Cities and cc 5 mar 2010

Cities and cc 5 mar 2010

• 1.
  WANTED Climate Conscious Cities byVandana Chavan and Sanskriti Menon Climate Change Agenda for Maharashtra Mumbai Conference Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan 6 March 2010
• 2.
  Cities have amajor role • Maharashtra has a large urban population • Cities need to be well prepared to address climate change impacts so as to reduce the risk to this large urban population • Some – not all – activities and people in cities have high emissions • Well-planned cities can help to achieve healthy living conditions for all and a good quality of life with a low footprint
• 3.
  Resilience Goals forCities • Improve Quality of Life for All – Healthy living and working environments for the inhabitants, especially vulnerable populations – Civic services and amenities essential for health should be available to all (safe water, sanitation, waste management, paved roads, footpaths, shelter, etc) • Reduce the Footprint – Reduce the environmental impact on local, regional and the global environment • Triple bottom line decision-making – Development decisions should aim for environmental improvement, social benefits and economic efficiency simultaneously
• 4.
  Development Plans • Overallrecommendation – create state urbanization policy respecting environmental carrying capacity and symbiotic linkages with surrounding non-urban areas • Integrate Disaster Risk Reduction in Master plans – extreme weather events and flash floods – information on high flood lines – status of catchment areas which may lie outside city limits • Include Ecologists in town planning committees • Encourage compact cities (not sprawl) and vertical development with adequate provision for green cover and open spaces as per norms
• 5.
  Information Support EnvironmentStatus Reports of Cities • Reporting framework should include – carbon emission inventories and studies – track emission reductions – ‘human development’ indicators • Should be discussed publicly • Should be used as inputs when preparing annual municipal plans and budgets to meet goals for emission reduction and coping mechanisms
• 6.
  Building Codes • Eco-buildingcode should be mandatory for all new construction rather than voluntary or incentive-based – incentives should especially not be increased FSI or TDR • Retrofitting policy for old buildings should be created
• 7.
  Green Areas • Strictconservation through Development Plans – streams, rivers, wetlands, under-ground aquifers, water recharge zones, grasslands, forests, hills, gardens, botanical and zoological gardens etc within urban areas • Make City Biodiversity Management Plans – Plant local indigenous species in gardens, avenues instead of exotic ornamentals or lawns – Encourage plantation (trees/ grasslands as locally relevant); promote UN program ‘one person one tree’ • Identify and protect lands for food, water, energy in the vicinity of urban areas • Encourage city farming for income generation and to reduce to some extent ‘food miles’ of food consumed in urban areas
• 8.
  Water Sources of Water •Surface - Encourage rainwater harvesting and storage in cities including in natural or created ponds and lakes • Ground - Develop mechanism for sustainable use and re-charge of ground water in cities • Recycled/ Treated water should be considered as a ‘source’ - Encourage its use for non-drinking purposes Use of Water • Ensure equity in supply as per CPHEEO norms • Introduce metering and telescopic tariff - heavy charges for ‘luxury uses’ • Make reduction of leakages a priority
• 9.
  Sewage Management • Missionneeded at state level for Safe Urban Sanitation and Sewage Mgt • Substantially increase capture and treatment of waste water/ sewage, going towards 100% • Grey and black water may be treated separately and re-used optimally • Mandate methane recovery from sewage treatment plants, where feasible • Re-use grey water for flushing in flats below in multi storey buildings
• 10.
  Paradigm shift needed! WasteManagement Materials Recovery/ Recycling • Mandate segregation at source and composting/ biogas near sources • Reserve space for decentralized management in master plans • Integrate & support informal sector (rag pickers, scrap dealers) for recyclables recovery, managing composting facilities • Link manufacturers in materials recovery in Extended Producer Responsibility arrangements • Restrict incineration-based disposal to bio-medical / hazardous wastes • No dumping of construction debris in wetlands, re-use it
• 11.
  Mobility • Adopt multi-modalapproach with priority to public transportation • Create superb facilities for Non-Motorized Transport (walking, cycling) • Encourage cleaner fuels • Follow National Urban Transport Policy guidelines such as restricting parking, and promoting non- motorized transport facilities • Policies should limit the growth of private vehicles
• 12.
  Vulnerability and RiskReduction • Decent housing for all is a major strategy in risk reduction • Create mechanisms for large scale availability of affordable housing stock for current and future demand (climate change induced stresses in rural areas may mean more migration) • Support informal economic activities for poverty reduction – registration, credit, insurance, space allocation, training etc • Invest in public toilets and sewerage – prevent disease and reduce risks • Superb water and sanitation facilities in municipal schools
• 13.
  People’s Participation isKey • People’s participation can help to improve governance • Needed for a ‘climate-resilient’ society • Participation in Development Planning • Public assessment and contribution to state of the environment reports • Participation in annual city budget so that it is more responsive to people’s needs
• 14.
  The ‘Urban Group’ • Ms Vandana Chavan, ALERT • Ms Sanskriti Menon, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) • Mr Mangesh Dighe, Environment Officer, Pune Municipal Corporation • Mr Ameya Jagtap, Youth to Youth • Mr Sufi Pore, Independent Consultant • Ms Pallavi Nanda, Youth to Youth • Mr Prasoon Kanmadikar, Youth to Youth • Ms Kishori Gadre, Janwani and Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture • Mr Lalit Waykole, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture • With inputs from Mahesh Rajwade (Ecological Society), Vijay Paranjape (Gomukh), Vishal Jain (Shelter Associates) and Prashant Shinde (Srustidnyan) Please email comments and suggestions to • [email protected] • [email protected]