World's Sprawling Cities Unmanageable, UN Habitat
Warns
NEW YORK, New York, June 4, 2001 (ENS) - Sprawling in
every direction, the world's metropolitan areas are dangerously
unmanageable, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat) warned today during the launch of its first ever report on
"The State of the World's Cities."
The existing institutions governing the administration of cities
are not adequate to control today's sprawling urban centers, the UN
agency says.
Introducing the report at a
press conference in New York, the world's second largest city,
Habitat Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka said the challenge of
economically divided cities is the main message in the report. In
many urban centers, there are affluent central business districts in
one area, while slum and squatter settlements exist in another
section of the city.
"Not unlike Charles Dickens' time 150 years ago, the city is
increasingly divided," Tibaijuka said. "The problems are the result
of poverty and exclusion, in the context of globalization."
Along with economic opportunities, globalization has created
cut-throat competition among cities to attract business. "Such
competition has not necessarily benefited all city residents," she
said.
With more than 29 million people, Tokyo, Japan is the world's
largest city, far outstripping the second most populous metropolitan
area, New York City with its 20 plus million people.
Although only one African city is in the top 1o most populous -
Lagos, Nigeria with more than 13 million people - Africa poses a
special challenge, because people there are moving away from wars in
the countryside, Tibaijuka said.
Habitat defines a sustainable city as one that has a lasting
supply of the natural resources on which its development depends and
a lasting security from environmental hazards which may threaten
development achievements.
The problem of sprawl is linked with energy supplies. "Current
dependence in most urban centres on non-renewable energy sources can
lead to climate change, air pollution and consequent environmental
and human health problems, and may represent a serious threat to
sustainable development," according to the Habitat Agenda which
serves as a standard against which to measure urban patterns.
Commuters on the Tokyo subway (Photo courtesy Mondo
Tokyo)
Sustainable energy production and use can be
enhanced by encouraging energy efficiency, by such means as pricing
policies, fuel switching, alternative energy, mass transit and
public awareness.
Human settlements and energy policies should be actively
coordinated, the Habitat Agenda says.
The new Habitat report was released two days before the UN
General Assembly is due to convene a special session to appraise
recent global progress in the development of human settlements.
Jay Moor, the coordinator of the report, told reporters that one
of the messages from the analysis is that institutions have not been
developed well enough to manage cities.
"Indeed, the process of governing cities is just now being
learned, and in very few places is it being done successfully," he
said. "Many people have said that national governments are losing
their authority in a globalizing world. In some ways, they are
losing control over liberalized financial elements of globalization,
but they still play a very strong role in development and
regulation."
A more analytical in-depth version of Habitat's "Global Report on
Human Settlements," was also issued today in New York.
© Environment News Service
(ENS) 2001. All Rights Reserved. 
