Growing Population and Sustainable Cities

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Growing Population and Sustainable Cities

12 Jul 2023

11^th of July, World population day serves as a reminder that we recently crossed the 8 billion mark. As nearly 4 billion people live in cities and more are drawn every day to them, the 11th sustainable development goal of making "cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" becomes even more relevant to accommodate the increasing population. Though cities account for 4/5 of global GDP, they also account for unequal wealth distribution, high waste production, GHG emissions, air and water pollution, high percentage of slum dwellers (in countries with higher population or growth rates in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa) and Urban Heat Islands (UHI). They have also become the hub of worsening human and environmental health which calls for an urgent shift to sustainable cities.

Key Features of Sustainable Cities

Sustainable cities and communities as per Global Practice for Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land (GPURL, World Bank: WB) should be:

Environmentally sustainable : clean and efficient
Resilient: to all types of shocks
Inclusive: to all dimensions of society
Competitive: to be economically viable with job generation capacity

Urban Planning and Design Principles of Sustainable Cities

Sustainable cities are model cities that exhibit following principles of design (UNDP):

Strong urban governance institutions: transparent, financially strong with larger share of independent decision-making city governments.
Innovative people centric planning: People-centred planning, zonation and management of land property rights. Building and investing in resilient infrastructure; innovative re-designing of slums.
Disaster resilient building designs: Updated codes as per changing hazard risk in rapidly changing global climate patterns; building following architectural interventions as per city hazard risk and appropriate building codes.
Low-impact construction: Retrofitting and upscaling existing buildings. Green buildings and the ones with passive heating and cooling architecture.
Greener transport: Low-emission, fuel-efficient and affordable transport. Impetus on quality public transport, cycling infrastructure (separate lanes and docking station), electric vehicle charging stations; well-lit walkways for pedestrians.
Waste management: Solid waste treatment plants (wet and dry waste segregation at source); recycling facilities. Waste and Sewerage Treatment Plants and use of bioplastics to replace single-use plastic.
Renewable energy: Use of clean energy (solar, wind, ocean and tidal) to drive energy-dependent activities. Recycling plants for end-of-life management of clean energy infrastructure.
Energy efficient buildings: Switching to low-emission construction mixtures, high solar reflectance (SR), white roofs (high albedo), green roofs, cool roofs and emissivity material may lower the GHG impact of hard infrastructure.

Urbanization Trends and Population Growth

Population rise has been identified as a primary factor for urban growth along with an "upward shift in percentage of population already living there". Countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Oceania are nearly 75%-80% urbanized while Asia and Africa are 50% and 43% urbanized respectively as per the World Urbanization Prospects 2018 report. Most of the urbanization till 2050 will be experienced in Asia and Africa: the high population and growth rate centres. Of this India, China and Nigeria will solely account for 35% of urban population growth. Today, globally, every eighth citizen lives in megacities (Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai and Mexico-city are the largest ones on the globe). On the contrary, some cities in low-fertility countries in Asia and Europe have also experienced population decline. China for long remained the most populous country in the world but with the infamous stringent one-child policy the growth rate came down and India surpassed China in April 2023 (in UN projected estimates) to be the most populous country on the earth. However, India’s fertility rate has declined below replacement level 2.0 (2021, WB) as compared to sub-Saharan countries that exhibit high rates and will experience rapid population growth and urbanization in future.

Impacts of Urbanization

Rapid unmanaged urbanization leads to an increased load on resources: land (and decent housing), clean water, clean air (more people: more vehicles), clean food with low emission footprint (EF) (urbanization at the cost of urban agriculture, industrial effluents released in water bodies and soil, produce transported from distant areas) and pressure on groundwater (leading to dry-days in cities).

Habitat encroachment leads to the loss of vital forests (ex: Delhi ridge was lost in past for JNU campus and recent cases of villager housing, and ashrams on the land). Urbanization also increases pressure on soft infrastructure (deterioration in quality education and health services due to highly skewed student-teacher and patient-doctor ratios in government facilities).

Problem of Slums:

Rising slum populations result in increased school absentees and student dropouts as children often assist their parents in family earnings (girls as domestic help and boys as vegetable vendors, dhobis etc). The intensive physical work of both parents results in the neglect of schooling of kids whom I see bringing their toddler siblings to the park. Unregulated urbanization is creating a generation of deprived children and adults with chronic diseases they are unaware of. To assimilate growing populations in cities with equitable access to resources and standards of living, transforming existing cities into sustainable ones is extremely crucial and decisive for an inclusive future.

Accommodating Growing Populations in Sustainable Cities:

Urban expansion and smart growth strategies: Containing city sprawl is feasible by adopting smart growth strategies. Smart systems apply technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), AI, smart grids, digital and robotics to help automated optimised use of resources, energy, time and money. Sensor-based public building management (lighting, heating and cooling: operational in Zurich), smart meters helping residents monitor real-time energy usage (Amsterdam), automated traffic management (Riyadh), smart water systems (Cape Town), smart air quality monitoring (Pittsburgh). World's first smart bridge is located in Amsterdam that not only allows data provision to other networks like traffic and neighbourhood but also analyses the bridge’s health and automatically intimates the maintenance team thereby increasing the life of the bridge.

Growing energy demands vis-a-vis reducing emissions: Switching to green energy sources, smart electricity management reducing fossil fuel dependent industries (thermal power plants still a major source of electricity in India) and vehicles.

Landuse optimisation - compact and mixed: Horizontal expansion of cities to accommodate growing populations results in land use changes (high-concrete surfaces at the expense of natural landscape) which in turn negatively influences biogeochemical cycles, natural water system and climate. Compact cities, on the other hand, have been found to have a lower impact on land use change, natural cycles, emissions, human health and resource efficiency. Controlled directional growth of cities supports sustainability. Mixed-use reduces vehicular emissions and promotes healthy activities like cycling and walking to workplaces or markets. Compact and mixed-use neighbourhoods are economically more viable (using agglomeration benefits), safe, healthy and have low EF.

Affordable housing: Poor and marginalised city populations are seen to suffer from 'energy poverty, transport poverty, inequality, negative climate impacts' and have a lesser likelihood of adopting renewable resources. Lack of affordable housing in cities results in people living on mobile homes, crouched slums or footpaths. Making affordable housing plans for weaker sections of society by re-designing slums or reclaiming and using wasteland to design housing can support inclusive living (Domat, Hong Kong won UIA 2030 award for the 'home modification for low-income families').

Inclusive planning and resource access: "No one will be left behind" is one of the primary principles of sustainable development goals. Strengthening urban local governance, making it more people-centred and participatory is an essential key to inclusivity (Barcelona). Indian cities experience significant influx due to "distress migration" from rural areas in search of better jobs and a standard of living. Such a population is often semi-skilled and illiterate or just literate, underlining the need for equal access to amenities for illiterate, disabled, women, indigenous people, transgender and other backward groups in the city. Cities that care for the holistic well-being of marginalised sections help in breaking the vicious poverty cycle and adoption of sustainable families in such groups. City infrastructure should be safe and comfortable for women as they face gender-based violence in cities.

Social cohesion and community engagement: Building safe and clean places where community members can meet (like the park or community halls), organising cultural and sports festivals and fairs that bind people together through a common heritage or interest, public discussions and informal gatherings on bottoms-up sustainable city approaches and orientation programs for marginalised groups on new sustainable technologies and financial apparatuses they can access are vital to fostering social cohesion in cities.

Water management and conservation in cities: conserving water in cities is essential to support larger populations. Rainwater harvesting, sewer treatment plants, separate (from sewage) grey water treatment and filtration in individual building complexes should be mandatory. Additionally, smart meters, recycling water, weather-smart irrigation, groundwater control system, scientifically located groundwater recharge surfaces, plantation around and cleaning of natural water bodies and recycling industrial wastewater are essential for water management.

Waste management and recycling: Mandatory dry and wet waste segregation from the source at the locality level, penalized enforcement of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for all types of waste, innovation for medical waste recycling, composters in big residential complexes, legacy waste cleaning and claiming of cleared land (Bhopal; Bangkok City Park on an old train track) and waste recycling plants and pick-up facility for them like the municipal garbage collection. The compact neighbourhood approach is best applied by cities like Melbourne and Paris to become sustainable.

Promoting sustainable and resilient infrastructure: Engaging builders in environmentally friendly architecture (Copenhagen has a very efficient cycling infrastructure), promoting passive building heating and cooling, hazard zonation of city-based buildings and seamless incorporation of greenery in urban spaces (sponge cities with abundant greenery control urban floods like in Singapore that is working towards City In The Garden goal). Building forest ecosystems as an integral part of cities through Japanese-inspired Miyawaki forests and vertical forests (Bosco Verticale in Milan).

Promoting healthy working environments: Another perspective of sustainable cities to accommodate growing populations is to strive towards the well-being of residents. Stockholm “the city of work-life balance” is one such city that achieves this goal by focusing on work-life balance initiatives through policy interventions (parental leave: each parent is allowed a leave of 240 days, including father!).

Policy Framework and Initiatives

Across the world different platforms are helping cities to accommodate growing populations by switching to sustainability; the international platforms adopt different techniques for the switch by either providing direct support through pilot projects, financial support and technology sharing or through competitive drives to bag the awards of most sustainable cities across categories.

Global Environmental Facility has started a sustainable cities program (SC-IAP) and chosen cities for pilot projects from across the world. UNIDO assists countries in the program. Indian cities under the initiative are Vijayawada, Mysore, Guntur, Jaipur and Bhopal.
- WB invests an average of $6 billion every year on urban development and resilience projects focusing on achieving New Urban Agenda (NIA).
- Smart Sustainable Cities Framework by UNICEF
International platforms supporting sustainable cities to better absorb growing population growth are: International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities by UNESCO aiding inclusive cities through local government. WWF through its One Planet City challenge recognises cities that are spearheading towards sustainability.
- WWF India has indulged 26 cities in the challenge and runs the 'We Love Cities' campaign as well.
UIA 2030 Awards: Union Internationale des Architectes along with UN-Habitat has launched the initiative to award significant contributions towards achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
EU-India Partnership for Smart and Sustainable Urbanization

National Initiatives:

Sustainable Cities of India Program is a collaborative drive between the National Institute of Urban Affairs and the World Economic Forum to attain 'net-zero cities' by adopting the 'City Sprint Process' and 'Toolbox of Solutions'.
India has adopted the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (2021-2030): Under the initiative Construction and Demolition waste management plant is successfully operating in Chandigarh, different pilot projects are going on in Thane, Thanjavur and are planned in other cities as well.
National Action Plan for Climate Change
Commitment for Net-zero emissions by 2070 (UNFCCC COP26)
Extended Producer Responsibility program for waste-producing industries
Smart Cities Mission
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT Mission)
Swachh Bharat Mission and Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Urban and focus on electrification of public transport.

Challenges and Way Forward

The foremost challenge lies in educating people to adopt sustainable practices and in ensuring the recycling of solar, wind and other green energy infrastructure wastes.

Challenges from the lens of a city resident: As an aware city resident, I have dreamed of being sustainable and generating zero waste. Having achieved very little, I wish to:

Use solar-generated electricity in a flat in a high-rise society (Space? How do I connect to the grid in a single point system present in most societies today?).
Use a solar run AC (absence of pre-installed solar wiring in flats! High cost of solar ACs!)
Use Surya Nutan solar stove launched by IOC (challenge: fitting such a big appliance in an already setup modular kitchen; compact and highly efficient GO SUN solar ovens are extremely expensive)
Recycle my grey water (challenge: Separating it from sewage in already built flats).
Reuse or repair my mobiles and gadgets to reduce my e-waste (challenge: companies update their apps that are no longer functional on older handsets probably in a bid to maintain the unsustainable high consumption pattern for their profits).
Recycling my plastic waste (no centre nearby!)
Reducing dependency on fast and unsustainable fashion (Fast fashion is comparatively much cheaper. The absence of thrift stores to buy second-hand items and donate mine. High social stigma attached to second-hand goods and social obligations to conform to the norm of branded clothing).
Buy local, organic and low-waste produce (Absence of such shops or local organic farmers markets; trust issues with non-certified greenwashed produce; certified organic is very expensive compensating the cost of certifications in produce cost).
Use public transport: waiting for seamless metro connectivity, safe and comfortable buses or to someday own a car when on-the-go solar charging cars deployed with roof-head panels appear in the market (as discernible in some e-rikshaws running between Noida and Delhi metro joint around sector 52-51) and be safe yet affordable.

Much of the changes needed institutional interventions, till then, I have tried to move towards a minimalistic and low waste lifestyle which reduces my EF.

Going forward, incentivizing sustainable efforts for weaker sections of society while penalising industries failing to meet basic sustainability targets and EPR; penalties on city dwellers who fail to manage waste in a segregated manner (Indore) may be the initial steps.

Incentivizing and facilitating green energy via government-supervised online-offline platform and developing good governance, transparent and inclusive practices. Assessing public behaviour of wasteful resource use and targeting the areas through public policies (water recycling from places of worship like temples where water offered to deities ultimately ends up in sewage). Developing accountability for generated emissions or use of fossil fuel-based electricity in case of electric vehicles fleet, especially for companies that are third party product selling platforms.

Seeking (on global platforms) sharing of smart technology or open-sourcing them as a part of climate justice: the affluence of now rich, developed colonial nations running towards sustainability at the cost of former colonies (India being one), intangible human resource loss caused by social fabric disruption, racial discrimination, etc (which could have otherwise driven an early sustainable change) and their relative legacy emissions.

References:

Sakshi Naithani

Sakshi has done her Masters in Geography from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She is currently pursuing Ph.D. in natural hazard risk assessment from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing-Kumaun University. When not engaged in research work, she loves to write poetry.

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