was signed by urban development ministers, who agreed to commitments and aims towards promoting integrated urban regeneration as key to smart, sustainable and socially inclusive urban development.
The declaration expresses ministers’ commitment to strengthen the urban dimension of EU cohesion policy. It must be a “political priority”. For the signatories, this means greater involvement by cities in shaping and implementing future operational programmes.
Representing EUROCITIES, Mayor Gábor Demszky (pictured here), who has been running the city of Budapest for the last 20 years, congratulated the ministers on this initiative, saying that “Now is the time for a new beginning.”
An intervention by the Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn marked the second step forward for the urban agenda: “From the European Commission’s point of view, the place of cities in delivering the [2020] strategy’s priorities is undisputable,” he said.
Pointing to issues of economic deprivation, energy supply and consumption, social exclusion and poverty, the Commissioner argued that both the challenges and solutions are found in cities:
“If we want to take energy savings seriously, there is no way around our cities…[Cities] offer vast possibilities for integration, education and cultural dialogue. They are the ones at the fore-front in delivering innovation and driving economic progress.”
Suburban Decline and Urban Growth Predicted
According to the new book, Foreclosing the Dream: How America's Housing Crisis Is Reshaping Our Cities and Suburbs, development is shifting to cities more strongly than most Americans realize.
William H. Lucy has examined America's foreclosure epidemic in enormous detail and has arrived at this conclusion: Decades-old patterns of suburban growth and urban decline are now being reversed.
"The years leading up to the 2008-2009 crises may be seen in retrospect as the last hurrah of the exurban extreme of the American dream," says Lucy, a professor of urban and environmental planning at the University of Virginia. Increasingly, people with choices and financial resources want to live in cities. http://www.newurbannews.com/15.4/foreclosures.html
Peripheral cities gathered in Getafe New
The Second Forum of Local Authorities of the Periphery (FLAP) gathered, between 10 and 12 June in Getafe, 600 mayors and officials from around thirty countries, invited by the FLAP and the Committee of UCLG for Peripheral Cities. The mayor of Getafe, Pedro Castro, said during the presentation of ... + info
The Second Forum of Local Authorities of the Periphery (FLAP) gathered, between 10 and 12 June in Getafe, 600 mayors and officials from around thirty countries, invited by the FLAP and the Committee of UCLG for Peripheral Cities. The mayor of Getafe, Pedro Castro, said during the presentation of the event that mayors from the five continents share "the space of peripheral cities which, being in the margin of cities, have less equipment, endowments, infrastructure and services."
"These are cities of metropolitan areas that have the same problems and seek the same solution, that is to say more integrated cities, more cohesive, who fights poverty and integrates innovation," he said.
The goal of the Forum, which was celebrated under the framework of the Spanish presidency of the European Union, is to agree for a commitment letter on the metropolis of solidarity, sustainable and democratic society, as recognized in the conclusions of the meetings and activities.
The panel discussions focused on gender equality, metropolitan planning, recognition of the periphery as producers and innovative in the field of culture, participation and the involvement of adolescents and youth, culture of peace as a basis for coexistence, decentralized cooperation between the peripheries, the commitment to intercultural and participatory democracy.
High-Speed Rail Will Mean 150,000 New Jobs
A new report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors says that the added connectivity from high-speed rail will create 150,000 new jobs and $19 billion in new businesses by 2035.
From the New York Times: "The rail network will spur tourism, give businesses a wider pool of workers to choose from and help grow technology clusters in cities, said Steve Fitzroy, director of operations for the Economic Development Research Group, which conducted the study, during a phone interview.
"It is a game changer with how people envision the city; people see the city in new ways," Fitzroy said."
An industry insider says that Florida's Tampa-Orlando route is likely to be the first high-speed rail line completed, projected to open in 2015.
EU Commissioner gives strong backing for cities
“We need our cities for a healthy and wealthy EU”, says Johannes Hahn
Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn has said he is convinced that cities need to play a key role in the EU’s future policy: “We need cities and local authorities as full partners for achieving smart, sustainable and socially inclusive growth”.
Responsible for the EU’s cohesion policy, which makes up a third of the EU’s budget, the Commissioner was addressing the recent European Sustainable Cities & Towns Conference in Dunkerque.
In particular Commissioner Hahn expressed support for a new integrated approach for urban development, which cities would be best placed to lead:
“The tendency towards simple sectoral solutions is strong. Therefore, we need to create an understanding that urban issues cannot be seen in sectoral isolation. If a city wants to be more energy efficient and more sustainable, it should not only look at its energy sources and emissions, but also at the social, economic, or cultural side of things.”
UCLG is discussing the future agenda of Local and Regional Leaders World Summit ONLINE! JOIN US
The Local and Regional Leaders World Summit, taking place in Mexico from 16-20 of November 2010 will be preceded by online discussions. The idea is to allow local and regional authorities and practitioners from different parts of the world to have a common place where they can raise questions, discuss ... + info
The Local and Regional Leaders World Summit, taking place in Mexico from 16-20 of November 2010 will be preceded by online discussions. The idea is to allow local and regional authorities and practitioners from different parts of the world to have a common place where they can raise questions, discuss issues, share experiences and work together to develop new knowledge.
A Summit should be an inclusive experience. It should gather thoughts and ideas from both UCLG members engaged in the work of the organization but also from a much broader audience that is equally interested in the work of local and regional governments around the world. In order to ensure this interaction, we are opening a series of on-line forums as part of the Summit’s website.
These forums will run from June until September 2010. http://www.uclgcongress.com/
Commission launches consultation on combating violence against women (Deadline: 9 July)
The European Commission has launched a consultation on the proposed future EU strategy for combating violence against women, whose outcome will accompany the proposal for a strategy on the matter.
In its consultation paper,.the Commission notably recognises the role that local and regional authorities can play in devising and implementing specific actions to combat violence “Civil society and local and national authorities in member states are better placed to understand the causes and effects of violence against women in their respective countries.”
The deadline for submission of views and suggestions has been set for Friday 9 July 2010. The consultation paper is currently only available in English.
http://admin5.geniebuilder.com/udata/ccre/docs/Consultation_paper_questionnaire.pdf
Executive Director bids government envoys farewell
UN-HABITAT's Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka this week received a standing ovation at the United Nations great hall in Nairobi when she formally took leave of the Committee of Permanent Representatives which acts on behalf of the governments overseeing UN-HABITAT.
Sporting a World Cup-style football jersey with the agency logo in front and the words "No. 1 Tibaijuka" on the back, Mrs. Tibaijuka, in her final speech to the Committee on Monday, hailed the steady strengthening of UN-HABITAT over her two terms in office:
"Since I first addressed this Committee some nine years ago, steady progress has been made in strengthening UN-HABITAT in its role to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8483&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
UCLG organising first Local and Regional Leaders' World Summit
The worldwide association of local and regional government, Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), is organising the first Local and Regional Leaders' World Summit, to be held from 16 to 20 November in Mexico City.
The event will take place in the context of the 3rd UCLG World Congress. Online registration is now open until 14 July if participants wish to benefit from early-bird registration fees.
The summit will aim at assessing current challenges while looking into the future for the world's municipalities and regions. Topics will include analysing the global crises and their local impacts, promoting innovation, supporting local economies, and finding new approaches to public services.
http://www.uclgcongress.com/
How Cities Can Take Advantange of Their Data
Public data can be more than information for cities. Some have even used it to help generate revenue.
Next American City's Christian Madera explores how cities can find operational and budgetary benefits by opening up their data.
"Fortunately, the need to provide information to the public and government’s need for revenue are not mutually exclusive. Open data efforts have the potential to create new economic value (that is taxed) and reduce operating costs and expeditures – benefits far exceed the measly sums that most agencies receive from data sales. In some cases, it may be difficult to capture some of that revenue and feed it back to the appropriate agency, but in a transit agency’s case, the money saved from developing online trip planning services could easily equal the lost revenue from data licensing. Boston’s MBTA has been a leader in this regard – launching its own apps contest to encourage developers to create predicative bus and scheduling services."
http://americancity.org/columns/entry/2383/
Cities and municipalities: submit your strategies for support of migrant elders
In the framework of the first “European Local Authorities Competition (ELAC) on Good Practices on the Support for Migrant Elders' Initiatives”, a call for submissions has been sent out calling on cities and municipalities. to present strategies for active ageing, for integrating and for improving the quality of life of migrant elders.
Indeed, “at a time of increasing migration throughout the world,” explains Armin Laschet, German Minister for Integration, it is important to determine “how ageing and elderly migrants can feel comfortable in their guest country”.
The projects put forward should revolve around areas such as housing, leisure and culture, social and intergenerational activities, support for economic activities vis-à-vis specific products and services and, supporting volunteering by and for migrant elders.
The deadline for submission is 31 October 2010 and initiatives must be innovative, sustainable, concrete, and transferable allowing for other local authorities to inspire themselves from existing or past initiatives. http://www.aktioncourage.de/ELACinenglish
An important year for ‘Inclusive Cities’
An update on EUROCITIES 2010 campaign against poverty
Europe is one of the richest regions of the world, yet poverty affects as much as 16% of the population, almost 80 million people. And the recession is clearly making things worse.
Poverty is not just about the lack of money, it is multi-dimensional. We are also talking about people with low-quality housing, poor health, limited education, skills and employment opportunities, and, for some, discrimination too.
City governments are in the front line dealing with poverty. Although they generate 85% of the EU’s GDP, cities are also the places where social exclusion is most acute, and in many cases concentrated in impoverished neighbourhoods.
With 2010 as the European year for combating poverty and social exclusion, EUROCITIES is actively raising awareness about the urban dimension of these problems. In particular we are showcasing cities’ good practice in addressing poverty comprehensively, through combined actions, for example on training and employment, housing, family support and health services.
Our campaign is part of our three-year ‘Inclusive Cities for Europe’ partnership with the European Commission, which strengthens the role of cities in developing European social policy. By improving the EU’s understanding of how best to tackle poverty locally, we can help to develop better and more coordinated social policies, and get more support for cities in delivering them.
Tackling poverty is not only an altruistic agenda. People are our greatest resource. Skilled up and in jobs, they are a driving force towards more prosperous and sustainable cities.
Regions and cities warn Member states that Europe 2020 does not have the means to deliver on its promises
The overwhelming majority of the cities and regions that responded to the consultation conducted by the CoR this spring believe that the Europe 2020 project, as it stands, does not have the means to deliver on its promises. Contributors also criticise the lack of time for a well coordinated decision taken by all levels of government and other stakeholders to ensure an effective implementation of the strategy. The CoR's First Vice-president, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, voiced these concerns in a letter sent yesterday to EU Heads of State and Government, as well as Presidents of EU institutions.
In their responses to the public consultation launched last April by the CoR, regional and local authorities have expressed doubts over the EU2020 strategy's policy actions and tools, its lack of flexibility in adapting to variable territorial conditions, and its proposed governance and funding channels. They are deeply concerned that Europe 2020 does not take into account existing socio-economic disparities and the uneven distribution of opportunities between and within regions and cities. Some key decisions, like target setting at EU and country levels, appear to have been made so far in a hasty, top-down manner. Contributors warned EU institutions that without their involvement there could be no ownership outside Brussels, and that a joint commitment from all tiers of government all over Europe remains crucial to the success of Europe 2020.
A New Direction for New Urbanists
At the 18th Annual Congress for New Urbanists, Andres Duany announced 'Agrarian Urbanism' as his new planning emphasis. He believes that the success of New Urbanism has stultified its progress and reduced its potential.
"Agrarian urbanism is a society involved with the growing of food," explains Duany. He now aims to create a locavorous community where the resident is responsible for designing his "own utopia." Greg Lindsay believes the ideas could be attractive to the Whole Foods demographic but is unsure if they are ready for the hard work involved with growing food. Duany concedes that his agrarian communities would still "end up hiring Hispanic laborers to do the dirty work," but that these laborers would have a closer relationship with their employers. http://www.fastcompany.com/1651619/the-new-urbanism-meets-the-end-of-the-world
World Urban Forum to be held in Bahrain
The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah on Wednesday received UN-HABITAT's Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, paving the way for Bahrain to host the sixth session of the World Urban Forum in 2012.
During her courtesy call, the Prime Minister assured Mrs. Tibaijuka of his government's support to UN-HABITAT and to the next Forum. She expressed her appreciation for the support which Bahrain had shown the agency over many years.
After the audience, she signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the next World Urban Forum with Bahrain's Minister of Housing, His Excellency Shaikh Ebrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
A press conference preceded the signing ceremony at which the Minister of Housing and Mrs. Tibaijuka outlined the benefits of hosting the world’s premier conference on cities.
Register for the 'Cities and Active Inclusion' conference!
In the past 18 months, EUROCITIES has established five Local Authority Observatories on Active Inclusion (LAOs), which have promoted mutual learning and analysis of the links between local, national and European policies on Active Inclusion.
At our conference on 8 July in Brussels, EUROCITIES and the five NLAO members - Bologna, Prague, Rotterdam, Southampton and Stockholm - will present their research findings on how cities are shaping housing and employment services in a way that contributes to the social inclusion of those furthest away from the labour market.
This upcoming EUROCITIES-NLAO milestone event, 'Cities and Active Inclusion: Challenges and responses at a local level' will give you an opportunity to talk with city representatives, stakeholders and the European institutions about effective ways in which to work in order to achieve the ambitions of the Active Inclusion Strategy and how together, we can help shape future policy developments at European level.
http://www.eurocities.eu/minisites/nlao/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=71
Cities discuss Intelligent Urban Planning
Around 80 participants discussed digital ways of urban planning in Linkoping, during the Knowledge Society Forum Summer event.
The event brought together a variety of speakers from local administrations, political leadership, the European Commission and academia. Speakers addressed ways of planning cities in a more participative, transparent and effective way.
Muharrem Demirok, Deputy Mayor of Linkoping, presented the city's vision on becoming the desirable and sustainable city.
During a panel discussion, speakers agreed that smart urban planning goes beyond classical urban planning and ideally integrates a variety of other processes, for instance municipal budgeting, neighbourhood regeneration strategies, climate change action plans, local transport plans, housing strategies and digital city plans.Cities of the Future – Three Turkish cities to lead by example
Cities of Istanbul, Kayseri and Trabzon will participate in a ground breaking collaborative project between international and Turkish water experts and local ministerial experts to create an integrated, more sustainable model for urban water management. The Turkish Ministry of the Environment and Forestry and the International Water Association (IWA) have today agreed to implement IWA’s Cities of the Future Programme with the three partner cities over a three year period.
Experts from the Istanbul Technical University, the Bogazici Institute of Environmental Sciences, other Turkish university collaborators and IWA international experts will provide models, technologies and approaches that meet the highest global standards in urban water management. The project will culminate in an international Cities of the Future Conference in Istanbul in 2013.
“Cities of the Future represents an acknowledgement by leaders in the water sector that the current, most predominately used techniques for water supply, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management do not reflect the growing realities of a changing global context.
Human population growth, rising incomes, and increased urbanization are colliding with resource limits and global warming to create an imperative for change in both the developing and developed regions,” said Dr Glen Daigger, President-elect of IWA.
“Cities of the Future is about ‘learning by doing’. Turkish and international experts will combine the facts on the ground with emerging global best practice gleaned from leading edge projects from around the world.”
City planners urged to stop building look-alike cities with "identical faces"
Global scholars have called for more efforts to be made in city planning to prevent the trend in which cities increasingly appear identical.
"Many Chinese cities used to be different, but they are monotonous in looks nowadays. More efforts should be made to protect their unique characteristics," said Sha Zukang, head of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
He made the remarks at a World Expo theme forum that ended Sunday in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The two-day forum attracted about 800 participants to discuss the value of cultural heritage along with urban regeneration.
"Globalization was causing more pressure to protect a nation's cultural heritage and many cultures were inundated in the process,' he added.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7026049.html
CEMR Policy Committee: Euro crisis reveals lack of governance
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) Policy Committee meeting, held from 3 to 4 June in Oslo, Norway, saw mayors and elected representatives of Europe's local and regional governments agree upon a final declaration.
The Oslo Declaration, sub-titled “For a common political effort to overcome the financial and economic crisis in Europe”, underlines the “lack of political, economic and financial governance” notably revealed by the Euro-crisis. Indeed, one of the EU's main weaknesses is that it “has remained to a large extent intergovernmental in nature, [which] has not helped Europeans to effectively combat the financial problems of some Eurozone countries” and the crisis in general. http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=1874
Countering Car-Orientation
Cities around the world are trying to undo decades of car-oriented planning. Lester Brown takes a look at the trend and finds some models for other global cities to follow.
By expanding public transportation, emphasizing public spaces and rediscovering reasons to get people out of their cars, cities around the world are trying to redefine their urban realms, according to Brown.
"The world’s cities are facing unprecedented challenges. In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Beijing, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities the air is so polluted that breathing is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. Respiratory illnesses are rampant. In many places, the number of hours commuters spend sitting in traffic-congested streets and highways climbs higher each year, raising frustration levels.
In response to these conditions, we are seeing the emergence of a new urbanism, a planning philosophy that environmentalist Francesca Lyman says 'seeks to revive the traditional city planning of an era when cities were designed around human beings instead of automobiles.'"
http://www.grist.org/article/parking-lots-to-parks-designing-livable-cities
Participate in the European Local Democracy Week
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls upon its member associations to promote the 2010 European Local Democracy Week (ELDW), which will take place from 11 to 17 October, amongst their own members, and more specifically, amongst local communities, cities and municipalities.
This year's main theme will be “the impact of sustainable communities in fighting climate change” in the context of the failure of the Copenhagen summit in meeting ambitious targets on environmental strategic issues and of taking into account the role of local and regional authorities in this process.
The ELDW is an annual European event, launched in 2007 and initiated by the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy. National and local activities, public debates, exhibitions and competitions are organised during the course of the week by participating local authorities in Council of Europe member states so that they may improve and promote local democracy.
More generally speaking, the ELDW provides a great opportunity for local councillors, civil servants and citizens to raise their awareness of democratic participation at the local level as a key factor in building a democratic European society.
In 2009, an estimated 3000 municipalities participated in the week and organised events under the ELDW label.
For more information, please visit the ELDW website. http://www.coe.int/t/congress/demoweek/default_EN.asp?
ZOOM Kids on the Move for Climate Action 2010!
The Climate Alliance of European Cities invites children from all over Europe to collect Green Footprints to help save the world’s climate. Through an activity week dedicated to sustainable mobility, climate change as well as the fun of movement and independent mobility, kids can examine their daily journeys and learn how to treat the world's climate with care. Each journey completed by foot, bike, roller skates, scooter, bus, train, etc. counts as one "Green Footprint". All nursery and primary school children are invited to participate because the more Green Footprints the better!
The "Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples" is Europe’s largest city network dedicated to climate protection. Since 1990, more than 1500 cities and municipalities have joined and made the commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent every five years. Climate Alliance’s European Secretariat helps its members by providing methods and tools to efficiently implement local climate change policies and to evaluate the achievements in terms of CO2 emissions reductions. It also promotes the exchange of experiences and lobbies for improved framework conditions at national, European and international levels.
For the ninth time, children from ages 4 to 10 years old from all over Europe will collect Green Footprints that illustrate a symbolic journey around the world until end of November 2010. This "Climate Voyage", with a total of ten stops on various continents, will start at the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, and end at the next UN Climate Summit in Mexico. The stops will highlight specific climate issues and problems that occur in each place. The children will find polar bears that are losing their habitats and orang-utans that are suffering from our toilet paper production. The students will also meet several children who will share their personal climate problems occurring in the places where they live. In order to complete this year's voyage, the goal is to collect the least 69,467 Green Footprints, as this is the amount of kilometres needed to complete the "Climate Voyage" to Mexico.
Tens of thousands children from all over Europe (and beyond) are eagerly waiting to ZOOM again. Together they hope to collect even more Green Footprints than 2009, when 180,000 children collected over 2.8 million Green Footprints. This can only be achieved with the help of national and international schools and day-care facilities. They are all invited to ZOOM and collect as many Green Footprints as possible! In December, Climate Alliance will hand over all Green Footprints collected to the participants of the 16th UN Climate Summit in Mexico to emphasize that "the little ones" won´t stop their climate actions despite the repeated empty promises about climate protection from "the big ones" attending UN Conferences. "ZOOM Kids on the Move for Climate Action", is a campaign that has been annually organized by Climate Alliance since 2002. In 2009 more than 118,000 children participated, collecting the incredible amount of 2.8 million Green Footprints. http://www.local-climate-protection.eu/zoom2010.html
Cities’ creative capital crucial to EU economy
Some 10% of city workers in Europe are employed by creative industries.
We must harness the creative capital of Europe’s cities to bring forward economic recovery. This is a key message from the mayors of Europe’s biggest cities reacting to ambitions outlined in the EU 2020 strategy.
Today some 10% of workers living in Europe’s largest cities are employed by the cultural and creative industries. For example, Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2008 generated an 8% growth in the city’s creative businesses, a 34% increase in visitors and an overall economic impact of €800 million.
Yet, despite such results, local authorities still face barriers in realising the economic potential of the sector. Research undertaken for Nantes Metropole revealed that 85% of creative businesses have problems accessing the support and finance targeted at SMEs, and that the market is failing to attract private investment in the industry.
Keeping Bad Property Investment Out Of Your City
A new report from PolicyLink presents strategies for keeping out bad land investment, such as when buyers "mothball" the property -- holding on to it without improving it -- bringing down the quality of the community.
Willy Staley at Next American City explains the report:
"The report identifies 36 specific strategies grouped into three broader approaches. The first approach is to encourage 'homebuyers and responsible investors to buy and fix up foreclosed properties'; the second describes how local governments and nonprofits can 'strategically [take] control of foreclosed properties'; and the third describes local policies that can hold 'property owners responsible for property condition.'"
http://americancity.org/columns/entry/2354/
Vienna ranked city with highest quality of living
Vienna, capital city of Austria, was given the title of city with the highest quality of living, according to a study published by Mercer, an American private consultancy firm, which ranked 221 cities in all five continents.
The study's main objective is to help governments and large companies better choose where they transfer their personnel internationally. Economic, political and environmental criteria were used to determine a city's quality of life rather than cultural factors, such as the artistic scene or night life. Other criteria included education, health, transport and public services.
The cities of Zurich and Geneva, Sweden, Vancouver, Canada, and Auckland, New Zealand, were also among the top five. http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving
“Dream of a smoke-free city” event held at the United Nations Pavilion
Last week, the United Nations Pavilion held a “Dream of a smoke-free city” celebration. Mark Rowswell, the Commissioner General of the Canada Pavilion which has committed to the anti-smoking campaign, presided over the ceremony.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had worked with Shanghai Singapore International School to co-organize a drawing competition entitled "dream of a smoke-free city". The young artists of the top 10 best entries were invited onto the UN Pavilion Forum stage to display and interpret their work.
China's Smoking Control Report 2010 shows that the number of smokers in China has reached 350 million and that nearly 1 million people die annually from smoking-related diseases. Chinese women's smoking rate is 3%, with 180 million children affected by secondhand smoke.
Recently, four departments including the Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued a document calling for all health administrative departments and at least 50% of the medical and health institutions to be smoke-free by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and some other cities have banned smoking in public places.
Greek debt crisis: what impact on local and regional authorities?
In early 2010, the European debt crisis began and, while mostly centred on Greece, the crisis has also notably spread through to Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In the context of this Euro crisis, the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities' (KEDKE) Secretary General, Vassilis Koromantzos, told the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) about how the current economic situation is affecting Greek local and regional governments and how these are dealing with the situation. KEDKE is the Greek member association of CEMR.
Impact of the crisis: 50% cut in local revenues
The most important impact of the debt crisis on Greek local and regional authorities mainly concerns their revenues. A reduction of at least 50% has been noticed in local revenues, and more particularly tax revenues. This decrease is mainly due to the fact that, although taxes are assessed, they are still not collected, as no payments are made.
As is to be expected, a reduction in revenues has resulted in a cutback of expenditures. One of the main issues with regards to limited expenditures is the reduction of the payroll cost, which was legislated in the framework of the current temporary fiscal measures. Furthermore, the emergency fiscal measures have reduced government grants. Compared to 2009, the decline in government grants has reached 20%. 10% of that amount comes as a result of the strict fiscal measures while the other 10% is due to the reduction in tax revenue from income tax.
http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/06/Greek-debt-crisis--what-impact-on-local-and-regional-authorities_1007.html
Cities of the Future, 2030
Six architecture firms were commissioned to envision cities 20 years from now for the Venice Biennale. The one thing they all shared? Self-driving cars.
The Economist says that an iPad-like device also appeared in several designs.
"There was, indeed, an odd orderliness about many of the presentations, not least in the way they dealt with cars. Pretty much all of the presentations assumed that cars would be self-piloting within 20 years, and that their interiors would, to some extent, be transformed into extensions of living spaces.
Some suggested a sort of descendant of the iPad offering an interface between car and passengers, an idea that seemed to emphasise the way in which the vehicles would feel like blank slates." http://www.economist.com/node/16266900
Migration to Integration
An Opportunity Agenda for Cities
Join us for the first International Cities of Migration Conference,
The Hague (Netherlands), October 3 - 4, 2010
Be part of a dynamic two-day conference that will engage international city leaders, migration experts and local practitioners in a practical dialogue on this essential dimension of city prosperity and growth.
Register before June 30 for Early Bird Discount! http://conference.citiesofmigration.ca/registration/overview/
Gearing up for the World Urban Campaign
Sonia Castedo Ramos, the Mayor of Alicante, Spain, hosted the fourth session of the World Urban Campaign’s steering committee. UN-Habitat designated Alicante as model of sustainable development, a recognition framed in the World Urban Campaign’s 100 Cities Initiative
Details on the campaign and the 100 Cities Initiative can be seen in the latest edition of UN-HABITAT’s flagship magazine, Urban World and on our dedicated campaign page http://www.unhabitat.org/categories.asp?catid=634. The initiative also has its own website. http://www.100citiesinitiative.org/
In April 2011 the City of Alicante will host the first 100 Cities Initiative Summit.
Ms. Inga Klevby, the Deputy Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, congratulated the committee for their hard work in preparing the launch of the World Urban Campaign and the 100 Cities initiative during the World Urban Forum in Rio in March.
More than 50 international partners representing public, business and civil society sectors, were represented at the meeting. They included Press Group, Arcadis, Veolia Environment, Siemens and Zerofootprint.
New international partners represented at the meeting included ENDA third world, an international NGO based in Dakar, Senegal, and the International Union of Architects.
New EUKN Brochure
In the past five years, the European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) has developed into a learning platform for urban practitioners, policy makers, project leaders and other stakeholders from all over Europe and beyond. Recently, EUKN made a new brochure to inform all its stakeholders about the network.
In the new brochure, EUKN informs you about the latest developments in the network and in the field, the newest services and the new members of EUKN. The brochure also explains how to use the (new) servies of EUKN.
http://www.eukn.org/binaries/eukn/news/2010/lowres_euknfolder-2010.pdf
World Cup's Impact on Transit in South Africa
This post from The City Fix looks at some of the new public transit systems that have been built in South Africa ahead of this year's World Cup.
New bus rapid transit systems were prompted by South Africa's World Cup hosting duties, and now those systems are coming into form in cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
"The Public Transport and Infrastructure Systems Grant allocated R$11.7 billion – around US$1.5 billion - for accelerated transport projects for the World Cup. The country has now spent more than US$2.6 billion on transportation and infrastructure projects."
http://thecityfix.com/spotlight-on-the-world-cup-south-africa-boosts-city-transit-systems/
Messages from Dunkerque 2010, 19-21 May 2010
More recognition for the role of local and regional authorities in the creation of smart, sustainable economies was the key message delivered at the 6th Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference, which took place in Dunkerque on 19-21 May 2010. After three days of debate, analysis, discussions and presentations, the more than1800 participants of Europe’s largest local sustainability event adopted two political declarations that aim to shape the role of local governments in years to come.
In an ever changing economic, political and strategic background, 2010 is a landmark year for the recognition of local autonomy and territorial cohesion. The Lisbon Treaty enters into force, but there are still many uncertainties on how economic growth and sustainability will or can be managed.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4440&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=bd2d2d9f7e
Washington D.C. is the Healthiest City in the U.S.?
A new study by the American College of Sports Medicine says so, due to low rates of diabetes, obesity and several other factors. Oklahoma City is not OK, however; it's at the bottom of the list.
From Health News: "In the top 10, there are 2 in the East, 1 Midwest, 1 South, and 6 in the West. San Francisco, although ranked #8 had the lowest obesity rate at 18.4%, while Minneapolis, ranked #3, had the highest exercise rate."
Metropolitan survey areas (MSAs) were used rather than just the central cities in calculating the results.
The impact of land use on health is addressed in the report: "The fundamentals for improving physical activity behaviors involve increasing awareness and motivation at the personal level, providing a built environment and resources that support physical activity, as well as setting policies to encourage individuals to engage in physical activity as part of a healthier lifestyle."
The full report is available here. http://www.americanfitnessindex.org/report.htm
Agenda 21, Italian style
The Italian Local Agenda 21 Association (A21 Italy) recently produced a booklet entitled, The Commitments of the Cities and Territories of Italy for the Climate, which outlines a 12-point Charter of the same name and offers concrete examples of how Italian communities are fulfilling the requirements of each Charter point.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4445&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=cda525866d
UN-HABITAT and partners to host training on urban policing
UN-HABITAT and three other partners are coming together to offer a training seminar on improving policing public events in urban areas.
The other partners joining hands with UN-HABITAT are the Institute of Public Safety of Catalonia in partnership with the Swedish National Police Board and the city of Montréal police service for the training seminar under the theme: Improving Policing of Public Events in Urban Spaces which will from 12-16 July 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.
This training seminar is organised under the framework of the Police Platform for Urban Development (PPUD) which was established in 2009 to promote the dialogue between the police, the city managers, urban development actors, and key stakeholder groups thereby enhancing social cohesion and conviviality in urban spaces. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8436&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1
World City Prize winner revealed
The inaugural Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize has been awarded to Bilbao. The Spanish city famous for the Guggenheim art museum was picked from 78 nominations from 32 countries for a “knowledge revolution” that transformed a fading post-industrial city into a vibrant culture and business hub.
A special mention went to the City of Melbourne and the Chief Minister of New Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, for her efforts in modernising the Indian capital. The award, which is organised by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities, is based on four key criteria – liveability, vibrancy, sustainability, and quality of life.
“By 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities,” said Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of the URA and a member of the Nominating Committee. “How cities stand up to this challenge depends on foresight, good governance, planning, sustainability, and innovation.”
Ibon Areso, Deputy Mayor of Bilbao City Hall, who gave a presentation on Bilbao’s story at the URA’s headquarters last week (May 18th 2010), said that the Basque city’s rejuvenation has been driven by a “knowledge revolution” that began in the 1980s. Then, Bilbao’s traditional industries were collapsing, unemployment was high (25 per cent) and infrastructure was crumbling.
European cities and towns shaping low carbon, greener futures in Dunkerque
Dunkerque, France 21 May 2010 - More recognition of the role local and regional authorities can play and the creation of smart, sustainable economies were the messages delivered at the 6th Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference. After three days of debate, analysis, discussions and presentations the more than1,500 participants at Dunkerque 2010, Europe’s largest local sustainability event, accepted two political declarations that aim to shape the role of local governments in years to come.
“These declarations contain the essential means to evolve developing European policies. They contain the vital elements of our ideas and work so we need to put all our energy behind them” said Michel Delebarre, President of the Metropolitan Council of Dunkerque, host of the event.
In an ever changing economic, political and strategic background, 2010 is a landmark year for the recognition of local autonomy and territorial cohesion. The Lisbon Treaty enters into force, but there are still many uncertainties on how economic growth and sustainability will or can be managed. The Dunkerque 2010 Local Sustainability Declaration states that we must make the transition to a sustainable, green and inclusive economy, as current models are resource and energy intensive and cannot stand up to a changing economic climate.
It demands that we prioritise investments and manage resources in a more efficient and greener way to enhance citizens quality of life. European cities and town must ensure that all citizens can fully take part in a low carbon lifestyle. By creating innovative, sustainable and inclusive communities we can make our cities and towns better places to live in.
Cities Seek to Quantify Rise in Bicycle Ridership
Planners in cities across the country are installing electronic sensors to track how many people are making use of bike lanes and trails.
With bicycle use increasing in the U.S., planners are keen to quantify the increase and identify areas where more bicycle infrastructure may be necessary.
"Transportation planners in states and municipalities across the USA are increasingly deploying high-tech sensors along bicycle and pedestrian paths to map trail, sidewalk and bike-lane use and assess future needs.
Planners have long collected data about the number of vehicles on major roads by placing rubber-strip counters across travel lanes, but those counters are generally unable to detect passing cyclists, says David Patton, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for Arlington County, Va."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-10-bike-counters_N.htm
Community Trees: A Living Investment
Communities need effective tools to help them manage one of their greatest assets—their trees. To help meet this need, the U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry worked with State partners to develop the DVD Community Trees: A Living Investment. This high-resolution DVD promotes the value of trees in our lives and in our communities using validated scientific research and citizen testimonials. The videos included on the DVD educate community members who can help build stronger tree care programs to ensure that urban forests are as healthy and well managed as possible.
The videos include a discussion about proper tree care and provide the next steps on how to get involved in community forestry efforts.
The DVD was produced for decisionmakers, community advocates, and citizens. http://www.na.fs.fed.us/urban/community_trees/index.shtm
Call for research proposals “Location of economic activities and city-regions sustainable development”
Numerous analytical studies have been carried out on the dynamics of urban development, generally focusing on the location of residential development or justified by the significant level of tension in the housing market in towns and cities. These analyses frequently underestimate the role played by economic activities in these processes, both as regards the consumption of land and the increase in movements of goods and people brought about by decisions on where to locate such activities. From another point of view, research on regional sustainability rarely, if ever, attaches much importance to the impact of regulatory policies and measures implemented in relation to sustainable development on decisions taken about the location of economic activities.
The Plan Urbanisme Construction et Architecture (PUCA – Urban Development, Construction and Architecture Plan), the research planning department for the Direction générale de l’Aménagement, du Logement et de la Nature (DGALN – Regional Development, Housing and Nature Directorate) at the MEEDDM (French Ministry for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea) plans to examine the question of the location of economic activities and city-regions sustainable development. http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/05/Call-for-research-proposals_1030.html
“We need to protect and reinforce our cities”
For four months now, Spain has held the presidency of the European Union. Its main activities have included meetings on social policy, the economic crisis and internal security. Naturally, cities also play an important role in these policy areas. What are the plans of the Spanish Presidency in this respect? At the end of April 2010 the Directors General of Urban Development met in Madrid to prepare the agenda and contents of the Informal Meeting of Ministers on Housing and Urban Development. During this meeting, taking place on 22-23 June in Toledo, the most pressing urban issue – urban sustainability – will be discussed in the light of social, economic and environmental developments. According to Beatriz Corredor Sierra, the Spanish Minister of Housing, this meeting will be of great importance for cities, because it will follow up on the Leipzig Charter and the Reference Framework for European Sustainable Cities, both of which have been on the European agenda for several presidencies now. Corredor stresses the value of cities. She argues that “we need to protect and reinforce our cities and develop their potential to the full. At the same time we should contribute to laying the foundations for a new and more sustainable productive model.” This new sustainable model should be different from the model that is currently applied, Corredor states. “The model which has been evolving for some time now, has brought us to the worldwide economic and financial crisis. Therefore we are now experiencing a period of evolution and change, moving towards a scenario in which urban themes, cities, will play a fundamental role in the near future, up to the horizon set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy.” http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/05/interview-beatriz-corredor-sierra_1027.html
Maintaining Public Spaces may bankrupy City
The City of Walnut, California says it is shelling out $300,000 a year to light streets and maintain public parks and plazas. The property tax assessment that is supposed to pay for maintainance hasn't been increased since the 1990s.
A property tax increase is highly unpopular in Walnut, so city officials are working on other options.
"One thought, [Councilwoman Mary] Su said, is to try and generate more revenue across the city, possibly through the development of some vacant lots to offset the costs." The mayor is promoting the idea of increasing efficiency in watering and electricity to make up the shortfall.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_15093112?IADID=Search-www.sgvtribune.com-www.sgvtribune.com
Getting Smart About Climate Change
In recent years, the debate over the causes and potential consequences of climate change has evolved into a dynamic discussion of how government at all levels should respond. On the local level, policy makers have begun to recognize that many of the nation’s current challenges—such as climate change, public health, and dependence on foreign oil—have revealed how unsustainable traditional development patterns and the policies that support them can be.
As a result, a growing number of local governments across the United States are using smart growth approaches in their efforts to address climate change in their communities. In urban and suburban areas, in small towns and rural areas, and in every region of the country—from Keene, New Hampshire, to Sarasota County, Florida, to Sacramento, California, to Tacoma, Washington—local government professionals are incorporating smart growth principles into their climate protection plans. http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/article.asp?resource=4637
Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution
A piece in The Atlantic argues that telecommuting trends could have significant impacts on the built environment.
The possibility of both fewer children per household and more telecommuters raises interesting possibilities for urban planning--including new uses for civic spaces, different transportation patterns, and the like. "I think it's also going to make things easier for a generation of dads who want to see their kids more, and moms who want to balance career and child-rearing. It's also going to benefit the more privileged class of white collar workers as compared to retail folks, service industry workers, and others who need more than an Internet connection to do their jobs."
http://www.theatlantic.com/special-report/the-future-of-the-city/archive/2010/05/looking-ahead/56675/
UN-HABITAT joins the Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence
UN-HABITAT became a member of the Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence, during the fifth World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which took place from March 22 to 26.
UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Amb. Alexandre Addor-Neto, Secretary for Multidimensional Security at the Organization of American States, Cecilia Martinez, Director of the Regional Office for Latin America and The Caribbean, Elkin Velasquez, Safer Cities Programme’s coordinator and Elizabeth Gozzer, Technical Secretary of the Coalition, were present.
Founded in 2000, the Coalition is an alliance of inter-American and international agencies formed to develop strategies and solutions to address high levels of violence and crime in the Americas.
Its purpose is to act as a catalyst for the prevention of violence in the Americas by increasing knowledge about systematic violence prevention and by facilitating the development of partnerships and programs that put this knowledge into practice.
Budget commissioner expresses willingness to collaborate with decentralised governments
EU Budget Commissioner, Janusz Lewandowski, recognised the vital role of local and regional authorities and expressed his willingness to work with these in the context of the EU budget review and beyond, at the occasion of a high-level informal exchange held on 17 May, in Brussels.
The exchange brought together the Commissioner and representatives from the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and EUROCITIES.
ICLEI Oceania gets $258,000 boost from Australian government
ICLEI Oceania’s Water Campaign has been awarded $258,000 in Federal Government funding under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns competitive grants program.
The grants program supports communities with fewer than 50,000 people by implementing practical projects that save water and reduce water losses. The funding is a component of Australia’s Water for the Future program.
"We know that water supplies in our cities and towns are under increasing pressure from our growing population and the emerging effects of climate change," said Senator Penny Wong, the Australian Minister of Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water.
200 million litres of potable water will be saved each year as a result of water conservation projects across Western Australia.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4434&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=54120c059e
How The Census Affects Cities
The Census is being collected and urban officials are waiting to see how this decade;s count will affect how federal funding is distributed. Next American City talks with the Brookings Institution's Andrew Reamer about what's at stake.
Reamer talks about why the long form of the Census was not included in this year's mailing, and how this year's count will determine where the federal government's money will go.
"It affects close to a half of a trillion dollars a year in federal funding, largely in the form of grants, and the bulk of those grants go to people in need," says Reamer.He also talks about the role states need to play in determining how federal funding trickles down to cities.
http://americancity.org/podcast/episode/the-soul-of-the-census-an-interview-with-andrew-reamer/
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