May Headlines - click to see the full story
29/5/2010 - Regional ‘stars’ rewarded for innovative projects
29/5/2010 - CIGI launches G20 web page and mobile video app
29/5/2010 - CEMR highlights Scottish targets for the fight against climate change
28/5/2010 - New Housing/Mobility Measurement For Affordability Is 45%
28/5/2010 - Cross-border Cooperation meeting
27/5/2010 - Greens Vs. HOAs
27/5/2010 - City Biodiversity Summit 2010
27/5/2010 - African professionals push green building agenda
26/5/2010 - "National leaders failed at Copenhagen: local leaders must not"
26/5/2010 - Medellin leading public architecture trends
25/5/2010 - Toyko: Asia's first mandatory emissions trading scheme
25/5/2010 - "EU needs ambitious project with citizens at heart"
24/5/2010 - Making Mecca a "Mecca" for Public Transit
23/5/2010 - Final URBACT Conference
22/5/2010 - ICLEI Future of Cities Congress
22/5/2010 - Territorial Innovation Awards: call for applications open until 30 June
21/5/2010 - Applications pour in for UN-HABITAT Urban Youth Fund
21/5/2010 - New survey reveals wide disparities in how European citizens view quality of life in their cities
21/5/2010 - German municipalities struggle with record deficits
20/5/2010 - How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
20/5/2010 - Cities for Mobility registration opens shortly
19/5/2010 - Park Formulas do More Harm Than Good
19/5/2010 - Learning sustainable public procurement in Brazil
18/5/2010 - With Tourism Down, Japanese Cities Question Their Attractions
18/5/2010 - 500 local and regional governments commit to reducing their CO2 emissions
18/5/2010 - Getting Smart about Climate Change
17/5/2010 - Urbanization raised at World Economic Forum on Africa
17/5/2010 - The Rise of Security Cameras in New York City
16/5/2010 - 5th European seminar on local homeless strategies
15/5/2010 - Europeans most concerned about jobs and housing
14/5/2010 - ICLEI partners with United States Department of Energy
14/5/2010 - A new regional report for Arab cities
14/5/2010 - CIVITAS FORUM – call for speaker contributions now open!
13/5/2010 - The Sustainable Transportation Divide
13/5/2010 - Energie-Cités becomes Energy Cities
12/5/2010 - Cities of Migration webinar
12/5/2010 - EU, Latin American, Carribean local and regional authorities get together
11/5/2010 - A dazzling World Expo opening
11/5/2010 - Build and plan the desirable city, 9-11 June 2010
11/5/2010 - EU seals deal to shield Euro from speculators
10/5/2010 - Clean Cars: Salvation or Problem?
9/5/2010 - “1st Urban Photo Competition´s winner attended the WUF 5”
8/5/2010 - eSUM (European Safer Urban Motorcycling) Workshop
7/5/2010 - REAL CORP proceedings available online
7/5/2010 - The Greenest Cities
7/5/2010 - Cities choose to go forward
6/5/2010 - Adding Mixed Use to Cairo's Sprawling Suburbs
6/5/2010 - Providing new urban services in Mongolia
6/5/2010 - CEMR and LGA pleased to see European Parliament reject 5% penalty for late payments
5/5/2010 - New interactive map of the URBACT projects now online !
5/5/2010 - Cities 'frustrated' by EU innovation policy
4/5/2010 - Coastal Cities and Climate Change
4/5/2010 - URBAN TRACK Final Conference “New products and strategies for urban rail track infrastructure”
3/5/2010 - Brussels: worst traffic jams in Europe
3/5/2010 - ONE EARTH ONE UN unveiled at Shanghai Expo
2/5/2010 - EP hearing: CEMR preaches respect of partnership principle
2/5/2010 - US senators push urban development legislation
1/5/2010 - Which city will become the 2012 European Capital of Sports?
1/5/2010 - Moving Toward a Shrinking Cities Metric: Analyzing Land Use Changes Associated With Depopulation in Flint, Michigan
1/5/2010 - 55,000 to be granted security of tenure in Pernambuco thanks to UN-HABITAT’s Global Land Tool Network
Regional ‘stars’ rewarded for innovative projects
The European Commission recently presented its annual 'RegioStars' awards for the most innovative EU-funded projects. Commission officials told EurActiv that the awards' growing popularity could serve to improve information sharing across the EU-27. The awards allow the EU executive to shine the spotlight on a particular aspect of innovation, with a different set of priorities being highlighted each year. In 2010, the focus was on a number of key issues, such as the integration of migrants in urban areas and broadband coverage in less-developed regions.
http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/05/regional-stars-rewarded-for-innovative-projects_1028.html
CIGI launches G20 web page and mobile video app
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) launched its G20-focussed web page on May 11, as public attention begins to centre on the critical issues to be discussed by world leaders at this year’s G8 and G20 Summits hosted by Canada.
Over the past six years, CIGI has produced a wealth of rigorous analytical research on a range of international governance issues, including the urgent need for the establishment of the G20 as the world’s premier forum for addressing global problems.
The new site, www.cigionline.org/g20, is designed to provide visitors with the full range of CIGI’s G20 research. CIGI fellows, chairs and researchers will present ideas and reflections related to the G20 summit through a series of short, policy-relevant articles, blogs, commentaries, video commentaries and related research. In the coming months, CIGI will be adding new content to this page.
CIGI also recently launched its first mobile video application which broadens access to CIGI’s experts and research. It is available as a free download for BlackBerry® and iPhone® smartphone users. To download the app, visit www.cigionline.org/app or the respective app stores.
http://www.cigionline.org/G20
CEMR highlights Scottish targets for the fight against climate change
The ambitious Scottish Climate Change Act was highlighted by Councillor Alison Hay, Chair of the CEMR Environment Working Group and Environment spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), during a session on “Utilities: Energy and Water” held on 20 May during the 6th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns in Dunkirk. http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=1858
New Housing/Mobility Measurement For Affordability Is 45%
The housing affordability rule of thumb is that you should not pay more that 30% of your income in rent or mortgage payment. Yet that ratio doesn't include the transportation costs that vary by community. What would it be if it was included?
The current 30% yardstick fails to include transportation costs, including costs of vehicle ownership, insurance and operation. What if a new ratio was developed to include the costs of mobility that varies among communities - and went further than just measuring commuting distances?
The Center for Neighborhood Technology had done just that through research, dubbed "H+T Affordability Index"that shows that "the combined cost of housing and transportation shouldn't exceed 45 percent of your income." (Click on the map to see the H+T Index where you live).
Their "study was based on demographic, economic and transportation data from 337 U.S. metropolitan areas. The concept is helping shape new federal and state policies to encourage development of more compact communities that aren't so far-flung and promote less driving."
"Length of commutes is not the dominant factor. Each neighborhood has a unique fingerprint of such costs. It's determined by the length of commutes and trips to run errands...The more spread out a neighborhood, the more people depend on cars, often needing more than one. The availability of mass transit is large factor."
Cross-border Cooperation meeting
Invited by Michel Delebarre, president of MOT, cross-border stakeholders are meeting in Paris, on 2 June, on the topic: "The organization and financing of cross-border cooperation in Europe".
Among the political figures are notably announced: Pierre Lellouche, French Secretary of state for European affairs, Michel Mercier, French Minister for rural areas and spatial planning and representatives of the European institutions.
This conference will be held in the context of MOT Annual General Meeting (3 June), chaired by Michel Delebarre, President of MOT, former French Minister of State, MP and Mayor of Dunkerque.
This first results of the French parliamentary mission on cross-border cooperation will be presented. The debates will put this French initiative in perspective with other examples in Europe of how to organize cross-border cooperation at national level, as in Portugal.
To download the programme: http://www.espaces-transfrontaliers.org/docdivers/EN_invitation_prg_2_3_june_MOT.pdf
Greens Vs. HOAs
HOAs are mandated to protect the aesthetics of their community. That goal is clashing with many who want to install solar panels on their roofs. States are fighting back with laws prohibiting HOAs from banning panels.
Texas and Illinois have both considered laws to prohibit HOAs from having a say on solar panels, and other states have strengthened existing laws.
from USA TODAY: "...many homeowners don't even consider solar energy because they anticipate problems with their associations, said Rob McPherson, an area manager for Houston-based solar installer Standard Renewable Energy.
About 20% of McPherson's potential customers run into problems with associations, he said."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-05-12-green-conflict_N.htm?csp=34
City Biodiversity Summit 2010
The City Biodiversity Summit will take place parallel to the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The Summit will involve local government leaders and practitioners, representatives of organisations and others from around the world, and will cover a wide variety of topics pertinent to biodiversity management at the local level.
The Summit is being organized by City of Nagoya and Aichi prefecture in close collaboration with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
ICLEI's Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) program engages its Members in the The LAB Biodiversity & Climate Change (CC) WorkNet. This project focuses on strengthening the links between biodiversity management and climate change at the local level. LAB offers a wide range of publications and resources about urban biodiversity on its website.
This is an unprecedented opportunity to recognize the International Year of Biodiversity and to advocate for the importance of engaging cities and local authorities in the post-2010 implementation phase of the Convention.
African professionals push green building agenda
Building professionals from some 20 countries across Africa concluded a three-day conference in Nairobi with a declaration of commitment to promote and foster green building practices in Africa, and a call to form an African Network of Green Building Councils.
The conference, on “Promoting Green Building Rating in Africa”, was held 4-6 May, and hosted by the UN-HABITAT at its Nairobi headquarters.
The “Nairobi Declaration on Green Building in Africa” noted the tremendous environmental and social challenges that rapid urbanization poses for Africa, and participants committed themselves to, among other things, promote green practices, from planning, design, construction and operation of the built environment, as well as to the use of appropriate building materials, technologies, services and processes that minimize green house gas emissions in Africa.
The builders also stressed the importance of exploring traditional building practices that have proven to be environmentally beneficial, while at the same time addressing the continent’s critical need for mass housing constructions.
Participants further called for the formation of national Green Building Councils in African countries. Under the auspices of the World Green Building Council, these Councils would advocate for green building practices, develop tools that rate the environmental performance of buildings, and strengthen the capacity of building professionals.
"National leaders failed at Copenhagen: local leaders must not"
A new initiative from the Committee of the Regions (CoR) will help signatories of the Covenant of Mayors turn their commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions into a concrete reality, as local leaders push ahead with plans to tackle climate change despite the failure of Copenhagen.
Speaking at the Covenant of Mayors signing ceremony in the European Parliament on 4 May, CoR First Vice-President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso said: " National leaders failed at Copenhagen: local leaders must not. We have today launched a survey on sustainable energy policies in regions and cities as the first phase of our initiative to collect and disseminate best practice in tackling climate change. I invite all signatories of the Covenant of Mayors, and all local and regional authorities, to participate. This is not simply a question of collecting information about who is doing what – it is also an opportunity to see how they are doing it, why they are doing it and how they could do it better by working together with others."
Building on the expertise of its Europe2020 Monitoring Platform, enlarged to include contributions from Covenant of Mayors members, the CoR will compile a unique database of action being carried out at the local level to combat global warming. The data will then be shared with all the members of the platform and Covenant of Mayors signatories to allow them to learn from their peers about how best to meet their obligations to cut emissions. The results will also form part of the Committee of the Regions' contributions to the new EU Energy Action Plan, which will set the framework for European energy policy to 2020, and to the special session of the European Council devoted to energy policy in May 2011.
http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/05/National-leaders-failed-at-Copenhagen--local-leaders-must-not_1020.html
Medellin leading public architecture trends
Medellín, Colombia is better known for drug kingpins than architects, but a boom in exciting contemporary architecture with a humanitarian approach has both planners and designers flocking to the city.
Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne paid a visit to Medellín after hearing the hype and is a convert.
He writes, "The city's commitment to public architecture, spearheaded by former mayor Sergio Fajardo, has — as advertised — produced a number of exquisitely designed libraries, schools and parks. Rising in some of Medellín's roughest neighborhoods, these projects are the capstones of a broader civic rebirth that has seen murder rates tumble nearly 90% from their highs of the early 1990s."
Hawthorne sees what's happening in Medellín as a unique blend of the two camps of current architectural trends, the experimental and the humanitarian.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-medellin-20100509-1,0,2143183.story
Toyko: Asia's first mandatory emissions trading scheme
Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) has been examining ways to bolster the fight against global warming since announcing its Tokyo Climate Change Strategy in June 2007. Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, proposed an emissions trading program with mandatory reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions by large-scale emitters. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed the proposal, making Japan’s first cap-and-trade emissions trading program an official policy.
TMG has developed a cap-and-trade program that many advanced nations and regions are also moving towards since the first of such a schemes was introduced by the European Union in 2005. TMG’s program is the first of its kind in Japan and in Asia.
"EU needs ambitious project with citizens at heart"
What is Europe doing to counter the effects and to face the challenges of the current economic crisis and its worrisome social repercussions? Such were the questions put forward by Michael Häupl, .President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Mayor and Governor of Vienna, in his column published at the occasion of Europe Day, on 9 May.
In his column, written in the name of European local and regional authorities, CEMR's President underlined that the will of some member states to solve problems at a European level seems limited, including in the recent debate on solidarity amongst members of the Eurozone.
In the context of the European Commission's new 2010 work programme, Häupl declared that the European Union's construction is still underway but Europe needs to reassert itself in its development and build a project with all levels of government, including local and regional authorities.
Making Mecca a "Mecca" for Public Transit
Already a substantial city of 1.5 million, Mecca more than doubles its population during the annual hajj pilgrimage -- which is expected to bring in 8 million people by 2030. Moving so many people will require a world-class public transit system.
An international group of engineers are working to turn Mecca into an "transit powerhouse" to help support its growing population and the demands of its annual sacred hajj pilgrimage. According to the Globe and Mail,
"A site that is regarded as one of the holiest on the planet is gearing up for a 21st-century transit makeover. Mecca, birthplace of Mohammed, is aiming to create a massive, multimodal public transit network to accommodate the millions of Muslim pilgrims who flock there. And Canadian transportation engineers are among those helping them.
There are already plans under way for wide-ranging subway, light-rail and rapid-transit bus lines. But even at maximum capacity – each subway line carrying 50,000 people an hour in each direction, and each LRT and BRT line carrying about half that – these won’t be enough to accommodate the growth in pilgrims and residents expected over the next two decades."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/making-mecca-move/article1565650/?cmpid=rss1
Final URBACT Conference
The final conference of the URBACT “EGTC”* project was hosted by the City of Esztergom, in Hungary, on 6 and 7 May 2010. During these two days, the partners delivered the conclusions they have come to at the end of these two years of working together in order to improve governance of cross-border conurbations. Representatives of European institutions (Commission, Committee of the Regions, Council of Europe) took an active role in the debate, also opened to other cross-border territories.
ICLEI Future of Cities Congress
The Future of Cities Congress (5-7 October, Incheon, Republic of Korea) will be this year's key international congress on eco-efficiency, resilience, green economy and happiness in cities.
At this momentous event, ICLEI will also celebrate its 20th anniversary and launch its 2010 - 2015 global strategy.
Visit www.iclei.org/incheon2010 to download conference announcements in English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.
Territorial Innovation Awards: call for applications open until 30 June
The call for applications for the 2010 Awards for Territorial Innovation, which promotes the use of ICT innovations in French and European territories, is open until 30 June 2010.
The awards will be delivered during the 5th RuraliTIC forum,.a meeting platform for local and regional decision makers, executives, territorial agents and ICT experts. Around 700 guests are expected to participate in a series of thematic roundtables and sessions, which will present innovative territorial ICT applications. http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=1854
Applications pour in for UN-HABITAT Urban Youth Fund
The UN-HABITAT Urban Youth Fund is growing increasingly popular with youth groups across the developing world judging by a 40 percent rise in applications over last year. Among regions showing the largest increase in applications are Latin America, the Middle East and Central Asia.
By the close of the second call for applications d on 15 April 2010, more than 1,500 applications from 86 countries had been received. This massive interest clearly demonstrates the need to provide funding for youth-led development projects to cities in the developing world.
A majority of applications were received from youth-led organizations in Africa, while organizations in Asia also submitted a large share of applications. The countries generating the most applications were, as in 2009, India, Kenya and Uganda.
The fund will in 2010 award a total of USD 1 million to youth-led organizations working to improve the living conditions of their communities. Recipients of the grants will be announced on 12 August 2010, International Youth Day.
The next call for applications will be announced in January 2011.
New survey reveals wide disparities in how European citizens view quality of life in their cities
The Commission today releases the results of an opinion poll looking at how citizens perceive the quality of life in 75 major European cities. In these challenging economic times, availability of jobs and housing costs remain dominant concerns. Although responses reveal wide disparities overall, transport, heath and education services generally score well. The wealth of information provided by the survey is not only useful for city planners and decision-makers, but also for citizens who would like to know which cities are seen as good places to live.
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/themes/urban/audit/index_en.htm
German municipalities struggle with record deficits
The head of the German Cities Council has warned that German municipalities are facing the worst budget crisis in decades. All told, German cities and towns are 15 billion euros in the hole.
German municipalities are facing record levels of budget deficits in 2010, according to Petra Roth, head of the German Cities Council. In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, Roth said the total deficit of German municipalities is around 15 billion euros ($19 billion), which is about 3 billion more than expected. "Our budgets are completely overstretched," said Roth, who is also the mayor of Frankfurt.
Trade tax
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Roth, head of the German Cities Council, would like to keep the trade tax. While Roth praised Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to put off planned tax cuts, she was critical of Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble's intention to get rid of a trade tax.
The trade tax is a fee on company profits and has been helpful to municipalities. Critics of the tax, including many economic groups, say that the tax revenues only come from a few companies, as many are considered exceptions and not included. Municipalities claim that the source of income is critical, especially since it reflects local economies. Roth said that the trade tax had proven its worth despite some weaknesses, and that Schaeuble would do better to modernize the tax rather than getting rid of it completely.
How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
This commentary from Urban Omnibus looks at how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a problem with roots in unsustainable land use.
Vishaan Chakrabarti argues that low-density sprawl that encourages a high reliance on oil has created this tragedy, and that we must rethink how we live.
"Do we, for instance, have the introspection to understand that drilling for oil, mining for coal, and supporting the oppression of petroleum regimes should all go the way of the Dodo? Do we understand that extraction is tantamount to extinction?
Conversely, do we have the introspection to understand that when a liberal juggernaut like the Kennedy family fights a wind farm in their own view shed, it’s an invitation for Sarah Palin to invoke us to “drill, baby, drill?”
...As goes our land use, so goes our economy. As our bodies grow horizontally with our cities, we spend more money per capita on healthcare then any nation on earth. And as we feed our cravings by pouring money into roads instead of rails, care instead of prevention, and oil wars instead of renewable resources, we finally arrive at the gaping sprawl of our deficit." http://urbanomnibus.net/2010/05/spill-baby-spill/
Cities for Mobility registration opens shortly
The City of Stuttgart would like to remind you about the fourth World Congress of the global network "Cities for Mobility" which will take place in Stuttgart
Registration will be available from May 21, 2010 on our website www.cities-for-mobility.org
We are looking forward to seeing you in July in Stuttgart!
Park Formulas do More Harm Than Good
Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land, believes that formulas for how much parkland cities and neighborhoods cause more harm than good.
Harnik, interviewed by Kaid Benfield on the release of his new book Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities (Island Press, 2010), believes that parks should be approached 'with a process rather than a standard.'
Benfield writes, "The elements of a good process include taking stock of current conditions, involving the public, assessing costs and benefits, a budget and timeline, an implementation assessment, and so on. Quantitative data are relevant (e.g., population density is the single most important factor in assessing park needs; spending per capita is more revealing than acreage per capita) but never dispositive."
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/interested_in_how_to_think_abo.html
Learning sustainable public procurement in Brazil
ICLEI Brazil ran a Multiplier Course for Sustainable Public Procurement from April 14-16 thanks to a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Planning and Budget Management of Brazil.
The course addressed the link between sustainable development and current consumption patterns as well as outlining a step-by-step guide for implementing procurement practices at the federal level.
The training, which provoked extensive and lively debate, attracted about 80 representatives from government administration, non-governmental groups and federal foundations. http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=11403
With Tourism Down, Japanese Cities Question Their Attractions
Japan is struggling to lure tourists, which is causing officials there to rethink how they market their cities and what sorts of attractions they should be offering.
It's also causing them to wonder about what attractions they shouldn't be offering. A proposed aquarium in Kyoto has sparked controversy over what the city needs to be doing to convince tourists to visit.
"Whether or not Kyoto gets the 118,000-square-foot aquarium, experts say that Japan clearly needs to re-examine its approach to tourism, a $944 billion industry worldwide — bigger than autos, bigger than steel.
Despite choice destinations like ancient Kyoto and modern, bustling Tokyo, as well as beach and ski resorts, Japan attracted just 8.4 million foreign visitors in 2008 — a small fraction of France’s 79 million, the United States’ 58 million or China’s 53 million, according to the World Tourism Organization. In 2009, the number of foreign visitors to Japan dropped an additional 18.7 percent, to 6.79 million, amid the global recession, according to Japan’s government."
500 local and regional governments commit to reducing their CO2 emissions
Over 1500 European mayors gathered at the European Parliament in Brussels on 4 May at the occasion of the 2nd Covenant of Mayors Ceremony, which saw 500 mayors sign the Covenant declaration committing to reducing their CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020.
What with the new wave of signatories, the Covenant of Mayors now has 1680 signatory mayors in 36 countries across Europe, representing a total of 120 million Europeans. Approximately 132 million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved on an annual basis thanks to the Covenant of Mayors.
The initiative, notably supported by European local authority associations, such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), commits local and regional governments to go beyond EU climate change goals. Thus, through individual Sustainable Energy Action Plans, municipalities and regions aim at saving energy, promoting renewable energies and raising citizen awareness. This bottom-up approach encourages local governments to share a common goal in the fight against climate change and to develop concrete measures stimulating investments at the local level.
Getting Smart about Climate Change
Addressing climate change is a key component of creating more sustainable communities, and smart growth offers practical guidelines for communities looking to develop sustainably: it addresses new growth and development in a way that reduces their impact on the environment and their contributions to global climate change while supporting economic development and social equity–related goals.
This report outlines nine strategies for successfully applying smart growth principles to climate concerns on the local and regional levels.
The report can be downloaded free at the link below.
http://www.icma.org/main/ld.asp?ldid=21426&hsid=1&tpid=8
Urbanization raised at World Economic Forum on Africa
The 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa opened on Wednesday with sessions designed to identify the opportunities that can unlock Africa's growth potential. The aim of the meetings is to discuss the barriers to social and economic progress.
At an opening press conference, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, who is one of the co-chairs, emphasized that urbanization was one of the key challenges facing the continent. She hoped that by tabling the dangers of chaotic urbanization, the Forum would help send a message to political leaders to prioritize urban development.
“Africa is urbanizing faster that any other continent, so much so that by 2030, Africa will cease to be a rural continent. Despite this, few African leaders are taking the issue seriously," she said. "It is time that policy makers include plans for balanced territorial urban development. This is one of the keys to economic growth especially as investment in infrastructure and housing in African cities provides a great opportunity for the private sector.”
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8280&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
The Rise of Security Cameras in New York City
The recent bomb scare in New York City's Times Square has brought increased attention to the city's system of security cameras.
Like many cities, New York has a number of cameras in operation all over town. Some people have hardly noticed them in the past, but now they're an increasingly noticeable -- and some say imporotant -- part of the urban realm.
"In Times Square, perhaps more than any other place in the city, our movements are being recorded a hundred different ways: from a few stories up the side of the Bertelsmann building, from inside the plate glass of the Bank of America branch, as we pass through the turnstiles of a subway station, at the point of purchase in seemingly every store. While the search was still on for the driver of that smoking Nissan Pathfinder, one of the Police Department’s first moves was to review footage from cameras between 51st and 34th Streets — all 82 of them. And those are just the cameras the city owns."
5th European seminar on local homeless strategies
Homelessness in public and private spaces: Mind the policy gap!
Local strategies to address the different faces of homelessness
Brussels, 4 June 2010
When : On Friday 4th June 2010 in Brussels, the European Committee of the Regions (together with FEANTSA and HABITACT) will host a European seminar on local homeless strategies, called “Homelessnes in public and private spaces: Mind the policy gap! Local strategies to address the different faces of homelessness.” Why : The European Parliament adopted a Written Declaration in April 2008 on ending street homelessness in Europe (declaration signed by 438 Members of European Parliament). Homelessness is at the top of the EU anti-poverty agenda led by the European Commission and national governments. Homelessness was chosen as a priority theme in 2009 for transnational exchanges between ministries of social affairs in the 27 EU countries. This year 2010 has been selected to be the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion. Local authorities are keen to link up across borders to find innovative and effective solutions to homelessness.
What : The phenomenon of homelessness is often associated with rough sleepers who live in public spaces, yet this is often only the tip of the homelessness iceberg. Homelessness can also manifest itself in private spaces (from a “domestic” space to a private space in institutions). This seminar draws attention to homelessness as a continuum of living situations, linked to public and private spaces (see ETHOS typology), which require a comprehensive policy. The speakers will give an insight into their local strategies to tackle the different faces of homelessness.
Who : The seminar will be an opportunity to network and meet people working on the design and implementation of homeless policies. It is open to local practitioners in Europe who work on tackling and preventing homelessness in their towns. The working languages of the seminar will be English, French, Spanish.
How : To receive a registration form, contact office@feantsa.org. Registration forms should be submitted by 10th May 2010.
Europeans most concerned about jobs and housing
Employment and housing costs are dominant concerns for Europeans, according to a Eurobarometer survey looking at how citizens view the quality of life in their cities.
Indeed, results showed that there are only six cities, Stockholm,. Copenhagen, Prague, Munich, Amsterdam and Warsaw, where more than half of the population find it easy to find a good job. Also, 96% of Parisians and 88% of Romans find it difficult to find affordable housing, much like two thirds of the cities involved in the study.
The survey, which was conducted between October and November 2009 in 75 cities across the EU, Croatia and Turkey, allows for a comparison between a citizen's perception and data from statistical sources. Overall, the results present wide disparities, although the quality of services such as transport, health and education, generally received a positive score.
Johannes Hahn, EU Regional Policy Commissioner, underlined the importance of the survey as a means of “better targeting investment” in cities as it allows for “the best responses to a complex mix of challenges”.
ICLEI partners with United States Department of Energy
The Solar America Cities Program proved its success with 25 designated cities (all ICLEI members), and now the Department of Energy has selected ICLEI to help expand the program and bring solar training and guidance to about 5,000 more local governments.
The United States Department of Energy recently announced funding of up to $10 million over five years for ICLEI and the International City-County Management Association (ICMA). Beginning in Summer 2010, both organizations will conduct outreach and training programs aimed at thousands of local governments across the nation. ICLEI’s Executive Director, Martin Chavez, put the news into perspective:
The expansion of the Solar America Cities Program is recognition by the Department of Energy and the Obama Administration that renewable energy is extraordinarily important to the U.S. economy, and the fact that they selected ICLEI as a key partner is recognition that we are on the cutting edge when it comes to assisting local governments in acquiring new technologies and learning new sustainability best practices.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4416&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=1193897354
A new regional report for Arab cities
UN-HABITAT’s Kuwait Office convened a two-day Expert Group Meeting to start the preparation of a new regional report, The State of Arab Cities, in cooperation with the Arab Towns Organisation and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
The meeting 28 and 29 April, was opened by H.E. Dr. Fadel Safer, Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipalities, H.E. Abdul Aziz Al-Adsani Secretary General of Arab Towns Organization, Mr. Daniel Biau, Director of the Regional and Technical Cooperation Division of UN-HABITAT, and H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Jaber, Director of the Economic Department at the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in presence of Mr. Tarek El-Sheikh, Chief of Kuwait Office.
Experts from Kuwait, the Arab region, Europe and United States as well as from UN-HABITAT, UNDP, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the World Bank discussed current urbanization trends and challenges. In his opening address Mr. Biau highlighted the diversity of the urbanization processes in the Arab region. He also commanded the progress achieved by Egypt and Tunisia in improving the lives of slum dwellers. An annotated outline of the new report was finalized by the participants after in-depth substantive discussions.
CIVITAS FORUM – call for speaker contributions now open!
The CIVITAS Forum Secretariat has launched a call for speaker contributions to the eight technical sessions of the CIVITAS Forum Conference taking place in Malmo on 27-29 September 2010. EUROCITIES members interested in submitting one or more proposals, are encouraged to apply.
The CIVITAS Forum Conference is one of the main European events focusing on urban mobility. It offers a platform for politicians and practitioners to discuss the latest developments on integrated sustainable urban transport strategies. The 2010 event will feature some of Malmo’s projects in the field including the redevelopment of its Western Harbour, the city's biogas facilities and its future Citytunnel.
EUROCITIES collaborates with the CIVITAS Initiative and the organisation of the Forum 2010 in Malmo through the support action CIVITAS VANGUARD.
http://www.civitas.eu/forum_conference_2010
The Sustainable Transportation Divide
Grist's David Roberts attended a national conference on the future of transportation at Ohio State in early May and noticed a divide in the concluding discussion on how panelists approached the issue of sustainability in transportation.
Roberts attended Moving Ahead 2010: Sustainable Transportation Solutions for the 21st Century from May 2-4. An impromptu panel discussion prompted by the Deepwater Horizon calamity and our oil dependence closed the conference. Roberts was struck by the two distinct approaches to transportation sustainability revealed in the discussion.
"On one side, you have people like Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Geoff Anderson of Smart Growth America, or Tom Murphy of the Urban Land Institute, who are focused on using land and urban assets more effectively, which means increasing density and walkability, which means driving less, which means fewer cars.
"On the other side you have people whose focus is on reducing the ecological impact of individual cars." Their focus: "People are going to keep driving like they do now; how can we make their cars cleaner?"
After listening to the Honda spokesman discuss what he sees as the auto company's future presented by fuel cell technology, Roberts concludes: "Is that really the extent of our ambition? To switch out the internal combustion engine for some other widget and otherwise keep on motoring as usual? To maintain the patterns of land use and development we have, simply with cars that emit less pollution? The poverty of that vision is tragic."
Energie-Cités becomes Energy Cities
After twenty years of existence, Energie-Cités the association of European local authorities that are inventing their energy future has changed both its name and logo. The name of the association is now Energy Cities, to underline the European dimension of this association which has a membership of one thousand local authorities from thirty countries.
The new name and logo were officially revealed on 29th April 2010 during the Annual Rendezvous in Salerno (IT) in the presence of over 250 local authority representatives.
Established in 1990, the Association is now a network recognised by cities, European institutions and an increasing number of private and associative partners.
Actively involved in the Covenant of Mayors, Energy Cities encourages cities to combine the necessary energy transition of their territories with a high quality of life for their citizens.
In celebration, Energy Cities has published a special issue of its twiceyearly magazine Energy Cities INFO which can be downloaded from the association’s website: www.energy-cities.eu
Cities of Migration webinar
Join Cities of Migration on May 19 for a 60-minute webinar that looks at how new gateway cities like Fort Wayne, Indiana (US), and Oslo, Norway, are helping transform the immigrant experience of dislocation and exclusion into a celebration of new community where everyone counts –and is counted.
In Fort Wayne, the CITYzenship Community Initiative, is a customized program of the US National League of Cities that includes a training curriculum that helps municipal officials establish working relationships with immigrant communities and organizations. This year's program includes a special focus on the US 2010 Census outreach –stand up and be counted!
From Oslo, learn about the OXLO campaign and its policy-fuelled slogan --Oslo, a city for all-- and how the Norwegian capital and new immigrant gateway has transformed "10,000 years of fjords and mountains" into a city where diversity counts, intercultural competence is a core organizational value, and 20% of the city’s elected officials are now from minority backgrounds. http://citiesofmigration.ca/integration-learning-exchange/calendar/lang/en/
EU, Latin American, Carribean local and regional authorities get together
The 2nd Forum of European Union, Latin American and Caribbean Local Governments, which took place from 5 to 7 May at Victoria-Gasteiz, Spain, brought some 150 local and regional representatives together. in preparation for the EU, Latin America, Carribean Summit, to be held from 17 to 18 May in Madrid.
The forum, organised by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), aimed at allowing for elected officials to discuss the role of local and regional authorities as a driving force for innovation.
Louis Le Pensec, Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) Vice-President, and President of CEMR's French member association, the AFCCRE, attended the forum as CEMR representative. “We must strengthen the contribution made by local and regional authorities at the international level in favour of development, democracy, peace and comprehension.”
A dazzling World Expo opening
With a dazzling display of fireworks lighting up the skyline, thousands and thousands of visitors packed Shanghai for the opening of World Expo 2010 on Saturday.
Highlighting the latest in green urban technology from some 191 countries taking part, Expo 2010 is a showcase of China’s booming economy and resurgent national pride.
China is at pains to promote green cities with green technology, and has spent about USD 4.2 billion on the Expo – double the cost of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Expo, with country pavilions on both sides of the Huangpu River, has enabled the city to boost its services, providing the world's longest metro system, two new airport terminals and a USD 700 million promenade on the historic Bund, along with new parks, roads and bridges.
“Better Cities, better life, the theme of this Expo, is our goal at UN-HABITAT. And I am very proud indeed that our agency has taken on the leading role at the magnificent United Nations pavilion in Shanghai,” said UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka.
She opened the pavilion with Mr. Awni Behnam, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and UN Commissioner General for Expo 2010, and other senior Chinese and UN officials who were entertained by a UN staff choir. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8270&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Build and plan the desirable city, 9-11 June 2010
Digital solutions and collaboration models can help cities become more attractive to live and work in. This will be main theme of the EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum’s next meeting in Linkoping, Sweden on 9-11 June.
The conference will highlight key factors for success and concrete examples where ICT has been used in city planning and development. In particular, it will look at how smart ICT solutions can be used to make cities more attractive and how they can stimulate more sustainable ways of travelling and communicating.
http://eventus.trippus.se/Eurocities2010
EU seals deal to shield Euro from speculators
EU finance ministers agreed last night (9 May) to establish a mechanism - based on loan guarantees and issuing Euro bonds - to bail out failing members of the bloc in future, in a move to reassure global financial markets of the Euro zone's stability before they open today. At another meeting this weekend in Brussels, Eurozone economy ministers managed to get the go-ahead from Germany to establish a rescue mechanism worth about €750 billion and meant to offer guarantees against the collapse of Eurozone members while protecting the common currency. There should not be a 'new Greece', according to the EU plans. The new mechanism is composed of three parts. Up to €440 billion will be committed by Eurozone member states as loan guarantees for collapsing states. The money will be offered as a promise and will only be disbursed if a debt-stricken Eurozone country is unable to repay its debt. The International Monetary Fund will contribute to the mechanism with a sum that is expected to be "half" of that pledged by member states, which sets a ceiling for the IMF of €220 billion.
Clean Cars: Salvation or Problem?
Alternative energy cars: will they be our salvation, or will they perpetuate auto-dependency? Jan Lundberg critiques the Sierra Club's longstanding priority on increasing fuel efficiency.
Jan Lundberg's scathing though perhaps scattered attack on the Sierra Club and its new leader, Michael Brune, as well as his predecessor, Carl Pope, holds no punches.
"The idea of 200,000,000 cars replaced in this country by slightly more efficient technology is the height of hypocritical idiocy, both on ecological grounds and from a peak oil standpoint. And as for the 1,000,000 animals smashed to death on U.S. roads every day by clunker and Prius alike — John Muir would not approve for one minute.
What can you expect from a magazine, Sierra, that has had full page ads from Honda and Toyota for decades? That’s money in the pockets of nonprofit staffers who probably have cars too (and refrigerators, TVs, computers, etc., all of which trash the Earth when an overpopulated society is participating in consumerism)." http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/640/1/
“1st Urban Photo Competition´s winner attended the WUF 5”
Leticia Herrera, an urbanism student of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, attended the V World Urban Forum at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the winner of the World Habitat Day 2009 photo competition.
Leticia, photographed here, said: “It is not possible that cities have some privileged groups that can buy unnecessary things such as precious jewels of foreign countries, to have more than two cars or buy worldly goods, when there are people in the same cities who have no access to basic services like fresh drinking water, electricity, decent housing or something more fundamental and necessary such as every day food.
She said it was the dream of every land planner and everybody who lived in a city, to have access to well-paid jobs, decent housing, services, useful and pleasant public spaces, and the right to an education, respect, inclusion, tolerance, and improved transport.
“The road is long and needs to be consistent with the ideas and actions,” she said. “It is important to work with people and for people. I have always believed that it is not necessary to be land planner to contribute to changes in the cities.”
eSUM (European Safer Urban Motorcycling) Workshop
The eSUM project is holding a workshop in Barcelona on 11 May 2010 at the Museo de Arte Contemporar. This event is part of the dissemination actions of eSUM. The conference is fundamentally addressed at urban authorities, with the objective of making known the conclusions of this work and presenting the "Action Pack" guidance tool that supports the improvement of motorcycle safety in urban areas.
Please find more information and the registration form here. http://congres.manners.es/congres_dgt/inscripcio.php?idioma=EN
REAL CORP Proceedings now available
The proceedings of REAL CORP 2010 have been finished and are available online at http://programm.corp.at/cdrom2010/en/index.html
1378 pages on "Cities for everyone: liveable, healthy, prosperous", for both conference preparation and as a source of reference.
The Greenest Cities
CNN explores the world's 'greenest' urban centers, and find that complexity is the secret of their success.
Though two American cities made the list, it is mostly the European cities that are leading the world in urban sustainability, reports Matthew Knight of CNN.
In compiling the list of the world's most green cities, a number of environmental measures were taken into consideration, such as availability and popularity of mass transit, renewable energy, scenery, green space, and water management.
Those models that "blaze a green trail," according to the article, include: Curitiba, Portland, Reykjavik, Chicago, Copenhagen, Frieburg, Malmo, Masdar, and Vancouver. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/05/sustainable.green.cities/index.html
Cities choose to go forward.
The Executive Bureau of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) met in Chicago, USA, on 26 and 27 April 2010, on the occasion of the Daley Global Cities Forum. The Executive Bureau took place in the presence of UCLG President, Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris. This event also saw the meeting of the Mayor of Paris with Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff.
More than 200 local and regional government representatives from five continents gathered in Chicago for the UCLG Executive Bureau. The participants focussed in particular on the creation of a taskforce to coordinate aid for the establishment of local governments in Haiti and reiterated the appeals made on behalf of UCLG by Mayor of Montreal, Gérald Tremblay, on the occasion of the UN Donors’ Conference on 31 March.
The Executive Bureau set the strategy for local and regional authorities with regard to the preparation of the United Nations General Assembly on the revision of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and to the Climate Change Summit to be held later this year in Cancun, Mexico. Positions on Urban Strategic Planning and the Agenda 21 for Culture were also debated and adopted during the course of the meetings.
In the case of the United Nations General Assembly Progress Review of the Millennium Development Goals, UCLG and its members shall advocate before the national governments that local government actions are taken into account and that a UCLG delegation is present at the Review. UCLG members will then further insist before the international community for the recognition of strong local governance as an accelerator for development.
Participants to the Mayors Round Tables have further called against the trade and use of guns which are a true risk in our cities.
During these meetings, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Mayor of Mexico City, presented the III UCLG Congress of UCLG and the I Global Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, which will be hosted by his city from 17 to 20 November 2010.
The UCLG Executive Bureau coincided with the Daley Global Cities Forum, in which Rahm Emmanuel, Chief of Staff to President Obama, gave an address on the subject of stimulation and innovation in local finance, during a difficult economic situation.
Adding Mixed Use to Cairo's Sprawling Suburbs
Developers in Egypt are looking to bring mixed-use developments to Cairo's sprawling suburbs.
Developers SODIC crafted plans back in 2006 for the mixed-use developments, which take on a large footprint.
"The two projects together will cover 2,060,000 square meters of land offering a healthy mix of residential, business and commercial properties.
True to their names, the two projects are located respectively East and West of Cairo, 50 km apart. Eastown is situated in Katameya, New Cairo while Westown is at the center of Sheikh Zayed, Sixth of October City. Both projects entailed extensive preliminary research in sustainability and urban planning to ensure their quality in the long-run." http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100429043033/SODIC
Providing new urban services in Mongolia
The USD 5.8 million project is funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Implementation by the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar, UN-HABITAT and Ministry of Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Development started last September in the Ger districts lying just beyond the conventional built-up area. Although the residents have security of tenure, infrastructure and basic urban services are scant. See here for details.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=8231&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
CEMR and LGA pleased to see European Parliament reject 5% penalty for late payments
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and one of its British member associations, the Local Government Association (LGA), were pleased to see a 5% penalty for late payments rejected by Members of European Parliament during a vote on late payments and public procurement on 28 April.
An amendment supporting more equal treatment for the public sector vis-à-vis the private sector was adopted during the vote, CEMR and LGA having previously lobbied for the same provisions to be applied to both public authorities and private enterprises.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=1841
New interactive map of the URBACT projects now online !
Palermo, Berlin, Malmö, Liverpool, Nantes…. Find out if your city is one of the 255 URBACT cities and discover our partners in the updated version of the online URBACT interactive map!
The interactive map is updated with the new URBACT projects . Do not hesitate to browse it regularly! You just have to click on "Search with the interactive map" on the URBACT homepage.
Click on a city on the map to see associated URBACT projects, or choose one the projects in the right-hand side list to discover all the project partners on the map. http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/our-projects/map-of-the-projects/
Cities 'frustrated' by EU innovation policy
Europe's biggest cities believe the European Commission's definition of innovation is too narrowly focused on the commercial and research sectors. In an interview with EurActiv, Paul Bevan, secretary-general of Eurocities, said Europe's urban centres are teeming with examples of social, organisational and market-driven innovation.
“We get a little frustrated that the focus is on R&D and market innovation. Those things are hugely important to Europe's global competitiveness and we wouldn't want to diminish that. However, we are concerned that the role of city governments as innovators and facilitators of market innovation is not part of the discussion," he said.
Eurocities, which lobbies on behalf of big cities, expects make this point to Innovation Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn when they meet in the coming weeks. EU innovation policy is about more than just "grand projects," said Bevan. He believes the green agenda is a major driver for change and has forced city planners – and citizens – to rethink the way they plan and use public services. Some cities are teaming up with private companies such as Siemens to work on improving the energy efficiency of buildings. http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2010/04/cities-frustrated-by-EU-s-innovation-policy_1022.html
Coastal Cities and Climate Change
Anthony Flint looks at how cities around the world are preparing for the predicted rise in sea level due to global warming, and how the Dutch experience with building dikes could be essential.
Flint explains that many cities around the world are already dealing with increased flooding, typhoons and erosion.
Flint writes, "Jakarta is confronting annual flooding that strains a colonial-era layout, and Dhaka in Bangladesh has struggled with stronger typhoons. At the Yantgze and Pearl river deltas in the Shanghai and Hong Kong regions, chronic flooding, coastline erosion and wetlands deterioration, storm surges, and punishing storms are wreaking havoc on areas that have been attracting the most intense in-migration and urbanization."
Solutions presented by Flint include restoring wetlands, pervious surfaces, and improved water storage. http://citiwire.net/post/1945/
URBAN TRACK Final Conference “New products and strategies for urban rail track infrastructure”
(Prague on 24-25 June 2010)
URBAN TRACK is a 4-year European R&D project that aims at developing, testing and validating innovative products for urban rail track infrastructure over its life cycle.
The purpose of the conference is to present the results of the project: Have its objectives been achieved? What innovative products have come out of the project?
The panellists will also highlight the future developments that are expected in this field. The conference shall offer an opportunity for reactions from the audience before recommendations are proposed to decision makers.
Please find the flyer, the detailed programme as well as the registration form here: http://www.uitp.org/events/2010/prague_urbantrack/en/. Please be so kind as to return it before May 23, 2010.
For more information, contact Caroline HOOGENDOORN caroline.hoogendoorn@uitp.org
Brussels: worst traffic jams in Europe
Brussels ranks top on a list of the 59 most congested cities in Europe, according to a survey recently orchestrated by TomTom, the car navigation systems provider.
Indeed, data published by the Global Positioning System (GPS) producer showed daily delays recorded in over 37.7% of the Belgian capital's main roads. Trips that would normally take an hour for commuters working in Brussels are often on average 20 minutes longer than planned.
The research was established thanks to speed measurement data collected by TomTom from users who regularly connect to its devices. Traffic was defined as congested wherever drivers were traveling at 70% or less than the normal speed limit. Only cities with more than 500 000 inhabitants were included in the study.
The second most traffic-clogged city is Warsaw, followed by another Polish city, Wroclaw. London arrived fourth on the list, followed by Edinburgh and Dublin. The least congested town of the list is Zaragoza in Spain, with just 1.5% of its roads clogged.
Brussels' intense traffic can notably be explained by the fact that too many businesses and government institutions - including those of the EU - are located in the city center. Most employees, however, live in the outskirts of the city where public transportation is much more limited.
In an effort to tackle this issue, Brussels has been encouraging the use of bicycles while expanding its renting network dubbed “Villo” with up to 2,500 bicycles available for use at 180 rental points across town.
ONE EARTH ONE UN unveiled at Shanghai Expo
Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Ambassador Reed, UN Under-Secretary General and UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka and Expo Section Commissioner General Awni Behnam opened the UN Pavilion today at the Shanghai World Expo.
Following the colourful and extravagant opening ceremony of the Expo the night before, the Pavilion was finally revealed to the public and media for the first time in a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Ambassador Reed and Mrs Tibaijuka were shown round the pavilion by Dr Behnam and treated to a moving performance by the UN Staff Choir who had flown out from New York especially for the occasion.
The UN Pavilion theme, One Earth One UN, highlighting the UN’s work towards sustainable development and realisation of the Millennium Development Goals, is brought to life by exhibitions, films and lectures.
However, today all eyes were on the Forum area where Mrs Tibaijuka gave the inaugural lecture on the World Urban Campaign; Better Cities Better Life: Actualizing the Dream. This opens a series of talks by key figures and friends of the UN around the topic of sustainable urban development.
EP hearing: CEMR preaches respect of partnership principle
“Cohesion Policy must be decentralised and the partnership principle respected,” as stated by Carola Gunnarsson, CEMR working group on cohesion rapporteur, at the occasion of a European Parliament mini-hearing on 26 April in Brussels.
The principle of partnership, whereby local and regional authorities are involved in the shaping and deployment of policies on the ground, was one of several CEMR recommendations to be taken into account in the EP Regional Development (REGI) Committee's draft report on governance and regional policy.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=1840
US senators push urban development legislation
On the heels of World Urban Forum, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, along with Senators Dick Durbin and Benjamin L. Cardin, has introduced new legislation to address the challenges of urbanization in developing countries.
The legislation builds upon Secretary Clinton’s video address on sustainable urbanization at the Fifth Session of the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 26 March 2010. It proposes to expand existing US Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to craft better strategies for sustainable urban development.
The Sustainable Urban Development Act of 2010 (S. 3229) seeks to deal with unprecedented growth from enlarging slums, increasing levels of pollution, overburdened transport systems, and the lack of affordable housing.
The bill would direct the USAID Administrator to develop a strategy to foster sustainable urban development; consider establishing a senior advisor for urban development; and establish a pilot urban strategies initiative that will help a select number of cities create a policy framework for future growth and development.
Which city will become the 2012 European Capital of Sports?
The search for the 2012 European Capital of Sports is now underway, Dublin, Ireland, being the current title holder for 2010 and Valencia, Spain, having already been designated as such for the year 2011.
The title is awarded annually by the European Capitals of Sport Association (ACES) to a city having promoted sports and pursued innovative municipal sports policies. Madrid, Spain, was the first city to win the title in 2001.
To be eligible, applicants must either be capital cities or have a population superior to 500 000. Applications should be submitted to the City of Stuttgart, Germany, before 30 June, 2010. The winner is to be announced in autumn 2010.
The award-winning cities become a part of a European network allowing for an exchange of good-practices and experiences and the development of joint initiatives for the advancement of sport. The sports capital of the year must also host an international sports congress, with the participation of ACES.
Moving Toward a Shrinking Cities Metric: Analyzing Land Use Changes Associated With Depopulation in Flint, Michigan
Cities around the globe have experienced depopulation or population shrinkage at an acute level in the last half century. Conventional community development and planning responses have looked to reverse the process of depopulation almost universally, with little attention paid to how neighborhoods physically change when they lose population.
This article presents an approach to study the physical changes of depopulating neighborhoods in a novel way. The approach considers how population decline creates different physical impacts (more or less housing abandonment, for example) across different neighborhoods.
Data presented from a detailed case study of Flint, Michigan, illustrate that population decline can be more painful in some neighborhoods than in others, suggesting that this article’s proposed approach may be useful in implementing smart decline.
The paper can be downloaded at: http://www.huduser.org/portal/periodicals/cityscpe/vol12num1/ch5.html
55,000 to be granted security of tenure in Pernambuco thanks to UN-HABITAT’s Global Land Tool Network
The Brazilian Government recently announced that it would not evict around 55,000 from their homes in Santo Amaro.
In a surprise announcement at the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, representatives of the State Government of Pernambuco said that they would instead regularize the area which has been under dispute for 46 years.
Through its Global Land Tool Network, UN-Habitat has been supporting Brazilian non-governmental organization Espaco Feminista, part of the Huariou Commission, to lobby the government on the issue. Their efforts culminated in success on the second to last day of the world’s largest conference on urbanization.
The surprise and relief was obvious on the faces of the members of the lobby groups who were moved to embrace the Brazilian officials with whom they had been fighting for so long.
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