How Africa can build sustainable cities

Safeguarding the future of global cities has never been more important, with over half the world’s population now living in urban areas. The knowledge, technologies and ambition exist to make cities more resilient and accelerate urban sustainability projects across the globe. Furthermore, city leaders share this ambition and are committed to making this much-needed change happen for the wellbeing of residents and future generations.

Overall, however, our current urban population of around 3.9 billion is expected to grow to around 6.34 billion by 2050, out of a total global population of at least 9.5 billion. If we continue to design and build as if the planet can provide unlimited resources, then this near-doubling of the urban population will mean a doubling of the natural resources required to build and operate our cities – which is not sustainable.

Sustainable Development Goal 11 is focused on cities, as more than half of the world's population lives in them. Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more; they have enabled people to advance socially and economically. However, many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity without straining land and resources.

Housing, in particular building sustainable cities and communities, is at the centre of key issues such as:

·         Poverty reduction

·         Employment opportunities

·         Education

·         Crime reduction

·         Health

Housing is also a key factor contributing to economic growth, addressing energy consumption and fostering resilience.

Getting ready for an urbanized world

Housing should be addressed holistically, as both an integral and integrating element of sound urban development practice and urban policies. Housing also relies on a broader enabling environment, investments and resources to fully foster strength, stability and self-reliance.

Housing needs to be recognized as process rather than a product. House builders and urban planners need to do more than simply build large quantities of housing, and focus as well on addressing the elements of the Right to Adequate Housing:

·         Security of tenure

·         Availability of services

·         Affordability

·         Accessibility

·         Location

·         Cultural adequacy.

We need to look at housing broadly, unpacking and addressing the elements that make a home a home. We need to recognise that addressing housing addresses the three dimensions of sustainable urban development:

Social

Housing is key to poverty reduction and supports the attaining of the Sustainable Development Goals, a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Housing is the site of social and cultural production and reproduction, familial and childhood development.  Housing affordability and location are key. Also, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods contribute to developing communal and neighborhood bonds; promote street life and interaction through focus on human, rather than vehicle, scale development.

·         . Gender equality is vital because women are disproportionately affected by land access issues, routinely and systematically denied their rights to land.

·         .Secure tenure is the ability to live without fear of eviction. 75% of land worldwide is not legally documented. With security of tenure, people invest more in their homes and their futures.

·         We can achieve the goal of sustainable cities if people have access to clean water and sanitation, about 42 per cent of health facilities in Africa lack of access to clean drinking water. water pollution frequently experienced in cities such as Accra, Addis Ababa and Nairobi has led to increased water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

Economic

·         Investment in housing has an economic multiplier effect, generating jobs, stimulating productivity in other economic sectors, and contributing to capital formation, asset creation, labor productivity, income, employment generation and savings.  From this perspective it is important to recognize the roles that multiple actors play in the different ways through which families and communities’ access housing, including the informal economy.

·         Access to land lies at the heart of ending poverty – without land, there can be no housing and housing is the key to stability and opportunity.

Environmental

·         Housing close to employment/transport hub reduces vehicle dependence, reduces pollution; promotes housing designs with low embodied energy and low energy consumption.  It is important to recognise, however, that buildings are also contributors to CO2 emissions, and as such they are also a key part of the solution.

·         Slum upgrading is critical as the world urbanises. By 2030, nearly 1 in every 4 people will live in a slum.

·         Disaster resilience is essential, as nearly 200 million people per year are affected by disasters. Without proper land laws in place, people lose their homes and their ability to recover.

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Finally, Cities must realize that equity has a significant impact on socio-economic performance, since the greater the degree of equity, the greater the chances of a wider, more efficient use of available resources, including skills and creative talent. Urban prosperity thrives on equity, which involves reduction in barriers on individual/ collective potential, expansion of opportunities, and strengthening of human agency and civic engagement. Cities generate wealth, but the problem is the unequal distribution of it. Despite considerable increases in productivity (e.g. GDP per capita) along with reductions in extreme poverty, inequality as a whole is growing in most parts of the world – a process that undermines urban life quality. In many cities, the population and local experts concur that inequalities are becoming steeper which could be a threat for emerging cities in terms of their sustainability and well-being of citizens.

New-born babies in developed countries are projected to have a life expectancy of 80+ years with the majority living in cities, increasing yet further the demand for energy, water, food, housing and other services. However, cities are struggling with climate change, changes in population and demographics, congestion, healthcare, and pressure on key resources. In the future innovative technologies/approaches will create considerable market opportunities to transform existing conurbations into the efficient, attractive and resilient cities of the future.

Nevertheless, simply applying innovative technologies alone will not guarantee the combination of sustainability and acceptable living standards for future cities…good governance and management will also play a pivotal role. This can only be provided by utilizing technological advancements optimally whilst also developing short and long term management, organization and development strategies to realize the desired objectives. #UrbanDevelopment #SDG11 #SDGS #AfricanCities #Habitat #DecentLives